SGB Executive

Speculation that Gap, Inc. could explore a spinoff of its Athleta brand has returned. Some reports indicate activist investors could push Gap to explore a spinoff to capitalize on Lululemon’s lofty trading value.

In an update to prior research, UBS said it is now projecting between 40,000-to-50,000 retail stores in the U.S. will close over the next five years, down from the 80,000 closures it previously forecasted.

Speaking at the Shareholder Equity Conference, Delta Apparel, Inc. officials discussed the strong top-line momentum being seen across its legacy activewear segment, DTG2Go and Salt Life. Bob Humphreys, CEO, also said a new collaboration with DTG2Go may soon make Fanatics, the sports fan e-commerce powerhouse, the company’s largest customer.

“Our mission is connecting family and friends, creating memorable moments and playing life to the fullest,” Walter Glazer, CEO of Escalade said on the sporting goods company’s first-ever quarterly conference call. Sales in the first quarter ended March 21 climbed 22.3 percent year over year and 94.1 percent against the 2020 first quarter.

According to SFIA’s 2022 Manufacturers Sales by Category Report, consumer exercise equipment categories saw the biggest revenue gains over the last two years during the pandemic. Golf led the gains among sports equipment categories, followed in the Top 5 by camping, snow sports, tennis, and basketball.

ISPO has identified six underlying “megatrends” guiding how individualization, connectivity, urbanization, sustainability, and other trends impacting the sporting goods opportunity are evolving.

At its Investor Day, Designer Brands Inc., the parent of DSW, unveiled an ambitious plan to double sales of its owned brands by fiscal 2026 while also planning to invest in national brands to elevate the DSW experience.

Speaking at J.P. Morgan’s 8th Annual Retail Round Up Conference, Foot Locker, Inc. officials dug deeper into the fallout expected from having reduced access to Nike product going forward and the growth opportunities created as assortments of non-Nike brands are increased. Foot Locker CEO Dick Johnson said, ”When you’ve got 70-plus percent of your open-to-buy committed to one brand, you narrow the customers coming into your door because that’s what they see, and that’s what they expect.”

Levi Strauss reported sales at Beyond Yoga surpassed expectations in the first quarter ending February 27 and the brand is making progress in being positioned for accelerated growth. Chip Bergh, Levi’s CEO, said, “We bought it because we believe it has the potential to be much, much bigger.”

Athletic apparel mindshare reached record levels among teens in Piper Sandler’s Spring 2022 Taking Stock With Teens survey. Nike remained the dominant favorite apparel and footwear brand with teens. Among other active lifestyle brands, Lululemon, Crocs, Hey Dude, and Champion all strengthened their appeal, while Vans stood out for losing ground with the demographic.

Wells Fargo downgraded shares of VF Corp. as well as Ralph Lauren Corp and TJX Cos. to “equal weight” from “overweight” and reduced the price targets for many across its “softlines” universe due to heightening macro pressures and overly-optimistic 2022 outlooks.

In an interview with SGB Executive Steve Lawrence, EVP and chief merchandising officer, Academy Sports + Outdoors, elaborated on why Academy sees 2020 as a year of “stabilization” as the chain seeks to recoup the benefits of two gangbuster years of growth. He also discusses Academy’s renewed expansion plans.

Stretchy casual office wear that has become more acceptable amid the pandemic-fueled work-from-home trend is expected to help drive global sales in the athleisure market by 25 percent to $551 billion by 2025, according to U.K.-based GlobalData.

Powered by a seasonally-strong performance by its flagship fire pit brand, Solo Stove, Solo Brands reported sales in the fourth quarter ended December 31 surged 164 percent to $176.5 million. The company is seeing a slowdown in the first quarter but remains bullish on robust growth for 2022.

Lululemon Athletica’s shares jumped $32.95, or 9.6 percent, to $376.92 Wednesday, following a strong fiscal fourth quarter and full-year forecast that came in well above expectations.