SGB Executive

Dick’s Sporting Goods Inc. raised its full-year outlook while reporting its strongest quarterly comp gain since 2016. The performance was in large part tied to a 19.0 percent hike in inventory levels. Dick’s officials indicated other newer strategies – including increasing space to faster-growing categories, forming closer partnerships with key vendors and differentiated marketing – are also starting to pay off.

A new business model that has at least two major department stores turning to old product for a much-needed revenue boost dominated second-quarter headlines among the retail giants. SGB’s Q2 department store roundup includes a look at the trend of online reselling, which gives price-conscious shoppers access to designer brands—and gives stores a boost to their top lines.

Marisa Nicholson, Outdoor Retailer show director, and Amy Roberts, OIA executive director, spoke with SGB Wednesday afternoon about their joint decision to cancel the upcoming Winter Market in November and instead wrap it into January’s Snow Show, reducing the outdoor industry’s premier event to twice a year. Here’s what they said about the move.

Hyperice, Bombas, Klymit, PXG Golf, OrderMyGear, Blink Fitness and Sportique were among a number of companies in the active-lifestyle space landing on the 2019 Inc. 5000, the magazine’s annual ranking of the fastest-growing private companies in America.

Kohl’s Corp. rode a strong back-to-school performance and an advantageous partnership with Amazon to a second-quarter earnings and revenue beat. But costly promotions tempered the quarter while looming tariff increases sparked Kohl’s to lower profit margin expectations for the year.

The TJX Companies Inc.’s second-quarter earnings were in line with Street expectations as same-store sales limped ahead 2 percent. But the off-pricer said its core apparel category remains strong and a “loaded” marketplace of opportunistic buys, driven in part by the tariff situation, is expected to support second-half growth.

Twenty-nineteen marks the 50th anniversary of Seattle-based Mountain Safety Research (MSR), which got its start not with a break-through product but a newsletter that raised awareness about climbing equipment safety. Doug Sanders talks to SGB Executive about the unorthodox start as well as MSR’s ongoing commitment to defying the status quo in equipment design.

The health club industry is continuing to prosper. Club visitation is growing at a steady clip as 2018 notched a record number of consumers visiting a club, and health club revenues jumped nearly 8 percent over the previous year, according to a recent study by IHRSA, The International Health Racquet & Sportsclub Association.

Top headlines from the active lifestyle industry you may have missed this week, including Gearhead Outfitters, an Arkansas-based outdoor specialty retailer, acquiring Rock/Creek Outfitters in Tennessee and Uncle Dan’s Outdoor Store in Illinois from Camping World Holdings Inc.

Legitimate claim that Nike Inc. made illegal payments to high school hoops stars, or malicious attempt by desperate lawyer to clear his name of wrongdoing? That’s the question at the heart of the motion that attorneys for Michael Avenatti filed in federal court Wednesday to dismiss his recent indictment. SGB breaks down the latest in this ongoing saga, which includes accusations of payments to such stars as Zion Williamson.

Shares of Canada Goose Holdings Inc. didn’t take quite the nosedive Wednesday they suffered in May after the previous quarter’s softer profit outlook, but the company’s Q1 2020 performance—most notably margin decline and a widened loss—once again took a toll on its stock. CEO Dani Reiss shed some light on the reasons why in addition to what’s on the horizon for the brand.

Some apparel and footwear brands, along with a host of electronics companies, will see tariff hikes on their Chinese imports delayed until December 15 as President Trump hopes to keep the economy from tanking during the holidays. But the trade war rolls on with U.S businesses and consumers—including those in the sporting goods and outdoor industries—suffering the most.

Seattle, WA-based Outdoor Research recently opened a manufacturing facility in California to meet growing demand for tactical gear, primarily for military contracts. The company’s president, Michelle Wardian (center), spoke with SGB about the new plant and what else is happening at the longtime gear brand.

As Nike Inc. pursues its goal of $50 billion in annual revenue by 2022, the company is targeting both organic and acquisition growth. In the past week, the Beaverton, OR-based sports footwear and apparel giant hit milestones along each of those paths.

July was a busy month for M&A in the active lifestyle space, with a number of companies either acquiring growth in hopes of expanding their empires or shedding assets to rightsize their portfolios. This month’s M&A Roundup breaks down recent deals from Vail Resorts, Vista Outdoor and others.