SGB Executive Sports & Fitness
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.
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.
Aisle Talk Week of May 28
Top headlines from the active lifestyle industry you may have missed this week, including the potential for an Eddie Bauer and Pacific Sunwear merger.
Golf Sales Fuel Perry Ellis In Q1 Despite Sport’s Softness
Golf rounds might have been down in the double digits for April as they have been for a few months now, but softness in the sport’s participation had no bearing on Perry Ellis International’s golf sales in the first quarter. The company saw total revenues rise 5.4 percent behind the strength of golf apparel.
Firearms Fallout Fizzles As Dick’s Sporting Goods Surges In Q1
Dick’s Sporting Goods’ recent policy refusing to sell firearms resulted in plenty of PR fallout but it hasn’t affected the retail giant’s bottom line. The Pittsburgh, PA-based company easily beat Wall Street’s estimates for the first quarter ended May 5 through strength in other categories, including an especially solid performance in private label sales, which led to higher margins.
Foot Locker’s Shares Pop As Q1 Shows Some Recovery
Shares of Foot Locker Inc. jumped 20.2 percent on Friday after the sneaker leader reported first-quarter blasted past Wall Street’s targets. Management credited the arrival of more on-trend footwear styles from top vendors. But the makeup is changing, led by a resurgence for Nike, with many of styles as well as strength in Vans and Fila, offsetting some softening at Adidas, Puma and Converse.
Hibbett Remains Optimistic As Digital Initiatives Ramp Up
The leadership team at Hibbett Sports Inc. fully understands that the company is far behind competitors’ digital investments, but the company is making concerted efforts to catch up, and digital progress showed up in Hibbett’s first-quarter earnings.
Athleta Again Delivers Double-Digit Growth For Gap Inc.
“I believe that this gem in our portfolio, which is becoming a very nicely sized gem, remains underappreciated,” said Art Peck, Gap Inc’s president and CEO, of Athleta on a conference call with analysts.
Aisle Talk Week Of May 21
Top headlines from the active lifestyle industry you may have missed this week.
Nike Acknowledges Diversity Shortfalls In FY16/17 Sustainability Report
In the company’s just-released FY16/17 Sustainable Business Report, Nike Inc. stated that leadership representation for women globally and underrepresented minorities (URM) in the U.S. “have not evolved as fast as we would have liked” since the company’s last sustainability report arrived in 2016. The report also lists an extensive number of steps Nike is taking to improve diversity and inclusion efforts.
Fanatics To Make Nike Jerseys For NFL Fans
Mirroring the company’s upcoming MLB partnership with Under Armour, Fanatics secured the rights to make NFL jerseys and related merchandise under the Nike logo. For the NFL, aligning with Fanatics promises to significantly expand revenues with Fanatic’s expanding capabilities around on-demand production.
Kohl’s Delivers Blow-Out Q1 On Active Strength
Led by 10 percent comp growth in its active assortments, Kohl’s Inc. reported first-quarter earnings that easily topped Wall Street’s targets and lifted its guidance for the year. Nike, Under Armour and Adidas led the active gains and the department-store operator is planning a 30-store test that will see square footage dedicated to active expand by 40 percent.
The Running Event Has A New Owner
Oakley Dyer, corporate vice president, strategy & corporate development, Diversified Communications, told SGB Executive, “We always look for industries that have a need for face-to-face interactions for buyers and sellers as well as a need for content and education. The Running Event and Running Insight fit this perfectly.”
U.S.-China Trade War ‘On Hold’ … But Should Companies Remain Wary?
The looming trade war with China that dominated headlines all spring and forced U.S. companies to fear heavy tariffs on their imports is now on hold. But is it really?
Nike’s COO Eric Sprunk Urges Montana Grads To ‘Have A Bias For Action’
Standing in as the commencement speaker for the 2018 graduating class of the University of Montana, Eric Sprunk, Nike Inc.’s COO and former UM alum, urged graduates to “be somebody who actually does something,” “continue learning the rest of your life” and “fail forward.”
