EXEC: Avoli Founders Talk Up Women’s Volleyball Opportunity
Avoli (pronounced Ah-Volley), a volleyball-specific brand, is focused on designing volleyball equipment for female players. Founded by former Nike, Lululemon and Under Armour veterans Mark Oleson and Rick Anguilla, they launched their product line last month with a low-top volleyball shoe.
Sports Direct Parent Gets Fiscal Year Lift From Acquisitions and Extra Week
The owner of the Sports Direct business in the U.K., and former owner of Bob’s and EMS in the U.S., got a lift from acquisitions and the 53rd week in the fiscal year ended April 30 to post mid-teens revenue growth while nearly doubling profit for the year.
EXEC: Sebago Parent BasicNet Sees Net Profit Drop in H1; Royalties Decline
Royalties from commercial and productive licensees declined 6.4 percent to €32.7 million. Direct sales grew versus the same period in 2022 partly due to the contribution of K-Way France S.a.s, acquired in April 2022, but corresponding royalties from the French subsidiary decreased.
EXEC: Footwear De-Stocking Hits Factory Sector as Yue Yuen Warns on H1
Call it a reverse trickle-down process as bad news looks to be moving up the supply chain with predictable results. As retailers de-stock inventories and brands follow suit, the backup and subsequent slow-down have hit the manufacturing sector with more ferocity.
EXEC: Pou Sheng H1 Profits Surge as China Retail Recovers Post-Lockdown
While its parent company was busy warning investors about a sharp decline in profits for the first half tied to a contracting manufacturing business, Yue Yuen’s retail subsidiary was providing good news for the half in a pre-announcement of its own.
EXEC: Clif Bar Continues to Improve Profitability Under New Owner
Mondelez International said its recently-acquired Clif Bar business continued to improve profitability in the second quarter with the help of higher prices amid “robust” sales growth and as Clif Bar recently overhauled its management team, including the exit of CEO Sally Grimes.
EXEC: Hoka Parent Sees Tighter Retail Inventory Key to Growing DTC Business
Fiscal Q1 results slightly outpaced the company’s expectations, with consolidated revenue increasing 10 percent to $676 million, gross margin improving more than 300 basis points, and diluted earnings per share growing 45 percent to $2.41 a share.
EXEC: Skechers Finds Strength Overseas Offset America Wholesale Weakness
Skechers U.S.A., Inc. raised its outlook for the year as broad strength internationally and strength in the U.S. direct-to- channel offset a 25 percent decline in wholesale sales in the U.S. due to overall elevated inventories in the marketplace. CFO John Vandemore said, “We expected the inventory congestion at our domestic wholesale partners to impact us most significantly in the second quarter.”
EXEC: Crocs Inc. Shares Fall After Company Cuts HeyDude Revenue Forecast
The arrows were all pointing in the right direction until company management mentioned on a conference call with analysts that they were reducing the back half and full-year revenue expectations for the HeyDude brand.
EXEC: Vista Outdoor Signals Back-Half Rebound
Vista Outdoor reported another tough quarter but shares were up slightly Thursday as company officials indicated Outdoor Products’ profitability is improving and the segment is still projected to resume growth by the holiday quarter.
Geox Swings to Positive EBIT in First Half on Sales Growth, Margin Expansion
First half results show a significant improvement, with a 3.8 percent positive trend in sales, combined with the 370 basis point improvement in gross margins and the resulting positive operating result (EBIT) of €3.6 million compared to a loss in H1 2022.
EXEC: Brunswick Corp. Reports Lower Q2 Results Due in Part to IT Security Incident
On June 13, the company announced it was impacted by an IT security incident, which ultimately resulted in financial results that were lower than initial expectations.
EXEC: Puma CEO Talks Cautious Approach on U.S. Turnaround
Puma SE delivered second-quarter results that topped analyst targets and said it might be able to raise its outlook for the year should the recent momentum in China, Europe and Latin America continue in the third quarter. However, Arne Freundt, Puma’s CEO, was hesitant to forecast a return to growth in the U.S. market due to weak consumer spending.
Puma’s Q2 Earnings Down, Sales Up Despite North America Decline
Second quarter earnings declined on higher costs and currency effects despite an 11 percent currency-neutral sales gain for the period. However, earnings topped analyst expectations on strength in China, Europe and Latin America.
EXEC: Life Time Shares Hit by Membership Shortfall
Shares of Life Time Group Holdings, Inc. were down about 15 percent in late-afternoon trading Tuesday after reporting adjusted EBITDA exceeded analyst targets, but revenues and membership growth came in below plan. Bahram Akradi, founder, chairman and CEO remains bullish on the high-end fitness center prospects, telling analysts that membership growth is in line with plan.
