SGB Executive Sports & Fitness

Fanatics Hires Joe Bozich As First COO, Fanatics Brands

Fanatics Inc, has hired Joe Bozich, founder of  Knights Apparel, as the first ever COO of Fanatics Brands, the company’s in-house apparel division, as the company continues ramp up vertical-manufacturing capabilities. In an interview with SGB, Fanatics Brands President Raphael Peck said Bozich will particularly focus on wholesale execution.

Champion Projected To Reach $2B In Sales By 2022

At the company’s Investor Day Meeting on Tuesday, HanesBrands’ officials set a goal of having Champion’s global sales reach more than $2 billion by 2022, up from $1.4 billion in 2017. The growth is expected to driven by expanded lifestyle offerings driven by its newfound cachet in fashion circles, aggressively expanding direct-to-consumer and expanding Champion’s geographic reach.

The Spring Of Nike’s Discontent

March, April and May should be a time for Nike Inc. to focus on promoting new products and growing North American revenue, but this spring the global footwear giant has instead been stumbling over accusations of workplace harassment, which has led to a host of high-profile executive departures

Aisle Talk Week Of May 7

Top headlines from the active lifestyle industry you may have missed this week, including Herschel Walker (pictured) being appointed to President Trump’s Council on Sports, Fitness and Nutrition.

Mizuno Americas Sales Lag, Profitability Recovers

Mizuno Corp.’s sales slid 14.2 percent in the Americas region in its fiscal year ended March 31. But the decline was partly due to efforts to clean up inventories and reduce lower-margin sales that bolstered underlying profitability. Some sales recovery was predicted for the Americas region in the years ahead.

Wolverine’s ‘Consumer Obsession’ Kicks Into High Gear

Wolverine Worldwide Inc.’s first-quarter performance not only beat analysts’ expectations on both revenue and income, but it prompted the company to raise full-year earnings guidance as the next phase of an ambitious, multimillion-dollar global growth agenda kicks in.

Gaiam, And1 And Avia Gaining Traction For Sequential Brands In Q1

Sequential Brands reported a loss on flattish sales in the first quarter, but results were slightly above expectations and the company’s three key active brands, Gaiam, And1 and Avia, are all seeing momentum at retail. Revo, the sunglass brand, was divested during the quarter.

Asics Americas Q1 Sales Drop 27 Percent

Asics Corp.’s sales in the American region fell 26.6 percent in the first quarter on a reported basis and 23.3 percent on a currency-neutral basis, to ¥21.9 billion ($200 mm). The decline was attributed to “weak sales in the U.S.”

Nautilus Bangs Out 14 Percent Gain In Retail Sales In Q1

Nautilus Inc. reported sales in the company’s Retail segment climbed 13.7 percent in the first quarter to $43 million, driven by a number of categories in both the mass retail and specialty fitness space. Retail sell-throughs were driven by the Bowflex Results line of cardio products, most notably the treadmill lineup.

Delta Apparel Q2 Boosted By Salt Life, DTG2Go

Fighting off higher raw material prices, Delta Apparel saw both sales and earnings increase year-over-year after adjusting for last year’s sale of Junkfood Clothing. Sales were boosted by the acquisition of DTG2Go and a 7 percent gain at Salt Life that offset a slight decline at Soffe.

Iconix Finds Starter, Umbro Resets Gaining Traction

Iconix Brand Group Inc. reported net earnings again eroded in the first quarter on a 17 percent revenue decline. But results were in line with expectations and Iconix’s management said they’re making progress realigning the company’s brand relationships, including Umbro’s with Target and Starter’s with Amazon.

Aisle Talk Week of April 30

Top headlines from the active lifestyle industry you may have missed this week, including Nike Inc. CEO Mark Parker (pictured) holding a rare company-wide staff meeting at Nike headquarters to apologize for recent incidents at the company.

Vans ‘Nothing Short Of Outstanding’ in Q1

Vans delivered another record quarter for VF Corp., which rode the footwear brand and the rest of its portfolio to an outstanding first quarter. VF reported earnings of $252.8 million, or 65 cents per share, for the quarter ended March 31, up 20.9 percent from the same quarter a year ago.