SGB Executive

In another installment of SGB Executive’s series of interviews with industry leaders exploring how businesses are coping with the coronavirus, Nick Sargent of Snowsports Industries America dishes on these troubling times for snow sports businesses, how SIA is responding and why he’s confident the industry will come back stronger than ever.

A number of surveys arriving in recent days have detailed the severe impact social distancing measures to stop the spread of COVID-19 has had on U.S. retail and prospects in the near term. Some cautious optimism, however, could be found.

How are active-lifestyle brands like Crocs, Nike and Lululemon plus retailers like Dick’s, Foot Locker and Hibbett navigating the coronavirus? Susquehanna’s most recent note says that the current crisis is weighing on all businesses, but some are better positioned than others. Here’s their ranking of 19 public companies based on who will emerge the strongest from this crisis.

For this latest installment of the Coronavirus Notebook, SGB Executive looks at more “winners” that have emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic—including a water filtration and purification brand—plus a recap of our recent coronavirus coverage in case you missed it.

According to Running USA’s “National Runner Survey 2020,” social media continues to play an increasing role in enabling runners to connect with running stores, running brands as well as the overall running community. Thirty-nine percent of runners now follow running stores and 32 percent follow running brands on social media. The favorite running shoe brand among survey respondents by far was Brooks, followed by Asics, New Balance, Nike and Saucony.

Officials from Monument Advocacy, a leading, bipartisan government and public affairs firm in Washington, D.C., Thursday, in a webinar held by the Outdoor Industry Association (OIA), provided a deep dive into what the $2 trillion stimulus package, called the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, means for businesses and workers.

Outdoor Retailer ended weeks of speculation Thursday afternoon when it finally pulled the plug on Summer Market in response to the coronavirus pandemic, which is ravaging U.S. business activity, including the cancellations of large gatherings like trade shows. OR will now pivot to a digital format, as other events have done in response to the crisis.

Top National Stories and the Latest Headlines From SGB Updates across the Active Lifestyle Market during the week of March 30, 2020.

Jon Barker, CEO of Sportsman’s Warehouse Holdings Inc., says the company is “positioned as well as anyone” in sporting goods retail in terms of dealing with the coronavirus—but it goes beyond selling firearms and ammunition. He spoke with SGB Executive about why Sportsman’s is in such a good spot.

A majority of retailers in the active lifestyle space have temporarily closed to fight the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. However, a number of chains, including Academy Sports, Camping World, Hibbett Sports and Scheels, are working to keep most of their stores open, albeit with restrictions. 

“The first priority for Varsity Brands, bar none, is the health and safety of our people,” Adam Blumenfeld, CEO, tells SGB Executive in the first of a series of interviews with industry executives exploring how businesses are coping with the coronavirus pandemic. Blumenfeld details the COVID-19 has impacted Varsity Brands, the company’s recovery strategy and how calls for social distancing may be changing consumer behavior.

Three public companies—Compass Diversified Holdings, Sportsman’s Warehouse Holdings Inc. and Clarus Corp.—announced key acquisitions last month before the coronavirus all but stopped M&A activity. Most of the transactions that were announced came in the first half of March before social distancing took hold, the stock market collapsed, and businesses began shuttering operations and laying off employees.

A survey of more than 100 run specialty stores across the U.S. from The Running Industry Association (RIA) painted a bleak picture of how independents are weathering the COVID-19 pandemic with the majority forced the close stores and explore furloughs amid steep revenues declines. A few, however, are hoping for some recovery by May.

Goal Zero is one company that has seen a surge in demand for its products amid the coronavirus pandemic. SGB Executive looks at the drivers behind these the portable power brand’s soaring sales and the supply chain challenges it’s overcoming.

With ski resorts emptied and shops shuttered because of the coronavirus, what should be a booming season for snow sports specialty retailers has become the spring of their discontent. The channel is seeking ways to cope, but there’s no playbook for navigating this uncharted, unprecedented crisis.