SGB Executive Apparel

Deckers Shares Pop On Acquisition Talk

Shares of Deckers Outdoor Corp. rose $1.81, or 3.1 percent, on Wednesday to $60.55 after it reported it was exploring a sale. The move comes as activist investors had pushed for a sale.

Run Specialty’s Digital Disconnection

According to interviews with executives attending the industry’s premier race, the Boston Marathon, many local running shops are struggling to adapt to the shift toward digital retailing.

Academy Can’t Sidestep Industry Pressures

Unable to shrug off the many challenges facing the sporting goods channel, Academy Sports + Outdoors’ same-store sales slid in the low-single-digit range and management-adjusted EBITDA dropped 23 percent in 2016.

Americas Drives Puma’s Q1 Growth

“Retailers ordered more because they needed more which has not been the case for a long time at Puma,” Bjørn Gulden, CEO of Puma SE, said on a conference call with journalists.

Sports Direct Breaks Into U.S. Retailing

Sports Direct said the Eastern Outfitters acquisition will provide Sports Direct “with a footprint in U.S. bricks-and-mortar retail and a platform from which to grow U.S. on-line sales.”

Is Casual Participation Growth More Important Than Core Growth?

Among the sports seeing healthier gains in core versus casual participants were a number of fitness-oriented activities, including yoga, cross training, bodyweight exercise & bodyweight accessory-assisted training, weight/resistance machines, treadmill and kettlebells. Others seeing higher growth in core versus casual participation included adventure racing, field hockey, volleyball (grass), target shooting (rifle) and mixed martial arts for competition.

Omega Sports Sold To Former Fresh Market CEO

Phil Bowman, Omega Sports’ president, told SGB, “It was a perfect situation for someone to come in and still grow our company, protect our culture and carry on the Omega tradition.”

Puma’s Momentum Builds In Q1

Puma now expects operating profits to expand between 45 to 56 percent with currency-adjusted revenue expanding at a low double-digit percentage rate.

Which Active Brands Are Reaching Teens?

Nike, Adidas, Lululemon, Vans, Patagonia and Fitbit are all gaining traction with the teen crowd while Under Armour and The North Face appear to be losing ground, according to Piper Jaffray’s Taking Stock With Teens Spring 2017 report.

Timberland Looks To Diversify To Grow

Timberland plans to aggressively push further into women’s footwear, casual footwear overall and men’s apparel to jumpstart growth in the years ahead. Other key growth priorities included direct-to-consumer and China.