Nike CEO Mark Parker: Company Focused On Digital Growth, Women’s Market
After Nike Inc. blew past earnings and revenue estimates in the second quarter, CEO Mark Parker had plenty to discuss on Thursday afternoon’s earnings conference call with analysts. Two distinct themes about Nike’s future path emerged in Parker’s comments: continued digital growth and a heightened focus on women’s footwear and apparel business.
Aisle Talk Week Of December 17
Top headlines from the active lifestyle industry you may have missed this week, including Thule Group’s announcement of the acquisition of rooftop tent maker Tepui Outdoors Inc. for $9.5 million.
Holiday Reports Point To Merry Retail Haul
With a few days to go, reports continue to arrive indicating the retail industry is heading for record holiday sales. Here, the latest holiday insights around online selling, last-minute procrastinators, returns, BOPIS demand, millennial gifting and more.
Winnebago Cruises To Q1 Beat Behind Towables Growth, Acquisition Boost
Revenue growth in the towables portion of Winnebago Industries Inc.’s portfolio plus the boost from the recent Chris-Craft acquisition helped the company cruise past Wall Street’s earnings per share and revenue targets. The Forest City, IA-based recreational vehicle company reported net earnings increased 23.4 percent in the first quarter ended November 24 on a 9.7 percent climb in revenues.
SFIA: Experiences Driving Fitness
With health club memberships at an all-time high, increasing by more than 6 percent in the last year alone, opportunity in the fitness industry is looking bright. But it’s largely driven by experiences, according to a webinar covering SFIA’s “2018 Tracking the Fitness Movement Report.”
OIA Webinar: Tariff War Likely Driving Extensive Supply Chain Changes
In a seminar presented by the Outdoor Industry Association (OIA), trade experts at KPMG said the U.S./China tariff war may end but the underlying geo-political issues impacting overall trade won’t any time soon. As a result, a holistic “intelligent supply chain” approach that encompasses both customs and supply chain planning will be required in the future.
Stifel Outlook: Uncertainty Presents Opportunity For Active Lifestyle Brands
In “2019 Outlook: Uncertainty Presents Opportunities,” a note that was sent to investors this week, Jim Duffy of Stifel outlined what he believes are going to be the differentiators for sports and active lifestyle brands in the new year. The newly public Yeti Holdings Inc., for example, was among those forecasted for a strong year based on its new product drivers and digital competency.
Tariff Talk: How Is The Industry Responding?
GoPro last week announced plans to move most of its U.S.-bound camera production out of China by the summer of 2019 to mitigate the potential impact of inclusion on any new tariff lists. With significant uncertainty continuing, here’s an update from a few industry execs from third-quarter conference calls on what they’re planning to do to mitigate the potential tariff impact.
Analyst: Risks Piling Up For Cherokee Global Brands
As Cherokee Global Brands continues working to rightsize its business operations—which in the third quarter included a $3 million reduction in selling, general and administrative expenses—a host of risks could knock the company off track.
Lids Finds New Turnaround Partner In Fanzz
While ending up with a skimpier price than hoped for, Genesco finally found a buyer for Lids to enable the company to re-focus on its footwear platforms. For its part, Lids hopefully found a new major partner, Fanzz-owner Ames Watson Capital, and minor partner, Fanatics, to help further stabilize the struggling business.
Case Study: Burton’s Patience In China Paying Off
In a companion piece to our special report on how U.S. snow sports brands can expand to China, SGB examines how Burton Snowboards established a strong presence in the China market way back in 2003. Now that the Winter Olympics are coming to China in three years, the Vermont-based brand is well-positioned for a booming snow sports marketplace. Here’s how they did it.
Aisle Talk Week Of December 10
Top headlines from the active lifestyle industry you may have missed this week, including Fanatics marking its first licensing agreement with a university, a 10-year deal with the University of Oregon to license, manufacture and sell its sports gear beginning on January 1, 2020.
Snow Sports Industry Eyes China As Last Untapped Market
As host of the 2022 Winter Olympics, China is developing snow sports infrastructure not only for the Games but also for its citizens to use recreationally. The government said it will create 300 million winter sports participants over the next few years, a number that understandably caught the attention of the U.S. snow sports industry. In this special report, SGB outlines the opportunities that China offers brands and how they should approach this untapped market.
Wall Street Reacts: Under Armour’s Investor Day
Most analysts applauded the progress Under Armour is making instilling greater operational and financial disciplines under its transformation efforts. Some were also encouraged by the innovation on display Wednesday at the company’s Investor Day in Baltimore. But growth concerns, particularly in North America, and overall execution issues in the competitive landscape continued to worry many on Wall Street.
Under Armour Predicts Slow Recovery On Investor Day
At its Investor Day Wednesday in Baltimore, Under Armour officials touted early paybacks in its Transformation efforts and the brand’s ability tap into a Focused Performer consumer that globally represents $92 billion in revenue potential. But shares of Under Armour fell sharply on the day as Under Armour forecast only modest growth in the years ahead, including little pickup in North America.
