SGB Executive

Zumiez Successfully Navigating ‘Channel-Less World’

Zumiez Inc. doesn’t view the world of apparel and footwear retail through the lens of the traditional channels but is instead focusing on how to best accommodate customers no matter when, where or how they shop, according to CEO Rick Brooks,

Aisle Talk Week of June 4

Top headlines from the active lifestyle industry you may have missed this week, including Winnebago acquiring boat manufacturer Chris-Craft.

Ski Resort ‘Arms Race’ Escalates With Vail’s Latest Move

Vail Resorts Inc.’s acquisition of four ski resorts earlier this week wasn’t a huge deal financially—at least relative to the company’s annual revenue—but adding locales near key U.S. markets could prove to be a monumental, even epic, move for the Colorado-based ski area operator.

Russell Athletic Finds Way Back To Team Uniforms

Russell Athletic, which last September decided to exit the team uniform business, is returning to the category with a new partnership with Augusta Sportswear. In an interview with SGB, Matt Murphy, Russell Athletic VP of marketing, said the company had been looking for the “right partner to represent the brand and the positioning of the brand. So it took a little time.”

CEO: Duluth Pursuing Omnichannel With ‘Strong Conviction’

Duluth Holdings Inc., parent of Duluth Trading Co., is moving into a “true omnichannel environment with strong conviction,” according to CEO Stephanie Pugliese, who outlined the apparel and accessories company’s progress on this pursuit in Tuesday’s earnings call with analysts.

G-III Apparel Blows Past Targets In Q1

Carried by strength across nearly all the company’s collections, G-III Apparel Group Ltd. reported first-quarter earnings that ran well past guidance.

Lids’ Q1 Performance Sends Genesco Stock Tumbling

Weakness at Lids Sports Group and shares of Genesco Inc. tumbling 9 percent Tuesday overshadowed an otherwise decent Q1 performance that saw the parent company of a variety of retail brands beat Wall Street estimates on income and revenue.

Rawlings Gets Assist From MLB In Sale

Seidler Equity Partners partnered with Major League Baseball to acquire Rawlings for $395 million. Said Mike Thompson, EVP of marketing at Rawlings, in an interview with SGB, “Rawlings has always been joined at the hip with Major League Baseball.”

Active Lifestyle Vendors Deliver Robust Q1

A wide majority of vendors in the actve lifestyle space reported first-quarter results that topped Wall Street’s expectations with many raising guidance for the year. Among brands, Vans, Champion, Puma and Callaway Golf stood out with healthy double-digit top-line growth but earnings from Nike, Deckers Outdoor, Columbia Sportswear and Wolverine Worldwide all easily topped Wall Street’s targets.

May M&A Roundup: Shakeup In Firearms, Outdoor Sectors

Although May was a relatively slow month for mergers and acquisitions activity in the outdoor and active lifestyle space, a few eye-opening transactions dominated headlines because they fell outside the scope of traditional deals.

Retail Report Roundup

Studies arrived last week on teens exiting Facebook, the potential appeal of augmented reality (AR) on online apparel sales, the loyalty benefit for purpose-driven brands, Amazon’s dominant conversion market share across categories, Father’s Day spending, and the pitfalls of offering too-many-choices online.

Lululemon Accelerates Growth In Q1

Lululemon Athletica reported first-quarter earnings more than doubled, well above aggressive guidance. Highlights include 62 percent online growth, a 28 percent increase in new customer acquisition and 380 basis point improvement in product margin.

Caleres Capitalizing On Shift To Digital Demand

Even though Caleres Inc. missed analysts’ first-quarter earnings and revenue expectations, which was followed by shares falling slightly Friday morning, recent strides in e-commerce initiatives bode well for the parent company of a range of footwear brands and Famous Footwear retail stores.