Nike has tasked Angela Dong, Nike’s top executive in Greater China, with overseeing its outdoor sub-brand, All Conditions Gear (ACG), as Nike revisits its opportunity in the outdoor space to revive growth.
Author: Thomas J. Ryan
Thomas J. Ryan
Senior Business Editor | SGB Media
tryan@sgbonline.com | 917.375.4699
EXEC: Lululemon Touts International Growth Potential
At an investor event held in Shanghai, Lululemon Athletica officials did not provide any major updates on progress in reviving North America revenues, but analysts told SGB Media that officials laid out a convincing strategy to reach its goal of having international ultimately represent half of sales, fueled predominately by China Mainland.
EXEC: Nike’s Stock Nets “Buy” Upgrade on Leadership Changes
Nike scored its first rating upgrade since news arrived of Elliot Hill’s appointment as CEO. Truist Securities’ Joe Civello believes Nike’s increasingly veteran-driven management team can revive the brand’s marketing and innovation, including better promoting Caitlin Clark, while continuing to repair wholesale relationships. Civello also cited selling direct on Amazon as a “game-changer” opportunity.
EXEC: Ten Takeaways from SFIA’s 2024 Team Sports Report
SFIA’s 2024 U.S. Trends in Team Sports Report included some concerning findings, including continued deterioration in Core participation, but overall had more positive findings than negative.
EXEC: Piper Sandler Survey Finds Adidas, Hoka, On, New Balance and Ugg Gaining Teen’s Attention
Piper Sandler’s 48th semi-annual Taking Stock With Teens Survey for Fall 2024 latest teen survey found Nike, Lululemon, Converse and Crocs highly popular but losing mindshare. Adidas, Hoka, On, New Balance and Ugg have gained in popularity.
EXEC: Footwear Retailers Score Winning Fiscal Q2; BTS Had Solid Start
SGB Media wraps up the fiscal second quarter for footwear sales, as retailers generally delivered a healthy performance across the specialty, family footwear, and sporting goods space—with many helped by strength in athletic brands and a good start to back-to-school selling.
EXEC: Vista Inks Deals to Sell Revelyst and The Kinetic Group Separately
Vista Outdoor Inc. entered into a definitive agreement to sell its Revelyst outdoor segment to funds managed by Strategic Value Partners and amended its merger agreement with Czechoslovak Group (CSG) to acquire The Kinetic Group ammunition-related segment.
EXEC: Post Earnings Call, Analysts See Slow Recovery for Nike
Shares of Nike, Inc. fell about 7 percent on October 2. SGB Media spoke with eleven Wall Street analysts to explore Nike’s turnaround prospects. Several remain bullish on Elliot Hill’s return as CEO; however, a return to healthy growth might only happen in calendar year 2026.
EXEC: Nike Signals Uphill Struggle as New CEO Settles In
On Nike’s first-quarter analyst call, Matt Friend, EVP and CFO, said Nike is finding success with some new products, particularly in running, and the hiring of Nike veteran Elliott Hill as CEO was enthusiastically received by Nike’s employees. However, he warned that business conditions worsened in the quarter with online traffic, retail sales across the marketplace and spring orders all coming in lighter than planned.
Analysts: Nike Could Cut Guidance Tonight
Several analysts expect Nike will lower guidance for the second straight quarter when it reports first-quarter results after the market’s close on Tuesday due in part to weakness in China but also to lower the bar for incoming CEO, Elliott Hill.
EXEC: Under Armour’s Shares Jump on Q1 Beat, Guidance Raise
Shares of Under Armour rose nearly 20 percent Thursday after the company notched a surprise quarterly profit before litigation-related charges as both gross margins and North America’s sales performance exceeded expectations. Under Armour slightly raised its outlook for the year.
EXEC: Vulcabras Q2’s Growth Paced by Athletic Footwear Strength
Brazil’s Vulcabras reported sales increased 5.1 percent to of R$761 million ($136 mm) in the second quarter with growth across its Olympikus as well as licensed Mizuno and Under Armour brands.
EXEC: Saucony and Merrell Gaining Traction, But Remain Down Sharply in Q2
Wolverine Worldwide became one of the few companies in the outdoor space to hike its full-year guidance in recent months after seeing second-quarter results come in better than expected due to the margin benefits from its transformation plan and traction gained by its Saucony and Merrell brands.
Wolverine Worldwide Raises FY Outlook on Early Payback from Turnaround Efforts
Wolverine Worldwide reported earnings fell 21 percent in the second quarter as sales on an ongoing basis sunk 18 percent due to steep declines at Merrell and Saucony, but the company still raised its sales and earnings guidance for the year as its turnaround program is driving better-than-expected results.
EXEC: VF CEO Not Ready to Predict When Growth Returns
With July 17 marking his one-year anniversary, Bracken Darrell, VF Corp’s president and CEO, cited a number of accomplishments under his tenure, including significantly reducing debt, inventories and costs on the company’s first-quarter analyst call. The sales decline in the latest quarter also moderated versus the prior quarter, but Darrell declined to predict when growth would turn positive.
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