SGB Executive

Change occurred at C-suites throughout the active lifestyle industry in 2019. For another one of our “year-in-review” stories, SGB has compiled the most notable ones, including the succession at Nike Inc., where John Donahoe (pictured right) replaces Mark Parker (pictured left) as president and CEO.

Top headlines from across the active lifestyle industry featured in SGB during the week of December 23, 2019.

2019 was filled with stories of success and failure across the active lifestyle marketplace, but—per usual for SGB Media—it was our in-depth coverage of such sporting goods retailers as Academy Sports + Outdoors, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Sportsman’s Warehouse, Bass Pro Shops, Modell’s and even the now-defunct Sports Authority that dominated our most-read list.

2019 saw consolidation accelerate across the active lifestyle market, but almost as remarkable as the sheer volume of M&A was the variety of deals that closed during the calendar year. Retailers and brands accounted for a majority of transactions, but a host of other privately held and publicly traded businesses pulled the trigger on industry-shifting moves. SGB has the full list from the last 12 months.

Payless ShoeSource, Shopko, Barneys and Fred’s led a number of companies that landed in bankruptcy court in 2019. Other filings included Skins, Campus Den, Loot Crate and Mad Dogg Athletics.

Friends who left us in 2019 included Columbia Sportswear’s Gert Boyle, Fila’s Jon Epstein, Burton Snowboards’ Jake Burton Carpenter and American Sporting Goods’ Jerry Turner.

Mark Parker isn’t exactly riding off into the sunset with his pending retirement from Nike Inc.’s top post—he will, after all, stay on the board and assume the title of executive chairman. But Thursday afternoon served as a swan song of sorts for the longtime leader. Nike’s chairman, president and CEO ran his final quarterly earnings call, and before he delivered the good news of Q2, he reflected on his 40 years with the footwear and apparel giant.

Nike Inc. crushed Wall Street’s earnings targets in the second quarter. Revenues were led by currency-neutral gains of 23 percent in China and 14 percent in the EMEA region. Digital sales vaulted 38 percent and the Jordan brand logged its first-ever billion-dollar quarter. The North America region came in lower than analysts’ expected but still accelerated from the first quarter.

Top headlines from across the active lifestyle industry featured in SGB during the week of December 16, 2019.

Bill Sinoff has been named general manager of the climbing shoe brand Evolv, which was acquired by Oberalp Group earlier this year. Though Sinoff faces a lofty goal at Evolv—lead the brand into a new chapter of domestic and global growth—he feels his background has prepared him for the challenge. Here’s what this climbing legend shared with SGB about his latest venture.

“In 2019, as in the previous two years, we describe our industry market dynamics as ‘okay, not great,” sums up Tom Cove, president and CEO of Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA), in his organization’s recently-released 2019 State Of The Industry Report. Profitability has stabilized, inventories have rationalized and R&D spending has recovered. But sports participation remains a concern.

In his first interview since being appointed CEO of Hibbett Sports Inc., Mike Longo tells SGB Executive how he ended up in the role, his goals for the Birmingham, AL-based company and the retail leadership priorities he learned most recently as CEO of “city specialty” retailer City Gear. Longo also admitted that, like his predecessor Jeff Rosenthal, he’s a bit of a sneakerhead.

Peloton Interactive Inc. appears to have ridden out the controversy surrounding its recent ad that took social media by storm and sent the company’s shares plummeting. When the company’s leadership took to the presentation circuit last week, the focus was not on that perceived misstep but instead on the potential Peloton is eyeing a few months after going public.

Bank of America Merrill Lynch downgraded Hanesbrands Inc. due to concerns that a slowing logo trend will cause Champion’s sales to decelerate.

While the threats of online competition and vendors’ DTC (direct-to-consumer) efforts aren’t going away, another successful TRE (The Running Event) provides more evidence that the run specialty channel has regained its stride.