SGB Executive

Planet Fitness Inc. only saw a modest decline in membership across its open facilities through the end of its June quarter as new member “joins” for the quarter outpaced the rate in the year-ago quarter.

Company President and CEO James Conroy opened the call for the fiscal first quarter saying that they have seen “a strong correlation, both up and down, between the number of positive COVID-19 cases in specific geographies and the virus impact on consumer sentiment and retail store traffic.”

With a lack of big earnings stories early in the month, the most-read SGB Media business-to-business stories in July tended to be heavily wighted toward new hires and jobs across the active lifestyle industry.

“This is probably the strongest level of demand that I’ve seen,” said Chris Killoy, CEO at Sturm Ruger & Co., when asked on the company’s second-quarter conference call about the recent surge in demand for firearms that’s been fueled by anxieties over COVID-19 and civil unrest.

Emerald Holding Inc., the parent of Outdoor Retailer, Surf Expo and other trade shows, saw second-quarter revenues collapse as it was forced to cancel 60 events and postpone 14 others due to COVID-19. But company officials said it’s making “significant progress” with an ongoing organizational restructure and its virtual events are seeing a strong response.

Newell Brands said sales at its Outdoor & Recreation segment, which includes Coleman and Marmot, fell 20.3 percent in the second quarter but Coleman’s sales are reviving since June as interest in camping has taken off. Two industry executives, Jim Pisani and Bill Kirchner, are helping guide the segment’s turnaround.

Johnson Outdoors Inc. reported steep declines in profits and revenues in its fiscal third quarter ended June 26 but indicated orders have increased significantly in May and June in its Fishing, Watercraft Recreation and Camping segments as quarantined-consumers head outdoors for recreation. Helen Johnson-Leipold, chairman and CEO, said on a conference call with analysts, “At this time, we are working overtime to keep pace with continuing demand in all three of these businesses.”

VF Corp. reported results for the first quarter ended June 30 that were significantly sidetracked by COVID-19 but still ahead of internal expectations due to strength in international and digital. The highlight of the challenging quarter was the widespread digital momentum that drove both sales and consumer engagement.

Under Armour Inc.’s revenues tumbled 41 percent in the second quarter, but significant declines are also expected in the second half – in the range of 20-to-25 percent – due to uncertain consumer spending, inventory constraints and a likely promotional climate.

Deckers Brands saw a “robust” direct-to-consumer business in the fiscal first quarter ended June 30, driven by triple-digit online growth in both the Ugg and Hoka One One brands. Net sales for the first fiscal quarter ended June 30 increased 2.3 percent to $283.2 million.

Columbia Sportswear’s second-quarter direct-to-consumer e-commerce business grew 72 percent year-over-year and represented 28 percent of global net sales during the quarter as the company managed through the impact of the global COVID-19 pandemic.

Powered by resiliency in the U.S. region and skyrocketing e-commerce gains, Crocs Inc. became one of the rare industry players to deliver strong earnings gains in the pandemic-sidetracked second quarter. Sales declined only slightly. Lean inventories, however, will limit second-half growth.

Puma reported a sharp decline in its second-quarter sales due to COVID-19, but sales were only down 6 percent in June and ran approximately flat in July as stores reopened. A bright spot has been online as Puma’s e-commerce vaulted 97 percent in Q2.

Driven by a better-than-expected performance from both its apparel and its new PPE (personal protection equipment) businesses, Hanesbrands swung to a surprise profit in the second quarter. Point-of-sale (POS) in its U.S. basics and Champion businesses in May and June exceeded pre-COVID levels.

Compass Diversified Holdings said it’s 5.11, Velocity Outdoor and Liberty Safe businesses all exceeded expectations to lead better-than-expected performance in the second quarter. Momentum in those business units helped offset softness at newly-acquired Marucci Sports as well as its non-sports businesses.