Hibbett Shares Pop On Strong Q4, Store Closings, CEO Announcement
Shares of Hibbett Sports Inc. jumped $3.66, or 20.3 percent, to $21.70 at market close Friday after the company earlier in the day reported a strong fourth quarter but also announced the closing of 95 stores and the planned retirement of Jeff Rosenthal, president, CEO and self-described “sneaker dude.”
Caleres Counting On Q4 ‘Herculean’ Efforts To Pay Off In 2019
Caleres’ fourth-quarter performance was stymied by costs related to a pair of acquisitions and the transition of two distribution centers, but those “Herculean” efforts have positioned the company well for the second half of 2019, CEO Diane Sullivan said on Thursday’s earnings call with analysts.
Aisle Talk Week Of March 18
Top headlines from the active lifestyle industry you may have missed this week, including a breakdown of which brands have the most March Madness sponsorships.
Slinger Bag Looks To Serve Up Tennis Disruption
Israel-based startup Slinger Bag is out to disrupt the relatively small but lucrative tennis ball machine market with its new “launcher” of the same name. Bolstered by a massively successful Kickstarter campaign, the company has hired former Prince CEO Mike Ballardie and is now beginning production. Ballardie and CMO Juda Honickman spoke with SGB Media about the company’s ambitious plans.
G-III Apparel’s Q4 Boosted By Double-Digit Wholesale Growth
G-III Apparel Group Ltd. reported fourth-quarter earnings that came in well ahead of Wall Street’s consensus target due to stringent cost controls and double-digit growth across wholesale operations. G-III officials revealed that its recently-acquired DKNY label had introduced its first women’s apparel collection tied the major sports leagues.
Delta Apparel Eyes Fast Growth At DTG2Go
Speaking at the 31st Annual ROTH Conference, officials at Delta Apparel Inc. said DTG2Go, its digital print and fulfillment business, is poised to expand at a 20 percent CAGR (compound annual growth rate) in the years ahead with digital screen-printing just starting to take off.
Crocs Doubles Down On Digital
Change is afoot at Crocs Inc., where the company is not only relocating its distribution center and planning to move its headquarters but also ramping up its digital efforts, something company executives outlined this week during a presentation at the 31st annual ROTH Conference in Orange County, CA.
Mammut North America Turns The Page
Mammut North America in recent weeks named Kris Kuster as its managing director and opened a new office in Denver—strategic moves that should help the brand regain its footing after a shaky period. Kuster (left) and Chief Creative Officer Adrian Margelist spoke with SGB about what these changes mean and where Mammut goes from here.
DSW Wants To Be Best Buy Of The Footwear Space
At its Investor Meeting on Tuesday, DSW officials unveiled a new name change, Designer Brands, to herald their extensive efforts to reinvent the company’s business model with last November’s acquisition of Camuto Group. At the event, Roger Rawlins, CEO, cited competition from vendors going direct-to-consumer (DTC) as a main reason for the change, even bigger than any threat from Amazon.
Esports Set To Take Off
EMarketer became the latest research firm to come out with the bullish forecast on the growth potential of esports as well as the related advertising opportunity to reach a hard-to-reach and coveted millennial demographic. The reports come as Nike, Adidas, Puma, Fanatics, Champion and others have all recently inked sponsorship deals.
Zumiez Sees Localized Assortments Driving Momentum
Wrapping up its third year of merry holiday results, Zumiez Inc.’s earnings and same-store sales came in well above guidance in the fourth quarter. On a conference call with analysts, Rick Brooks, CEO, credited the chain’s focus on localized merchandise assortments for its recent hot streak.
Tilly’s Finds Booming Online Sales Offsetting Weak Mall Traffic
Tilly’s reported same-store sales leapt 6.4 percent in the fourth quarter, its strongest comp gain since Q311. The run-up was carried by a 49.6 percent hike in online sales, representing the action-sports chain’s strongest e-commerce comp result since Q410.
Aisle Talk Week Of March 11
Top headlines from the active lifestyle industry you may have missed this week, including Brooks Running Company’s promotion of Dan Sheridan to a newly configured role of EVP and chief operating officer.
Dorel Sports Q4 Hurt By Softness In Mass Channels
Dorel Industries Inc. reported that profitability in its Dorel Sports’ segment came in below plan in the fourth quarter due to a slowdown in bicycle sales across the board at Pacific Cycle that targets the mass channel. Martin Schwartz, president and CEO of Dorel Industries, said the exit of Toys “R” Us didn’t benefit the mass channel as much as projected.
Strong Boot And Retro Sales At Journeys Lifts Genesco’s Q4
Powered by healthy momentum for the Journeys chain, Genesco Inc.’s earnings before non-recurring items rose 18.8 percent in the fourth quarter. The company was also aided by a better-than-expected performance by the recently-sold Lids Sports Group in its last quarter with the company.
