SGB Executive Outdoor
EXEC: Thule Group CEO Talks Q2 Upside, 2025 Opportunities and U.S. Gains After Weak Q1
Thule Group President and CEO Mattias Ankarberg said the company’s 16 percent currency-neutral growth in the second quarter was driven by new products and categories, providing clear confirmation to him that the company’s high launch pace during the year has paid off.
EXEC: Eagle Creek Owner Travis Campbell Eyes Opportunities in Adventure Travel
In September 2021, Travis Campbell made a leap in acquiring Eagle Creek, a brand that its former owner and his former employer, VF Corp., had planned to discontinue. He talks to SGB Executive about the ongoing reset of Eagle Creek and the opportunities in the adventure travel consumer market.
EXEC: Osprey Grows, Hydro Flask Slows in First Quarter
Shares of Helen of Troy tumbled about 23 percent Thursday, July 10, after the company reported a loss in the fiscal first quarter ended May 31 on a 10.8 sales decline and issued guidance for the current quarter that was well below analyst targets. Of the sales decline, approximately eight percentage points was attributed to tariffs.
EXEC: Town of Nederland Acquires Eldora Mountain Resort from Powdr
Powdr will continue to support the Mountain for the first two winters and summers. The Town’s Board said it will partner with 303 Ski, a coalition of Front Range ski industry veterans, who have been instrumental in vetting operating plans, conducting financial modeling and assessing community programming.
EXEC: Former Brooks CEO Jim Weber Highlights Key Leadership Traits
At a keynote session held during Switchback Spring, which took place from June 16-18 at the Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center in Nashville, Tennessee, Jim Weber, former CEO of Brooks Running, listed focus, curiosity and trust as his “winning” trifecta formula for leadership success.
EXEC: Cinelli Now Assembling High-End Road and Gravel Bikes in the U.S.
The models, including Pressure ADR (Road Endurance), Pressure II (Road Race) and King Zydeco II (Gravel Race), are now being built at the Cinelli Logistics Center in Ames, IA.
EXEC: Trump Looks to Make Public Lands Great Again
It is refreshing to see the work the Outdoor Recreation Roundtable and its 50 national members have done to develop and maintain a bipartisan approach to issues that threaten to impact access, creation and expansion of Public Lands in the U.S.
EXEC: Trump Announces New Trade Deal with Vietnam
The revised deal includes the elimination of Vietnam tariffs on U.S. goods and a higher tariff on Vietnam shipments to the U.S, although it amounts to less than half of the 46 percent tariff imposed by the Trump Administration in early April.
EXEC: Accell Group Tracking Toward “Sustainable Recovery” After Tough 2024
The Dutch parent of the Babboe, Batavus, Carqon, Ghost, Haibike, Koga, Lapierre, Raleigh, Sparta, and Winora bicycle brands said sales dropped 22 percent in 2024 due to extensive discounting in the bike space but growth has resumed in the parts and accessories) business and certain key regions in early signs of recovery.
EXEC: Belgian Cycling Factory Opens UK/Ireland Distribution Office
The UK division is a partnership between Russell Merry, a long-time industry veteran with leadership roles at Hot Wheels, Cycling Sports Group and Frasers Group/Evans Cycles, and Jochim Aerts, CEO of Belgian Cycling Factory, headquartered in Beringen, Belgium.
EXEC: Nike, Inc. Forcing Australia’s SurfStitch Into Liquidation
Nike claims SurfStitch owes it $237,760 and is demanding that the company be placed into liquidation. Edwin Narayan and Domenic Calabretta, from Mackay Goodwin, were appointed as administrators earlier this month to sort out the retailer’s finances.
EXEC: Sport Obermeyer CEO Kris Kuster Talks Year ‘Round Mountain Opportunities in Ski, Hunt & Fish
Kris Kuster, Sport Obermeyer’s new CEO, spoke with SGB Executive about the opportunities he sees for the company in targeting female hunters and anglers, as well as plans to introduce fashion-forward capsules, including those connected to Obermeyer’s hometown of Aspen, the revamp of its online presence, and the impact of tariffs. Kuster also spoke about the impossibility of replacing Klaus Obermeyer.
EXEC: Topo Athletic CEO Tony Post Talks Meteoric Growth for the Running Brand
SGB Executive talks with Topo Athletic’s Founder and CEO Tony Post about the brand’s momentum, recent product wins, its partnership with DBI, tariff turmoil, and future opportunities.
EXEC: Giant Group May Bike Shipments Crater Nearly 30 Percent
May shipments declined 29.3 percent y/y to NT$5.06 billion, pushing the five-month year-to-date period to a decline of 8.3 percent y/y to NT$27.6 billion. The May decline builds on a 7.3 percent decline in May 2024.
EXEC: Switchback Spring 2025 Through the Eyes of the Industry
Sights and sounds from the inaugural Switchback Spring event in Nashville, Tennessee, featuring photos from show attendees, exhibitors and Outdoor Industry Association.
