SGB Executive Sports & Fitness
Aisle Talk Week of June 11
Top headlines from the active lifestyle industry you may have missed this week, including Eddie Bauer and PacSun combining under a new operating company.
Eric Sprunk Discusses Nike’s Sustainability Journey
Speaking recently at the Copenhagen Fashion Summit, Nike Inc.’s COO Eric Sprunk said Nike now knows “sustainability drives innovation and improves the performance of everything we make.” But he spent a large chunk of his keynote session discussing the brand’s shortfalls in the past and its long “journey” to embracing that mindset.
Sweet Spot: Golf’s Evolution Striking Right Balance
In this first of a two-part series on the state of the golf industry, SGB looks at the sport’s participation levels and how associations, private companies, grassroots organizations and local course operators are working to ensure golf continues its current rebound by addressing the needs of core players while also attracting the next generation.
Aisle Talk Week of June 4
Top headlines from the active lifestyle industry you may have missed this week, including Winnebago acquiring boat manufacturer Chris-Craft.
Russell Athletic Finds Way Back To Team Uniforms
Russell Athletic, which last September decided to exit the team uniform business, is returning to the category with a new partnership with Augusta Sportswear. In an interview with SGB, Matt Murphy, Russell Athletic VP of marketing, said the company had been looking for the “right partner to represent the brand and the positioning of the brand. So it took a little time.”
Lids’ Q1 Performance Sends Genesco Stock Tumbling
Weakness at Lids Sports Group and shares of Genesco Inc. tumbling 9 percent Tuesday overshadowed an otherwise decent Q1 performance that saw the parent company of a variety of retail brands beat Wall Street estimates on income and revenue.
Rawlings Gets Assist From MLB In Sale
Seidler Equity Partners partnered with Major League Baseball to acquire Rawlings for $395 million. Said Mike Thompson, EVP of marketing at Rawlings, in an interview with SGB, “Rawlings has always been joined at the hip with Major League Baseball.”
Active Lifestyle Vendors Deliver Robust Q1
A wide majority of vendors in the actve lifestyle space reported first-quarter results that topped Wall Street’s expectations with many raising guidance for the year. Among brands, Vans, Champion, Puma and Callaway Golf stood out with healthy double-digit top-line growth but earnings from Nike, Deckers Outdoor, Columbia Sportswear and Wolverine Worldwide all easily topped Wall Street’s targets.
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.
