SGB Executive

May was busy for M&A in the active lifestyle space, headlined by a European lifestyle retailer entering the U.S. market through a timely acquisition and private equity firms purchasing a well-known fitness equipment company and longtime ski maker.

The likely arrival of tariffs on Mexican imports is the newest wrinkle added to the ongoing trade challenges facing the active-lifestyle industry. The last week also saw a host of other retailers lament that some of the Chinese tariff costs would have to be passed on to consumers and talk of possible retaliatory bans against U.S. brands.

The successful back-to-school and holiday seasons that Journeys posted last year carried over into the first quarter, propelling parent Genesco Inc. to a revenue and earnings beat and prompting the company to expect full-year earnings at the high end of guidance.

Gap Inc. reported disappointing first-quarter results and lowered its full-year guidance as both Gap Brand and Old Navy recorded their weakest quarterly sales in three years. However, Athleta continues to be a winner as Gap officials revealed plans to accelerate the chain’s openings in 2019.

Top headlines from the active lifestyle industry you may have missed this week, including The North Face issuing an apology for uploading photos of athletes wearing its gear to Wikipedia pages about famous locations—all in an attempt for the brand to place higher on Google search results.

Sportsman’s Warehouse Holdings Inc. clearly benefited from competitors such as Dick’s Sporting Goods dropping out of the firearms business last year following the school shooting in Parkland, FL. But the ensuing boom also created—as expected—some difficult comps for the Midvale, UT-based retailer, which on Thursday reduced its outlook for the year after results in the first quarter ended May 4 missed analysts’ revenue and earnings estimates.

With just a few weeks to go before the signature B2B event of the outdoor world, the industry’s trade organization on Thursday released some important facts and figures that show how much revenue it’s generating and how that money is helping member organizations flourish amid an ongoing trade war and evolving economy.

Shares of Designer Brands, formerly DSW Inc., rose $1.06, or 5.9 percent, to $9.05 Thursday after the company matched Wall Street’s earnings expectations in the first quarter and increased its full-year guidance.

Dick’s Sporting Goods reported better-than-expected earnings in the first quarter due to aggressive stock buybacks and same-store sales reaching the high-end of plans with the help of stepped-up inventory investments. Shares, however, slid after tepid guidance was provided for the back half of the year due largely to the potential impact of tariffs.

Shares of Canada Goose Holdings Inc. tumbled $15.28, or 31.2 percent, to $33.74 Wednesday after the company earlier in the day reported a fourth-quarter revenue miss—its slowest revenue growth in eight quarters—plus lower-than-expected guidance for the current fiscal year.

Department stores struggled in the first quarter while discount chains fared much better, as a whole, in terms of earnings, revenue and stock performance, based on earnings reports released in the last two weeks.

For a company that admittedly was “late to the ballgame” with implementing all the digital capabilities a retailer should offer its customers in today’s competitive landscape, Hibbett Sports Inc. has certainly made up for lost time. And the company showcased some of its recent digital advances during a stellar first quarter that topped revenue and earnings expectations.