Amer Sports, the parent of Salomon, Wilson, Arc’teryx and other sports brands, filed confidentially for a U.S. initial public offering that could value the group as high as $10 billion. The offering would come as Amer Sports’ business has seen accelerated growth, driven by Arc’teryx and Salomon and growth in China.
Author: Thomas J. Ryan
Thomas J. Ryan
Senior Business Editor | SGB Media
tryan@sgbonline.com | 917.375.4699
Study: American Malls Making a Comeback Post-Pandemic
A study conducted by Coresight Research found that traffic at U.S. shopping malls has recovered and surpassed pre-COVID levels, supported by the “halo effect” created by a brand’s online and offline presence in a mall, brand synergy in malls and omnichannel retail investments.
EXEC: Lululemon Claims North America Market Share Gain Despite Slower Q2 Growth
While its outsized growth in China continues to get much of the media attention, Lululemon Athletica, Inc. churned out sales gains of 11 percent in the second quarter in North America, slowing from the 17 percent growth in the first quarter.
EXEC: Caleres Sees Famous Footwear Gaining Share
Famous Footwear’s same-store sales declined 4.3 percent in the second quarter but showed sequential improvement from the first quarter and is estimated to be taking market share. Jay Schmidt, president and CEO of Caleres, the parent of Famous, told analysts on a call, “During the second quarter, Famous continued to navigate difficult spending trends among its target consumer and the challenging economic backdrop overall.”
EXEC: Academy Sports’ Shares Jump On Upbeat Outlook
Shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors, Inc. closed up $4.63, or 9.3 percent, to $54.57 Thursday as second-quarter earnings topped analysts’ estimates and the retailer reiterated its guidance for the year. Academy officials said sales steadily improved throughout the second quarter as customers responded to its message around value and newness.
EXEC: Shoe Carnival Sees Athletic Sales Trends Improve in Q2
Shoe Carnival, Inc. reported that same-store sales in the adult athletic category were down low single digits in the second quarter but improved sequentially from down low-teens in the first quarter. Company officials told analysts the category continues to benefit from “materially” improved inventory levels versus last year and a new campaign designed to “reactivate” former athletic footwear purchasers.
EXEC: Saris Plots Continued Recovery Under New Ownership
The bike racks and trainers manufacturer Saris is under new ownership, acquired by C+A Global in October 2022. SGB Executive talked with Stefan Guelpen, head of global sales, about how the company helped stabilize and reposition Saris for growth.
EXEC: Active Lifestyle Well Represented on 2023 Inc. 5000 List
Golftec, Xero Shoes, SylvanSport, Stinger Sports, Bases Loaded and GiantMouse are brands in the wide range of companies in the active lifestyle space to land in Inc’s 5000 for 2023 annual ranking of the fastest-growing private companies in America—a snapshot of companies’ performance from 2019 to 2022.
BTS Study: Nike Losing Ground With Retailers as Others Gain Favor
Nike continues to be the most popular brand at retail for back-to-school (BTS) footwear by a wide margin, according to Stifel’s 16th Annual Back-to-School Athletic Footwear Survey of major athletic footwear sellers.
EXEC: Department Stores Stung by Apparel Category Woes
Macy’s, Nordstrom, Kohl’s, and Dillard’s saw sales decline in the second quarter as the retailer’s core apparel category faced promotional pressures and weak demand. The active category was a bright spot for Nordstrom, but continued to struggle at Macy’s and Kohl’s.
EXEC: Hibbett Shares Jump on Q2 Beat, Reiterated Guidance
Shares of Hibbett, Inc. surged 22.2 percent, to $45.03 on Friday after Q2 sales arrived in line with guidance due to a strong start to back-to-school selling and as strength in some better footwear brands offset weakness in secondary brands and franchises.
EXEC: Gap Confident in Athleta’s Turnaround Prospects
Athleta’s same-store sales were down in the second quarter for the third quarter in a row but showed improvement sequentially with sales of performance bottoms accelerating. On its analyst call, Gap Inc. officials expressed confidence in the ability of Athleta’s new leadership team, led by former Alo Yoga’s president Chris Blakeslee, to guide the continued recovery.
EXEC: Peloton’s Stock Hits All-Time Low On Q4 Shortfall, Weak Outlook
Shares of Peloton fell $1.58, or 22.6 percent, on Wednesday to an all-time low of $5.41 after the connected fitness equipment maker posted a wider-than-expected fiscal-fourth-quarter loss and pushed back its cash-flow positive goal to 2024 after it failed to achieve it this year as expected earlier.
EXEC: Kohl’s Finds Active Category Continues “Soft” in Second Quarter
On Kohl’s second-quarter analyst call, Tom Kingsbury, CEO, said the overall active category remained “soft” for the retailer in the second quarter, but outdoor and golf trends were encouraging and Nike, Under Armour and Eddie Bauer showed strength.
EXEC: Dick’s CEO Talks Q2 EPS Miss, Inventory Woes, Retail Theft and Staff Cuts
Shares of Dick’s shaved about a quarter of their value on Tuesday after America’s largest sporting goods chain reported a second-quarter profit shortfall and slashed its earning guidance for the year due to promotions required to clear inventories, particularly in the outdoor category, and higher-than-expected shrink.