SGB Executive Outdoor

Holiday Reports Point To Merry Retail Haul

With a few days to go, reports continue to arrive indicating the retail industry is heading for record holiday sales. Here, the latest holiday insights around online selling, last-minute procrastinators, returns, BOPIS demand, millennial gifting and more.

Winnebago Cruises To Q1 Beat Behind Towables Growth, Acquisition Boost

Revenue growth in the towables portion of Winnebago Industries Inc.’s portfolio plus the boost from the recent Chris-Craft acquisition helped the company cruise past Wall Street’s earnings per share and revenue targets. The Forest City, IA-based recreational vehicle company reported net earnings increased 23.4 percent in the first quarter ended November 24 on a 9.7 percent climb in revenues.

OIA Webinar: Tariff War Likely Driving Extensive Supply Chain Changes

In a seminar presented by the Outdoor Industry Association (OIA), trade experts at KPMG said the U.S./China tariff war may end but the underlying geo-political issues impacting overall trade won’t any time soon. As a result, a holistic “intelligent supply chain” approach that encompasses both customs and supply chain planning will be required in the future.

Stifel Outlook: Uncertainty Presents Opportunity For Active Lifestyle Brands

In “2019 Outlook: Uncertainty Presents Opportunities,” a note that was sent to investors this week, Jim Duffy of Stifel outlined what he believes are going to be the differentiators for sports and active lifestyle brands in the new year. The newly public Yeti Holdings Inc., for example, was among those forecasted for a strong year based on its new product drivers and digital competency.

Tariff Talk: How Is The Industry Responding?

GoPro last week announced plans to move most of its U.S.-bound camera production out of China by the summer of 2019 to mitigate the potential impact of inclusion on any new tariff lists. With significant uncertainty continuing, here’s an update from a few industry execs from third-quarter conference calls on what they’re planning to do to mitigate the potential tariff impact.

Case Study: Burton’s Patience In China Paying Off

In a companion piece to our special report on how U.S. snow sports brands can expand to China, SGB examines how Burton Snowboards established a strong presence in the China market way back in 2003. Now that the Winter Olympics are coming to China in three years, the Vermont-based brand is well-positioned for a booming snow sports marketplace. Here’s how they did it.

Aisle Talk Week Of December 10

Top headlines from the active lifestyle industry you may have missed this week, including Fanatics marking its first licensing agreement with a university, a 10-year deal with the University of Oregon to license, manufacture and sell its sports gear beginning on January 1, 2020.

Snow Sports Industry Eyes China As Last Untapped Market

As host of the 2022 Winter Olympics, China is developing snow sports infrastructure not only for the Games but also for its citizens to use recreationally. The government said it will create 300 million winter sports participants over the next few years, a number that understandably caught the attention of the U.S. snow sports industry. In this special report, SGB outlines the opportunities that China offers brands and how they should approach this untapped market.

Peak Resorts Finds ‘Firm Footing’ In Second Quarter

Shares of Peak Resorts Inc. rose 24 cents, or 4.9 percent, to $5.14 Wednesday on the company’s solid second-quarter performance that was bolstered by strong sales of its Peak Pass and plentiful early season snowfall that helped some of its resorts open early—the type of top-line boost that ski area owners covet during the traditionally slow fall quarter.

Vail Resorts Shares Start To Regain Footing After Last Week’s Faceplant

Shares of Vail Resorts Inc. climbed $11.23, or 5 percent, to $234.48 on Monday, giving the company a much-needed rebound after last week’s nearly 20 percent selloff—the largest since the company went public in 1997—on its widened loss and revenue miss in the fiscal first quarter.

Johnson Outdoors Post Record Year, Sees Tariffs Weighing On 2019

Ending with a solid fourth quarter, Johnson Outdoors logged record results in its fiscal year ending September 30, thanks to its fishing business. But the company warned that tariffs could negatively impact profits in the range of $6 million to $9 million in fiscal 2019.

Aisle Talk Week Of December 3

Top headlines from the active lifestyle industry you may have missed this week, including big news from trade show owner Emerald Expositions, which canceled Interbike (pictured) for 2019 and also shortened Outdoor Retailer Summer Market and Winter Market from four days to three days.

Retail Disappoints In Duluth Trading’s Q3

Shares of Duluth Holdings Inc. tumbled $6.03, or 19.9 percent, to $24.33 Friday following the company’s mixed third-quarter results. Although the company’s revenue was up 27.4 percent to $106.7 million—which beat Wall Street’s target by $2 million—there is concern on the retail side.

Behind The Deal: How Callaway Aced The Jack Wolfskin Acquisition

Anyone who looks beyond the surface of Callaway Golf Co.’s agreement to acquire Jack Wolfskin for $476 million will see that reducing it to the simplistic “golf company buys outdoor brand” doesn’t capture the depth of the deal. The acquisition makes sense on multiple levels for both companies amid the blurring of channels, product lines and even consumer habits.

Fjallraven North America’s Nathan Dopp Shares Brand Outlook

Nathan Dopp, deputy CEO and president of the Americas for Fjallraven North America, spoke with SGB at last month’s Outdoor Retailer Winter Market in Denver, CO, where he shared what’s on tap for the brand in 2019 and beyond.