SGB Executive Apparel
Fanatics’ Raphael Peck Talks League Deals
While the industry’s major players have inked blockbuster licensing deals over the last two years, including Under Armour (MLB), Nike (NBA) and Adidas (NHL), Fanatics has more quietly secured part or all of the licensing rights for the fan piece of the licensing pie. Raphael Peck, president of Fanatics Branded, discusses the new NHL jersey set to launch this September and Fanatics’ ongoing vertical transformation.
Active Brands Boost Sequential Brands’ Q2
AND1 and Avia “continue to perform well at Walmart” while Heelys “remains a strong performer” with increased international and e-commerce sales.
Columbia Sportswear Launches Project CONNECT Execution Plan
While reporting second-quarter results that were slightly better than expected, Columbia Sportswear announced that it had launched a new transformation plan, entitled Project CONNECT, to adjust to the “accelerating structural change” facing retail.
Aisle Talk, Week Of July 24
Top headlines from the active lifestyle industry you may have missed this week.
Adidas Lifts Outlook For Second Time This Year
Revenues are now expected to increase between 17 and 19 percent on a constant currency basis for the year, compared to previous estimates of 12 to 14 percent growth.
Amer Sports Q2 Impacted by Restructuring, Sales Set To Pick Up In Back Half
Heikki Takala, president and CEO, told analysts Amer saw strong growth in most of its strategic priority areas. These include apparel, up 22 percent; owned retail, up 25 percent overall with same-store sales growth of 7 percent; e-commerce, vaulting 45 percent; and China, up 20 percent.
Camping World Adds TheHouse.com
Following its move into the hunt & fish space with its acquisition of Gander Mountain and Overton’s, Camping World is moving into the board and bike space by acquiring Minnesota’s TheHouse.com.
Puma Rides Women’s Momentum To Robust Q2
On a press conference call, Bjørn Gulden, Puma’s CEO, particularly credited Puma’s success in reestablishing traction in the footwear category and ongoing momentum in women’s. He said, “We still have a lot improve and I don’t celebrate this as a huge success but it’s another step in the right direction.”
Shimano Lowers Full-Year Guidance On Subpar First Half
Blaming weak economies in many regions of the world, Shimano Inc. reported earnings and sales declined in the first half and lowered its earnings guidance for the full year.
VF Lifts Outlook On North Face And Vans Momentum
VF Corp. raised its guidance for the year due to stronger-than-expected growth in the second quarter in its Outdoor & Action sports coalition, driven by its Vans and The North Face; as well as above-plan sales across its its D2C channel, led by digital.
Hibbett’s Shares Crash On Profit Warning
Shares of Hibbett Sports Inc. tumbled $6.60, or 33.5 percent, to $13.10 on Monday after the sporting goods chain warned that second-quarter results would arrive far short of expectations.
Aisle Talk, Week Of July 17
Top headlines from the active lifestyle industry you may have missed this week.
Academy Sports Lays Off 100 In Restructuring
The layoffs, which follow a similar round of layoffs at its largest competitor, Dick’s Sporting Goods, come as the company has “identified new areas of focus where our energy and dollars will make a real difference as we continue to write our strategic growth story.”
Sports Direct’s Profits Dragged Down By Weak Pound
On a conference call with analysts, Mike Ashley, CEO and owner, said the company is now expecting an improved U.K. performance at Sports Direct partly because the company had “smashed the ball out of the park” with its investment in more up-market flagship stores.
Dick’s Shutters Chelsea Collective
Dick’s said in a statement provided to SGB Exec: “We opened Chelsea Collective stores as a lab to more thoroughly understand the women’s specialty athletic business. As the leases at both locations are expiring soon, we have concluded the very successful experiment. We have learned a great deal from Chelsea Collective and the valuable insights will be transferred to Dick’s Sporting Goods to better serve our female customers.”
