SGB Executive Outdoor
Aisle Talk Week of September 17
Top headlines from the active lifestyle industry you may have missed this week, including sales growth at Gregory Mountain Products and High Sierra helping Samsonite International S.A.’s financial performance in the six months ended June 30.
SGB Executive Q&A: Mountainsmith President Jay Getzel
Jay Getzel, president of Golden, CO-based gear maker Mountainsmith, spoke with SGB recently about what’s truly important in light of the company’s 40th anniversary, a shift in the way it sells on Amazon and what’s on the horizon for this proudly independent brand.
Industry Voices Grow Louder In Opposition To Trade War
President Trump’s claim that increased tariffs on foreign goods have resulted in an improved business climate for U.S. companies has been widely rejected by representatives of the outdoor, sporting goods and active lifestyle industries, who are growing louder in their opposition to the administration’s escalating trade war.
Should The Outdoor Industry Welcome Selling On Walmart.com?
That was the question explored last week on RetailWire.com, the retail online discussion site, following the launch of Walmart’s Premium Outdoor Store and the consequent revolt after a number of outdoor vendors pulled their product from the site under pressure from outdoor retailers. Panelists were fairly split on the question.
Retail Reports Roundup
Studies arriving last week included a prediction that for the first time ever, more purchases will be made with mobile phones than ever during the upcoming holiday season. Research also found Nike’s chatter among Gen-Z getting louder, consumer reluctance to being targeted via customer segmentation methods, apparel shopping journeys increasingly starting online and the appeal of reward-based promotions and speedy checkouts.
SFIA: Sports Industry On The Mend
The sporting goods industry not surprisingly bounced back in 2017 after a brutal 2016 marked by the liquidation of Sports Authority, according to the 2018 SFIA State of the Industry Report. But the report still finds a cautious outlook for most industry players with many struggling to adjust to the digital disruption of retail.
Aisle Talk Week of September 10
Top headlines from the active lifestyle industry you may have missed this week, including the results of a new poll from Quinnipiac University that shows American voters approved, by a ratio of 49-to-37 percent, Nike’s decision to include Colin Kaepernick in the company’s “Just Do It” anniversary ad campaign.
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.
Peak Resorts Expecting Nice Return On Ski Area Investments
Continued progress with the ongoing construction of a new lodge at Mount Snow in Vermont and terrain expansion at Hunter Mountain in New York will soon pay off for ski resort operator Peak Resorts Inc., which on Tuesday reported Q1 revenue and earnings missed Wall Street targets.
August M&A Roundup: Implus Nets Sporting Goods Asset
The last full month of summer was again quiet on the M&A front, with only a handful of notable deals in the sporting goods, outdoor and active lifestyle industries. But August did get off to a strong start when Implus announced the company would acquire Pro Performance Sports LLC, dba SKLZ, a provider of multisport athletic performance and skill development training products.
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.”
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.
