Author: Thomas J. Ryan

At the ICR Conference 2022, Chris Rondeau, CEO of Planet Fitness, talked up the benefits of the company’s acquisition of one of its largest franchisees and the drivers of its strong membership growth in 2021. He also said the fitness chain at least through the fourth quarter wasn’t being impacted by the Omicron variant.

At the ICR Conference 2022, Andrew Rees, Crocs’ CEO, took another stab at explaining the merits of its pending acquisition of Hey Dude, predicting the little-known casual footwear brand would reach $1 billion in sales by 2024, up from $580 million in 2021.

At the 2022 ICR Conference, John Merris, CEO, Solo Brands, provided a deep dive into the company’s direct-to-consumer model as it seeks to become the outdoors’ “digitally-native direct-to-consumer lifestyle disruptor.”

A comprehensive study from the nonprofit Global Wellness Institute (GWI), “The Global Wellness Economy: Looking Beyond Covid,” finds the broader wellness market expanding to $4.9 trillion in 2019 and then sliding to $4.4 trillion in 2020. However, with a consumer “values shift” underway, the future of the wellness market looks strong and is predicted to grow 10 percent annually through 2025 to reach $7 billion.

On is forming partnerships with Roger Federer and other athletes as well as starting to open its own retail stores. However, David Allemann, On’s co-founder and executive co-chairman, told investors Tuesday at ICR Conference 2022 that the Swiss running brand is focusing on product innovation foremost to differentiate from the competition.

Journeys’ sales in the fourth quarter through December 25 grew a better-than-expected 8 percent against the 2020 period and 3 percent against the 2019 period. At ICR Conference 2022, Mimi Vaughn, president and CEO of Genesco, Journey’s parent, said a strong casual trend offsets severe inventory challenges.

The Editors from SGB Executive present the third and final installment of our annual outlook survey exploring what leaders in the active lifestyle market are projecting for 2022. Comments from PGA Tour Superstore, Academy Sports, Asics, Lowa, SFIA, Implus, OrderMyGear, Certor Sports, Grassroots Outdoor Alliance, and more.

The Editors from SGB Executive present the second installment of our annual outlook survey exploring what the leaders in the active lifestyle market are projecting for 2022. Comments from Columbia Sportswear, Fleet Feet Maine Running, OIA, Rawlings, Baird, Klean Kanteen, DPS Skis, and more.

Helen of Troy, which recently closed its acquisition of Osprey Packs, reported sales in its Housewares segment rose 10.7 percent in the third quarter ended November 30 on top of 21.4 percent growth in the year-ago period with strong growth for its Hydroflask and OXO brands. Julien Mininberg, Helen of Troy’s CEO, said “Hydroflask’s especially strong growth in the quarter sweetened the mix, improving the margins for Housewares.”

Over the past couple of weeks, the Editors of SGB Executive reached out to dozens of executives across the active lifestyle market to share their outlook for 2022. Responses from Backcountry, Kodiak, SIA, Houlihan Lokey, Slinger Bag, prAna and more.

In an interview with SGB Executive, Jon Barker, president and CEO at Sportsman’s Warehouse Holdings, Inc., admitted he was “disappointed” the retailer’s merger with Bass Pro fell apart. However, he said that his team is “re-energized” to focus back on growth as a stand-alone company particularly as the pandemic has elevated opportunities across outdoor categories.

In his 2022 outlook for stocks under his coverage, Guggenheim analyst Bob Drbul said Nike remains his “Best Idea” due to its favorable secular tailwinds, leading market share, a robust innovation pipeline, and digital expertise.

Baird Equity Research’s analyst Jonathan Komp in a note Tuesday rated Under Armour and Planet Fitness as his two top 2022 ideas as investor sentiment is expected to focus on “visible cyclical earnings recovery prospects.” Baird upgraded Under Armour to “Outperform” while downgrading Wolverine World Wide and Columbia Sportswear.

With many companies continuing to see benefits from changed behaviors due to the pandemic, the wide majority of active lifestyle stocks soared to new heights in 2021. Among the big winners were Academy Sports + Outdoors, up 113.3 percent; Dick’s Sporting Goods and Crocs, both ahead 104.6 percent; Shoe Carnival, 99.5 percent; Vista Outdoor, 93.9 percent; and Clarus Corp., up 80.0 percent.

The pace of mergers & acquisitions picked up in 2021 after a pandemic-restrained year in 2020. Among the major brands and stores that found new owners were Beyond Yoga, DTLR Villa, Eddie Bauer, Hey Dude, Imperial Headwear, JackRabbit, Neptune Mountaineering, Osprey, Reebok, Spanx, Sportsman’s Guide, Sweaty Betty, TaylorMade, and WSS. Here is the full list of M&A actions for 2021.