SGB Executive Outdoor

EXEC: Black Diamond’s Fiske Says “No Question” Retail Prices Rise if Tariffs Hit
“At the levels most recently proposed, there is no question, prices will have to go up for consumers. The outdoor industry has absorbed inflationary pressures for too long. Prices will simply have to go up.” —Neil Fiske, President, Black Diamond Equipment

EXEC: VF Corp. Shares Fall Following Investor Day Part 2
Presentations during the meeting were conducted by the brand presidents from The North Face, Timberland, Dickies, Altra, and Vans who outlined key strategic objectives for each brand as well as the Emerging Brands segment.

EXEC: Rapala VMC Getting Big Hits with CrushCity Lures as Soft Baits Dominate
North American sales grew in almost all categories except hard baits, impacted by the trend shift in fishing techniques favoring soft plastics over hard baits. CrushCity was the driving force in the company’s soft bait business.

EXEC: Fenix Outdoor Takes Majority Stake in Devold of Norway Wool Brand
The parent of Fjällräven, Royal Robbins, Hanwag, and Fenix Outdoor brands, has agreed to acquire 65 percent of the shares in Devold of Norway AS, which is described as a “pioneer in wool clothing for outdoor activities and protective workwear.”

EXEC: President Trump Pulls Trigger on China Tariffs; Market Asks What’s Next?
The expected tariff news hit on Monday, March 3, of a big news week related to the economy, starting with the Manufacturing PMI reports for February and ending with the Jobs Report on Friday, February 28.

EXEC: Primaloft Posts Double-Digit Growth as Market Recovers from Inventory Woes
The textile partner for the outdoor market saw some upside in 2024 as inventory levels in the retail landscape began normalizing, increasing orders with retailers and with the company’s brand partners.

EXEC: BOA Posts Strong Double-Digit Increases in Sales and Operating Income for 2024
The 22.5 percent increase in sales was said to be the result of the improvement of end market inventory levels, coupled with market share gains in many of the brand’s key industries.

EXEC: Fox CEO Talks Marucci’s MLB Ramp Up and an Uneven Return of Bike Sales
As Marucci enters its first year as MLB’s official bat partner, the company has expanded its bat manufacturing capacity as well as designed new products to drive incremental sales and reinforce the company’smarket-leading position in the MLB with Marucci and Victus.

EXEC: Big 5 CEO Looks for End of Weak Winter in Hopes of Spring Baseball Rebirth
The West Coast and Mountain state retailer continues to focus on managing the expenses within its control, considering the ongoing economic challenges, while it waits for the annual floor shift to spring sports and a hopeful lift from youth baseball season.

EXEC: Salomon Sneaker Sales Exceed $1B in 2024; Winter Sports Equipment Falters
Salomon footwear and apparel now represent approximately two-thirds of the Outdoor Performance segment that also includes the Salomon, Atomic and Armada snow sports equipment brands, up significantly from the 54 percent share in 2022.

EXEC: Arc’teryx Brand Surpasses $2 Billion Mark in 2024 as Sales Grow 36 Percent
Amer Sports CEO James Zheng told analysts and investors on the company’s Q4 conference call that strong growth at Arc’teryx came across all regions, channels, and categories — especially in footwear and women’s, which grew faster than the brand overall.

EXEC: Amer Sports Posts Strong DD Q4 Growth Across Big Three Brands
The company saw continued strong results in Greater China and Asia Pacific, accelerating growth in North America and EMEA. The Technical Apparel segment, including Arc’teryx and Peak Performance brands, led growth with a 34 percent year-over-year increase.

EXEC: REI Co-op Raises $230 Million Through Sale-Leaseback Deals for Four DCs
The chain specialty outdoor retailer has entered into a long-term sale-leaseback agreement with Madison Capital, a New York-based real estate investment firm, for its four Class A distribution center properties.

EXEC: Stanley Container Maker PMI Sued Over Brand Name
Stanley Black & Decker is claiming confusion between its Stanley brand name and the Stanley drinkware brand produced by Pacific Market International, LLC, and is taking PMI to Court “to protect its Stanley tools brand.”

EXEC: Sports Direct Parent Frasers Abandons Nordic SG Retailer XXL Takeover Effort
Frasers cited the condition requiring acceptance of the Intended Offer by a sufficient number of shareholders to ensure that it would hold more than 50 percent of XXL shares and votes on a fully diluted and converted basis would not be satisfied.