SGB Executive

A number of surveys arriving in recent weeks largely timed to Earth Day show concerns over climate change appear to have only heightened as a result of the pandemic. Many consumers, particularly younger ones, are increasingly highlighting sustainability as a key purchasing driver although some
admit to being confused over what sustainability means.

At Hanesbrands Inc.’s recent 2021 Investor Day, Jon Ram, group president, global activewear, highlighted four key “actions” designed to grow the Champion brand another $1 billion in sales globally over the next three years. Said Ram, “Champion competes in the land of giants, but we’re not trying to copy the competition. We’re forging a separate path.”

Alpacka Raft, a pioneer of the packraft category, is celebrating its 20th anniversary based in Mancos, CO. With the lightweight float craft category booming, the company has launched new models as it continues to define the category while opening up backcountry waterways for exploration. SGB Executive spoke with its president, Thor Tingey, for his view […]

Hibbett Sports hiked its full-year guidance after reporting first-quarter results that came in well above Wall Street targets with a boost from a resurgence in team sports categories. The gains came despite inventory shortages due to supply chain challenges. Hibbett’s comps are now projected to jump in the range from high-single digits to positive low-double digits for 2021, up from previous guidance of negative low-single digits to positive low-single digits.

Famous Footwear achieved record quarterly earnings and sales in the first quarter, boosted by improving in-store traffic trends with strong demand across athletic, seasonal and kids categories.

Athleta sales growth accelerated in the first quarter with the benefit of a 113 percent hike in online sales and strong full-price selling, said Sonia Syngal, Gap Inc.’s CEO, on a conference call with analysts. “Athleta drove outsized digital growth while achieving record full-price sales through gains in performance lifestyle products, particularly warm weather short, dresses, swim, and tanks, and it really differentiates us from the competition.”

The Top National stories and the Latest headlines across the Active Lifestyle Market for the week of May 24, 2021 covered in the SGB Updates and delivered to your inbox every business day. This Memorial Day weekend, the unofficial start to the summer season, SGB Media would like to thank all the men and women who have died while serving in our U.S. military.

Boosted by strong demand for its casual offerings, Journeys saw a strong recovery in the first quarter and help its parent, Genesco Inc., deliver earnings and sales well above Wall Street’s targets in the first quarter. Mimi Vaughn, Genesco’s president and CEO, told analysts, “When fashion swings toward non-athletic or casual footwear, Journeys is especially well-positioned among its competition to deliver this assortment.”

On its first-quarter conference call, Roger Rawlins, CEO of Designer Brands and interim president, DSW, vowed to continue DSW’s push to become a much bigger player in the athleisure space while expressing confidence the chain would be able to secure enough inventory from other athletic vendors to replace Nike.

Dick’s Sporting Goods significantly hiked its guidance for 2021 as stellar first-quarter results provided more confidence that the surge seen across many categories during the pandemic would continue to pay dividends in the future. On a conference call with analysts, Lauren Hobart, president and CEO, said team sports “came back with a vengeance” in the first quarter and pandemic-helped categories such as golf, home fitness and outdoor are “still really, really strong.”

A survey of U.S. consumers from Morgan Stanley found that while Nike remains the most dominant athletic shoe and apparel brand among U.S. consumers, Adidas and Puma may be gaining ground at Nike’s expense. The survey showed Adidas is now the favorite athletic shoe and apparel brand in the U.S.

Foot Locker Inc. surprised investors by reporting first-quarter results that came in well above Wall Street’s estimates and then in a bigger way by announcing its decision to close the Footaction chain. Dick Johnson, Foot Locker’s CEO, said, “Given the timing of the lease expiries, given the timing of the digital effort that we’ve seen, this is the time to make this decision.”

“It was the best of times; it was the worst of times.” That quote, by Charles Dickens, could sum up the topsy-turvey paddlesports industry this season as boat manufacturers scurry on the supply side to keep up with demand.

With a blow-out final quarter, Deckers Brands said revenue in its fiscal year ended March 31 exceeded pre-pandemic expectations. Deckers now plans to accelerate investments to scale the company’s supply chain and logistics infrastructure as well as beef up talent as growth opportunities for Hoka One One and Ugg are emerging faster than expected out of the pandemic.

VF Corp. predicted that all four of its big brands—Vans, The North Face, Timberland and Dickies—will not only recover revenue lost during the pandemic but deliver strong growth relative to prior peak levels. On its fiscal fourth-quarter call Steve Rendle, chairman, president and CEO, outlined the path for Vans, the current laggard, to return to double-digit growth.