Lululemon Crushes It In Q4
Firing on all cylinders, Lululemon Athletica reported a blow-out fourth quarter marked by a 17 percent comp gain while predicting comps would surge in the low-double digits for the current year. Growth is expected to be driven by stepped-up store openings and category expansions as well as by further building on the recent momentum seen in digital, international and men’s.
Iconix Closes Book On ‘Challenging, Transitional Year’
After enduring the loss of some licensing agreements, the departure of some executives and the bankruptcy of a key customer, Iconix Brand Group, parent of Starter and Umbro, is happy to put last year behind it, according to CEO Bob Galvin, who called 2018 “challenging and transitional.”
Shoe Carnival Sees Data-Mining Efforts Start To Pay Off In Q4
Shares of Shoe Carnival leapt 22.4 percent Wednesday after the footwear retailer reported fourth-quarter results that handily topped Wall Street’s expectations. While boot sales drove the gains, new data-aggregating capabilities are helping enhance merchandising, marketing and real estate decisions.
Tariffs Less Worrisome For Some, Not Others
While no trade deal has been reached between the U.S. and China, the news around tariffs has been more favorable than unfavorable since the start of the year. But some industry players still have been raising prices, purchasing early to avoid hits and taking other steps to mitigate their potential impact.
Winnebago CEO Confident Of Market Resiliency As Headwinds Persist
Winnebago Industries Inc. CEO Mike Happe admits the recreational vehicle industry is facing some challenging wholesale headwinds, but he also believes the marketplace—and especially his company—is resilient enough to weather them.
Amazon Reports Roundup
A number of retail studies arrived over the last few weeks on retail’s disruptor, Amazon, including the e-commerce giant’s break-through in apparel, expanding dominance in product search, private-label shortfalls, trust credibility, digital advertising pushes and more.
Nike Sees No Slowdown In Momentum
Shares of Nike Inc. closed down nearly 7 percent on Friday after the company reported North America sales in the third quarter and fourth-quarter guidance that both missed Wall Street’s targets. But sales in the third quarter still more than doubled the growth rates of its closest rivals, Adidas and Under Armour, as Nike officials insisted its Consumer Direct Offense initiative is only getting started.
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.
