SGB Executive

At Nike’s annual meeting for shareholders held Thursday afternoon in Beaverton, OR, Mark Parker, Nike’s CEO, discussed Nike’s elevated women’s push, the brand’s widespread digital investments, whether China’s outsized growth can be maintained, and Nike’s continuing belief in the “power of sport.” But innovation – including scaling past successes and delivering new platforms – was called out as key to the brand’s continued growth.

Speaking Thursday at CL King’s 17th Annual Best Ideas Conference, Bob Dennis, chairman, president and CEO of Genesco Inc., said the continuing momentum at the Journeys chain in part reflects the fact that today’s digital-savvy teenagers still “actually like to go to the store.”

Camber Outdoors has a new executive director. Emily Newman was tapped to lead the nonprofit after the interim ED, Diana Seung, left to join Jack Wolfskin. With a tumultuous start to 2019 in the rear-view mirror yet still cognizant of past missteps, Camber believes it found the right person to lead the organization into this next chapter. Here’s what Camber shared about the news—including why a person of color wasn’t hired.

Apex Global Brands, formerly Cherokee Global Brands, said it added a number of new licenses and product categories to support its brand portfolio that includes Tony Hawk, Hi-Tec and Everyday California in the second quarter while also reducing costs. Revenue guidance for the year, however, was lowered due to softness in U.S. retail and the impact of Brexit.

Surveys from Deloitte and AlixPartners both forecast that holiday spending this year will easily surpass holiday 2018’s results. A strong U.S. job market is expected to offset the threat of an economic slowdown and any fallout from the trade war with China.

As SGB first reported Monday, Diana Seung has been named general manager of Jack Wolfskin’s North America operation, which will be based in Salt Lake City. In this key role for the German-based brand that Callaway Golf Co. bought last year, Seung is charged with spearheading Jack Wolfskin’s lofty ambitions for this market. Here’s what she and the company shared about that endeavor.

Winnebago Industries Inc.’s $344 million acquisition of luxury recreational vehicle maker Newmar Corp., announced earlier this week, was obviously a market-shifting move for the industry. But could it propel the RV manufacturer into other “outdoor lifestyle” categories?

Less than a year after being sold by Vista Outdoor Inc. to a European private equity firm, Bollé Brands is bolstering its eyewear platform with the acquisition of U.S.-based Spy Optic. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, but the addition of the Carlsbad, CA-based eyewear brand gives Bollé a strategic play in the U.S. market and tees up plenty of expansion opportunity for the company.

Representatives from outdoor brands NEMO Equipment Inc., VF Corp., Columbia Sportswear Co. and Nester Hosiery spoke Thursday about the wide-ranging impact that tariffs are having on their companies. The cost of the trade war, they said, extends far beyond a dollar amount and is taking a toll on hiring, expansion and, perhaps most worrisome, product innovation.

Top headlines from across the active lifestyle industry featured in SGB for the Week of September 9, 2019.

In his first conference call since returning as Duluth Trading’s CEO, Steve Schlecht said markdowns required to clear slow-selling inventory led to an earnings shortfall in the second quarter and a lowered outlook for the year. The founder also said new store growth would be slowed in the near-term to focus on profitability while also expecting improvement in the second half.

Two of the biggest names in the active lifestyle industry will close their doors and their cash registers on September 20 to participate in the Global Climate Strike. Burton and Patagonia in recent weeks announced they won’t open their retail stores, process online sales or otherwise engage in day-to-day business practices next Friday so company employees can join one of the events happening worldwide. Here’s why they’re putting purpose over profit.

JD Sports, the U.K.-based sports fashion retailer, delivered stellar results in the first half as EBITDA (earnings before taxes, interest, depreciation & amortization) rose 37 percent on a 12 percent same-store gain at its core Sports Fashion banners. Just as encouragingly, same-store sales at Finish Line grew 5 percent including both physical stores and online in a continued promising start to its U.S. entry.

Analysts generally came away impressed with Vista Outdoor team’s full probe of its turnaround strategy provided at its Investor Day held Tuesday in New York City, although a number of headwinds, particularly in the hunt space, is keeping a few from turning bullish on the company.

CamelBak is officially coming back to REI Co-op. The hydration pack and bottle brand last week inked its first contract with the outdoor retail giant in more than a year and announced plans to scale up over the coming seasons with a full line of products on REI shelves by Spring 2021, according to CamelBak President Greg Williamson.