SGB Executive

Deckers Wins Fight Against Activist Investor

Triumphing from a 10-month fight against an activist shareholder, Deckers Brands said all its candidates had been elected to its board of directors at its 2017 Annual Meeting of Stockholders.

Deutsche Bank Turns Bullish On Athletic Stocks

Deutsche Bank upgraded its stock ratings on both Lululemon and Finish Line while lifting its price targets on Nike, Under Armour, Foot Locker, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Hibbett Sports and Big 5 due to improving fundamentals for the athletic channel.

City Sports Plots A Comeback

With its first store soon to reopen and an upcoming relaunch of its website, the new owners of City Sports are making progress toward its goal of reestablishing the athletic chain in urban centers.

American Outdoor Brands Slashes Outlook On Weak Gun Sales

American Outdoor Brands Corporation, the parent of Smith & Wesson, M&P and Thompson/Center Arms, again reduced its guidance for the year due to ongoing challenges in firearms. The revision came while the company reported poor third-quarter results that generally came in line with guidance.

Duluth Holdings Posts Q3 Loss On Retail Expansion Costs

Duluth Holdings, the parent of Duluth Trading, reported a loss in the third quarter due to the costs of its aggressive store expansion but the store openings helped revenues run up 25.0 percent in the period.

BSN Sports Acquires Portion Of Hibbett Team Sales

Continuing its rapid consolidation of the team channel, BSN Sports completed the acquisition of a portion of the assets of Hibbett Team Sales Inc. (HTS), based in Birmingham, AL.

Lululemon Rebuts Athleisure Critics In Q3

Lululemon’s better-than-expected third quarter benefited from a 25 percent hike in e-commerce sales, growing momentum internationally, and growth of more than 20 percent in women’s pants, jackets and outerwear, and men’s.

Cherokee Cuts Guidance, Eyes Growth In 2018

Henry Stupp, CEO, said the company’s acquisition of Hi-Tec has been “undoubtedly more costly and time-intensive than we originally forecasted.” The flagship Cherokee’s brand transition away from Target is taking longer than expected while Tony Hawk’s revenues are being impacted by weakness in Canada.

Is Amazon Overwhelming MAP Policy Enforcement?

While the arrival of online selling has led to a ramp-up in vendors implementing MAP (minimum advertised price) policies, Amazon’s growing dominance of e-commerce and increasing traction in the active lifestyle space continues to complicate the whole MAP enforcement game.

Running Industry Bounces Back

While they haven’t escaped the digital disruption that’s impacting all of physical retail, the run specialty channel appeared in better spirits at last week’s The Running Event in Austin.