SGB Executive Sports & Fitness
Foot Locker Not Yet Feeling Nike’s Resurgence
Shares of Foot Locker Inc. fell $4.88, or 9.2 percent, to $48.32 Friday after the sneaker leader reported second-quarter comps that came in slightly below Wall Street’s expectations. Foot Locker officials also continue to expect meager gains in the back-half of the year despite the hype around Nike’s return to growth in North America.
Aisle Talk Week of August 20
Top headlines from the active lifestyle industry you may have missed this week, including 5.11 opening a new store in Reno, NV, as part of a nationwide brick-and-mortar retail expansion.
Athleta’s Momentum Continues In Q2
While the athleisure chain saw some softness in swim, Athleta again churned out strong results in the second quarter for Gap Inc. Art Peck, Gap Inc.’s president and CEO, on a conference call with analysts, said Athleta “delivered another market share gaining quarter and is progressing well against our billion dollar sales objective.”
Nike And Vans Gain In Stifel’s BTS Survey
According to Stifel’s annual back-to-school athletic footwear survey, retail checks are underscoring Nike’s resurgence in the North American footwear market and Vans continued brand heat. Adidas lost some momentum off its recent hot streak.
Under Armour’s Collaboration with “The Rock” Tops List Of Best-Matched Celebrity Endorsements
Wrestler-turned-actor Dwayne Johnson’s endorsement deal with Under Armour earned top ranking among best-matched celebrity-brand partnerships in the fashion and retail sectors, according to a study from Spotted. Also ranking high was Crocs’ partnership with Drew Barrymore, Under Armour and Steph Curry, Reebok and Gal Gadot, Adidas and Lionel Messi, Asics and Novak Djokovic and Marmot and Nick Offerman.
SGB Executive Q&A: Progression Brands Group’s Ian Widmer
Ian Widmer, the founder of Progression Brands Group (PBG) talked to SGB about his company’s unique hybrid equity/management investment structure, the boutique’s investment criteria and the opportunities and challenges facing emering brands in today’s marketplace.
Analyst Sees Nike Taking Share From Adidas And Others
Susquehanna Financial analyst Sam Poser raised his rating and price target on Nike Inc. as channel checks show that the brand is gaining share from Adidas and others at athletic specialty retailers such as Foot Locker, Finish Line and Hibbett, and is also gaining share within the family footwear channel. Piper Jaffray also upgraded the stock.
Retail Reports Roundup
Studies arrived last week on consumers placing a higher priority on newness, online cart abandonment challenges, digital marketing’s effectiveness, strapped consumers and stores associate bonds helping deter shoplifting.
Aisle Talk Week of August 13
Top headlines from the active lifestyle industry you may have missed this week, including VF Corp.’s market-moving news that the company is spinning off its jeans division and relocating to Colorado along with The North Face, Smartwool and other brands.
Sport Chek Looks To Broaden Reach In Reset
Sport Chek, Canada’s largest sporting goods chain owned by Canadian Tire Inc., will be undergoing a repositioning to appeal to a broader range of consumers beyond millennials and “achievers,” Canadian Tire officials said on the company’s second-quarter conference call.
Aisle Talk Week Of August 6
Top headlines from the active lifestyle industry you may have missed this week, including Nike Inc. facing a class-action lawsuit for discrimination.
Adidas U.S. Momentum Continues
Adidas AG’s earnings more than doubled in the second quarter, thanks to a boost from the World Cup and continued over-sized growth in North America and China. Adidas Brand’s 15.6 percent currency-neutral gain in North America eased concerns that the brand was losing ground in the U.S. to Nike’s resurgence.
Gaiam, And1 & Avia Boost Sequential Brands Group’s Q2
Sequential Brands Group Inc.’s active brands of Gaiam, And1 and Avia again drove growth for the parent company in the second quarter, and their performance in brick-and-mortar stores highlighted not only growing market share but resiliency in the channel.
Starter And Umbro Bright Spots In Ugly Iconix Q2
Iconix Brand Group Inc. cited successful initiatives supporting the relaunches of Starter and Umbro as highlights in what was otherwise another tough quarter for the company.
Delta Apparel Seeing Benefits From Vertical Manufacturing Model
Delta Apparel said the company’s vertical manufacturing model helped support robust revenue gains at FunTees, the company’s private label apparel business, to drove yet another quarter of earnings and revenue growth. Soffe was stung by declining military sales while Salt Life was down modestly due to poor early-spring weather in the company’s core Southeast market but its sales are re-accelerating in summer months.
