SGB Executive

On an analyst call, Dick Johnson, chairman and CEO of Foot Locker, said the acquisitions of WSS and Atmos “fill in some of the white space” available to Foot Locker beyond its core sneaker and sport culture segments. WSS provides a deeper reach into the classics footwear category and the Hispanic demographic. Tokyo-based Atmos provides a strong foothold in boutique streetwear that could kick-start expansion in Asia.

VF Corp. raised its outlook for its fiscal year after reporting results in the first quarter ended June 30 came in well ahead of expectations, helped by signs of recovery at Vans and continued strength in digital. The outlook reflects stronger-than-expected order books for its four primary brands, which also include The North Face, Timberland and Dickies, and strength at two emerging brands, Altra and Smartwool.

Deckers Brands rode a strong DTC business accelerating and expanding Hoka One One growth, and Ugg orders pulled forward from the next quarter to post better-than-expected results in the fiscal first quarter ended June 30.

Sales grew 80 percent at BOA Technology and more than four-fold at Marucci Sports to lead the branded consumer portfolio gains at Compass Group Diversified Holdings in the second quarter. CODI officials also announced it is exploring an IPO for 5.11.

Representing its fourth consecutive quarter of record performance on strength across both its Outdoor Products and Shooting Sports segments, Vista Outdoor reported sales grew 38.4 percent in the first quarter ended June 27 and predicted sales would climb approximately 25 percent in the second quarter.

Led by Merrell and Saucony, Wolverine Worldwide’s second-quarter results came in well above Wall Street estimates. Wolverine officials now expect the current year to show “meaningful” over 2020 and 2019 as many of its categories are trending.

Led by healthy double-digit growth across all segments, Garmin Ltd.’s earnings shot up in the second quarter as sales catapulted 53 percent. Garmin officials significantly increased guidance across segments with growth now pegged at 17 percent for both the Fitness and Outdoor segments.

Winchester’s sales slightly more than doubled in the second quarter. Scott Sutton, chairman, president and CEO of Olin Corp, Winchester’s parent, told analysts on a conference call that the ammunition brand is looking to capitalize on the 57 million new recreational shooting participants that have arrived since the pandemic emerged.

In his quarterly note to shareholders, Martin Nordin, CEO of Fjällräven’s parent Fenix Outdoor International said the company saw continuing improvement in the second quarter in North America, especially with its direct-to-consumer segment sales nearly back to 2019 levels. However, weakness in Kanken backpacks continues to hold back a more meaningful recovery. 

Omega Sports has filed a reorganization plan that calls for the North Carolina-based retailer to reemerge from bankruptcy proceedings around its seven remaining stores and pay off creditors over the next three years.

With RMR surviving a competitive market, drought and the pandemic, it celebrates the milestone with a new 24,000-square-foot facility in West Virginia to continue growing in its market share.

The Top National stories and the Latest headlines across the Active Lifestyle Market for the week of July 19, 2021 are covered in the SGB Updates and delivered to your inbox every business day.

Skechers USA Inc. shrugged off the continuing effects of COVID-19 across the international markets in the second quarter to ride a far less promotional retail environment to stronger sales, higher margins and record profitability.

With the pandemic-fueled explosion in outdoor participation, apps helping consumers to get outside are also booming. onX, an outdoor digital navigation/GPS mapping app that recently expanded into the offroad, ski and trail markets. Founded in 2009 for hunters, the company recently acquired Adventure Projects, whose mobile services offer guidebook details and photos, and the company recently added onX backcountry and offroad to its suite of apps. SGB Executive sat down with VP of Growth Chris Bate for her take on the company’s appetite for navigation apps.

Crocs Inc. significantly hiked its guidance for the year as robust demand across its clogs, sandals and Jibbitz segments easily offset logistics challenges in part tied to temporary factory closures due to spikes in COVID-19 cases.