SGB Executive Apparel

The Path to $5 Billion: Vans Unveils Roadmap For Lofty Goal

The numbers that the Vans leadership presented at Wednesday morning’s investor meeting in Costa Mesa, CA, were staggering relative to the company’s current financial snapshot of $3 billion in annual revenue for fiscal 2018. The footwear and apparel brand expects to generate compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10 percent to 12 percent each year over the next five years to reach $5 billion in annual revenue by 2023. Here’s how the company plans to do it.

What Would Anta’s Merger Mean For Amer Sports?

“What’s Anta Sports?” was among the questions heard from more than a few market observers after news arrived Tuesday that the Chinese sports powerhouse had made an all-cash offer to acquire Amer Sports. But Anta has spelled out the company’s ambitions to become a global superpower in sporting goods and is ideally-positioned to attack major growth opportunities in the company’s home market.

Nike And Foot Locker Upgraded On Nike’s Innovation Pipeline

Nike was upgraded to “Buy” from Canaccord Genuity while Foot Locker was upgraded to “Outperform” by Wells Fargo. Both upgrades were tied to successful recent launches and bright prospects for future ones from Nike. Canaccord Genuity analyst Camilo Lyon also called Nike’s controversial Colin Kaepernick “Just Do It” anniversary campaign a “stroke of genius.”

One Week In: Nike’s Kaepernick Saga

It’s been a week since Nike caused an nationwide uproar over the company’s decision to make Colin Kaepernick the face of the thirtieth anniversary of the company’s “Just Do It” campaign. Boycott threats, shoe burnings, and at least two colleges vowing to stop wearing and one store vowing to stop selling Nike product have arrived so far. But praise, loads of media exposure and indications of a sales bump also came.

Retail Reports Roundup

Studies arrived showing Nike and Lululemon ranking high among favorite retailers for millennial and Gen Z consumers; Outdoor Voices landing among LinkedIn’s top startups and research on visual search, online personalization, Walmart’s online share gains and voice assistant shopping.

Moosejaw’s CEO Addresses Walmart Concerns In Open Letter

On Linkedin, Eoin Comerford, Moosejaw’s CEO, wrote an open letter to the outdoor industry asserting that the development of the Premium Outdoor Store on Walmart was done in the spirit of “inclusivity” and he’s “surprised by the vehemence of the attacks by some of our industry’s leading retailers and the threats to drop brands that participated.”

Journeys Powers Genesco Ahead In Q2

Driven by huge gains in revenues and profitability at Journeys, Genesco Inc. reported the company’s first positive store comp in eight quarters while posting a surprise profit in the second quarter. Said Bob Dennis, Genesco’s CEO, “Despite lapping positive comparisons when Journeys successfully emerged from the fashion shift a year ago.”

Aisle Talk Week Of September 3

Top headlines from the active lifestyle industry you may have missed this week, including the tragic death of Jason Hairston, the founder of the KUIU hunting apparel brand.

Zumiez Q2 Gets Boost From Vans

Zumiez delivered the company’s “strongest second quarter in several years,” according to Rick Brooks, CEO, with a big boost from Vans.

Duluth Trading’s Revenues Accelerate In Q2

Helped by a pickup in sales in the company’s direct business, Duluth Holdings Inc., the parent of Duluth Trading Company, reported sales grew 28.3 percent in the second quarter, accelerating from the 19.7 percent gain seen in the first quarter. Both earnings and sales topped Wall Street guidance although the apparel company maintained guidance for the year.

Dick’s Touts Strong Vendor Relationships

Despite aggressive shifts by many vendors to pursue growth in direct-to-consumer (DTC) channels and the widely-covered challenges the chain is facing with Under Armour, Ed Stack, Dick’s Sporting Goods’ CEO, told attendees at Goldman Sachs’ Annual Global Retailing Conference that the chain’s vendor relationship have “never really been better.”

SGB Exec Q&A: Decathlon USA’s COO Sophie O’Kelly De Gallagh

Sophie O’Kelly de Gallagh, COO of Decathlon USA, talked to SGB about Decathlon’s return to U.S.retailing with the company’s “lab” store in San Francisco, the retailer’s unique vertically-integrated model and expansion plans.

Retail Reports Roundup

Studies arrived on retailers’ omnichannel concerns,  kids influence on BTS purchases, Gen-Z’s and millennials mobile phone purchases, Gen-Z’s non-digital interests, expanding retail app usage and more.

Auspicious Start For Lululemon’s New CEO

Things couldn’t have gone much better this week for new Lululemon Athletica Inc. CEO Calvin McDonald, whose first earnings call Thursday centered on the company’s stellar second quarter.