Author: Thomas J. Ryan

At the NRF Big Show in New York City, Stuart Hogue, Nike’s VP, marketplace development, discussed the sports giant’s successful partnership with Zalando that he said should serve as a “bit of a blueprint” for other brands and marketplaces to copy. The presentation followed Nike’s move last November to end its direct sales relationship with Amazon, the world’s largest marketplace. (Read More)

In a session on circular business models at the NRF Big Show, Phil Graves, Patagonia’s head of corporate development, said early returns from Worn Wear, the brand’s resale business, “are quite good.” Last year, Worn Wear saw 40 percent growth in revenue, profitability and customers that were on average 10 years younger than typical Patagonia customers. (Read More)

In his first conversation with the business community since stepping down as CEO of Under Armour at the NRF Big Show, Kevin Plank strongly defended his company’s commitment to performance, unveiled a new "The Only Way Is Through" brand campaign, and discussed his new role with the company. (Read More)

At the NRF Big Show, Matt Blonder, VP, marketing and digital brand commerce at Reebok, conducted a deep dive into the development of Reebok Unlocked, the brand's recently-launched loyalty program. The process challenged many of the brand’s assumptions about their consumers. (Read More)

Thirty-five years after taking over the family business from his Dad, Ed Stack has written his first book, “It’s How We Play The Game: Build a Business. Take a Stand. Make a Difference.” Stack spoke with SGB Executive about what motivated the book, life lessons learned in the sporting goods space and his controversial stance on gun sales and subsequent leadership role in the reform conversation on Capitol Hill. (Read More)

Powered by strong gains for Hydro Flask, Helen of Troy Ltd. reported sales in its Housewares segment jumped 28.5 percent in the third quarter ended November 30. The company significantly raised its growth targets for the year in the Housewares segment but also said growth would moderate in the fourth quarter due in part to Hydro Flask orders being shipped early to meet holiday demand. (Read More)

“In 2019, as in the previous two years, we describe our industry market dynamics as ‘okay, not great,” sums up Tom Cove, president and CEO of Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA), in his organization’s recently-released 2019 State Of The Industry Report. Profitability has stabilized, inventories have rationalized and R&D spending has recovered. But sports participation remains a concern. (Read More)

While the threats of online competition and vendors’ DTC (direct-to-consumer) efforts aren’t going away, another successful TRE (The Running Event) provides more evidence that the run specialty channel has regained its stride. (Read More)

Shares of Designer Brands, the parent of DSW, fell $2.80, or 16.4 percent, to $14.23 Tuesday after the company said warm weather and tariff-mitigation efforts drove the company to overreact to a potential slowdown. Roger Rawlins, CEO, said, “We of course now know that the feared consumer pullback did not materialize. But we, unfortunately, were not able to make up the impact of these actions within the quarter.” (Read More)

Dick’s Sporting Goods reported its strongest quarterly same-store sales gain since 2013 in the third quarter with a 6 percent gain. At Morgan Stanley’s Global Consumer & Retail Conference, Dick’s officials expressed optimism that the healthy growth will continue, particularly due to the revival in growth at its physical locations. (Read More)

Boosted by continued strength of Journeys coupled with significant improvement at Schuh, Genesco Inc.’s third-quarter earnings came in well above Wall Street estimates and the company significantly lifted its EPS outlook for the year. (Read More)

Helped by a hardgoods cycle that continues to boost comps and expense-control efforts, Zumiez Inc. reported net earnings jumped 39.1 percent in the third quarter to easily surpass guidance. (Read More)

Tilly's Inc. reported earnings and same-store sales landed at the top end of guidance in the third quarter and provided an upbeat comp outlook for the fourth quarter.  Said Ed Thomas, CEO, "Despite a slow start to the fourth quarter as a result of a later Thanksgiving this year, Black Friday weekend met our expectations, leaving us optimistic about our opportunity to deliver positive comps in the fourth quarter." (Read More)

After undergoing a rough patch a few years ago, the specialty run channel has stabilized and is seeing some growth, proving that the package of strong customer service and community involvement still pays off, according to two panels held Tuesday at The Running Event (TRE) in Austin. That’s not to say some reinvention isn’t required. (Read More)

Dick’s Sporting Goods Inc. last week reported third-quarter earnings handily surpassed Wall Street targets and lifted its guidance for the third time this year. A few analysts saw the progress as another sign that the sporting goods chain is well-positioned to drive healthy comps in the years ahead, but a few were still worried about margins and the payoff from ongoing investments. (Read More)

Shares of Dick’s Sporting Goods Inc. skyrocketed on Tuesday after the retailer reported Q3 earnings significantly eclipsed Wall Street targets on its strongest quarterly same-store sales gain since 2013. Same-store sales and earnings guidance were raised for the third time this year. (Read More)

Foot Locker Inc. on Friday reported third-quarter earnings that topped analysts’ estimates on a 5.7 percent same-store gain and improving gross margin and SG&A rates. But shares of the sneaker juggernaut declined Friday as it gave a disappointing outlook for the holiday season due to the timing of launches and struggles in apparel. (Read More)

With a fresh round of tariffs arriving on September 1 and another scheduled to land on December 15, tariff-mitigation strategies were again widely discussed by vendors on recent quarterly conference calls. So far, the impact has been minimal with more concerns expressed about 2020. Tariff insights from VF Corp, Under Armour, Nike, Columbia Sportswear, Vista Outdoor, Clarus and more. (Read More)