Dispatch From Denver: Outdoor Retailer Summer Market Takeaways
This year’s Outdoor Retailer Summer Market was marked by change, but the spirit of the outdoor world’s premier B2B extravaganza remained the same—uniting the industry tribe under one roof. SGB Executive digs into the business trends and themes culled from three days of walking the trade show floor. Here are our takeaways.
The Hidden Costs Of Tariffs
While the potential costs of tariffs gets all the attention, the countless steps being taken to mitigate tariffs and planning around the uncertainties created by them could be having an even bigger impact on the outdoor industry, executives said at a session at 2019 Outdoor Retailer Summer Market.
Aisle Talk Week Of June 17
Top headlines from the active lifestyle industry you may have missed this week, including the Oberalp Group, which owns Salewa, Dynafit, Pomoca and Wild Country, acquiring Evolv, the American climbing shoe brand, from BRS Outdoor Holdings, an investment platform of BRS & Co.
American Outdoor Brands Still Seeing Firearms Softness
American Outdoor Brands wrapped up a challenging year with a fourth quarter that came out well ahead of guidance. But James Debney, president and CEO, said the beat was largely driven by promotions and he still sees flat demand for firearms despite May’s uptick in firearms background checks.
Six Questions: Allison Gettings, President, Vasque Footwear
Last September, Vasque Footwear, part of the Red Wing Shoe Company, appointed Allison Gettings as VP and general manager of the 55-year old, iconic outdoor footwear brand. Here, Gettings talks about her aspirations for the Vasque brand, key product initiatives and the brand’s quiet approach to advocacy.
Q&A With Jenny Kordick, Maine Outdoor Brands’ New Executive Director
Two years after forming, Maine Outdoor Brands (MOB)—the nonprofit that promotes the state’s outdoor assets to benefit businesses and residents alike—has appointed Jenny Kordick as its first, full-time executive director. In advance of her debut at this week’s OR, Kordick spoke with SGB about MOB and her role in helping it grow.
Thule’s Fred Clark Talks Trade Shows, Tepui Deal, New Category
Thule Group AB is typically a mainstay on the Outdoor Retailer show floor, but the Swedish outdoor and bags brand will exhibit off-site this year to better showcase the company’s explosive category growth—and to spotlight its most recent acquisition. Fred Clark, president, outdoor & bags, Region Americas, spoke with SGB about the latest happenings at the company.
KOA Survey: Camping Expanding In Appeal
After five years of surveying North American campers, the 2019 North American Camping Report from Kampgrounds of America (KOA) shows the camping landscape is strong – new and life-long campers are committed to the outdoor camping lifestyle, as demonstrated by their diversity, camping more frequently and enthusiasm for using camping as a conduit to active outdoor lifestyles.
Why is Evo Creating A Community Hub In Salt Lake?
Evo, the Seattle-based retailer of ski and snowboard gear and apparel, is doubling-down on its community-building vision with the planned development of Campus SLC, a 100,000 square foot retail operation planning for Salt Lake City. Bryce Phillips, Evo’s founder and CEO, talks to SGB Executive about his vision for Campus SLC, why Salt Lake City was chosen, and what the investment means for Evo.
Aisle Talk Week Of June 10
Top headlines from the active lifestyle industry you may have missed this week, including retail sales rising 0.5 percent in May seasonally adjusted from April and up 3.2 percent unadjusted year over year, the National Retail Federation said Friday.
Moosejaw Not Impacted By Walmart–Jet.com Consolidation
The big news out of Walmart this week that the retail behemoth is wrapping its Jet.com operations into Walmart.com raised questions about the impact on e-commerce at its outdoor outfitter, Moosejaw. But everything will be business as usual at the outdoor retailer that Walmart bought in 2017 for $51 million, a company PR rep told SGB Executive on Thursday.
Duluth Trading Outlines Four Pillars For Fiscal-Year Growth
Stephanie Pugliese understands that Duluth Holdings Inc. isn’t immune from the challenging and evolving retail landscape that threatens any company unwilling to adapt. That’s why Duluth (dba, Duluth Trading Co.), where Pugliese is CEO, has “identified four areas of opportunity that the entire Duluth team is focused on for the remainder of this year” to withstand all looming retail pitfalls, she told analysts on Thursday morning’s earnings call.
Lululemon’s Hot Streak Continues
Lululemon Athletica Inc. continued its recent roll, delivering first-quarter sales and earnings that surpassed guidance and slightly increasing its outlook for the year. Highlights included 26 percent growth in men’s, a ramped-up push on the run category and 70 percent expansion in China.
Global Running Event Participation Continues To Slide
Recreational running event participation was down in 2018 from the previous two years, led by declines in Europe and the U.S. and slightly offset by growth in Asia. That was among the chief conclusions of The State of Running 2019, a new report on global running participation produced by RunRepeat.com and the IAAF.
‘Trump Slump’ Takes Down Another Firearms Company
Firearms distributor United Sporting Cos. expected Hillary Clinton to win the 2016 presidential election, so it boosted inventories in preparation for the certain rush of gun purchases. But that miscalculation led USC to become the latest victim of the “Trump Slump”—a term used to describe how the current firearms-friendly presidency has quelled concerns over gun rights and stunted sales.
