SGB Executive Sports & Fitness
Fitness And Outdoor Drive Amer Sports’ Q4 Growth
Amer Sports reported revenues on a currency-neutral basis grew 9.0 percent in the fourth quarter, led by a 14 percent gain by its Fitness segment and an 11 percent climb by its Outdoor segment. The Ball Sports’ segment inched up 1 percent and has been impacted by a “challenging U.S. wholesale market.”
Vista Outdoor’s Q3 Hamstrung By Weak Hunt Business
On a conference call with analysts, Christopher Metz, Vista Outdoor’s CEO since October, said the company made progress in the third quarter generating cash, reducing inventories and driving down costs, but continued weakness in its Shooting Sports continues to erode earnings.
Mizuno’s America’s Q3 Sales Dip 9.3 Percent
Mizuno Corp. reported sales in Americas continued to decline in the third quarter and nine months ended December 31 as the focus remains on improving profitability in the region.
Dick’s Seen Benefiting From Eagles Win And Bat Regulation Changes
J.P. Morgan reiterated its “Overweight” rating on Dick’s Sporting Goods as it expects a “near-term comp” benefit from the Philadelphia Eagle’s Super Bowl win and an equal benefit from new Little League bat regulation.
Wall Street Shrugs Off Lululemon CEO’s Abrupt Exit
Lululemon’s shares rose slightly on Tuesday despite the abrupt resignation of its CEO, Laurent Potdevin, due to an unidentified misconduct. Analysts generally felt the company remained in good hands, led by Glenn Murphy, the former head of Gap Inc.; and some had issues with the way Potdevin steered the company.
Delta Apparel’s Q1 Boosted By Rebound At Soffe
“Soffe was a bright spot for us during the quarter and we believe it is gaining solid momentum as we move further into fiscal 2018,” said Robert Humphreys, chairman and CEO, on a conference call with analysts.
Aisle Talk, Week of January 29
Top headlines from the active lifestyle industry you may have missed this week.
Deckers Brands Q3 Blasts Past Guidance
Ugg’s 4.3 percent revenue gain was aided by chilly December weather that drove re-orders, store rationalization and enhanced segmentation, and the successful opening up of Macy’s, Amazon and Footaction. Hoka’s sales jumped 65.7 percent and benefited from its expansion into the stability category.
GoPro Sets Six-Point Sales Revival Plan
Wrapping up a disappointing holiday campaign, GoPro reported fourth-quarter results that came in even below a severe downward revision given only on January 8. But management said a move to lower prices in early December had boosted sell-throughs and listed six priorities for 2018 designed to build on that traction.
Stifel Lifts Fitbit From “Sell” To “Hold”
Stifel upgraded Fitbit from “Sell” to “Hold” while lowering its 12-month target price to $5.50 from $6.
Oppenheimer Upgrades Foot Locker
Oppenheimer upgraded Foot Locker to “Outperform” due to strong innovation arriving from Nike, ongoing momentum at Adidas and a pickup in mall traffic.
Academy Sports Faces Layoffs Again
Following a round of layoffs last summer, Academy Sports + Outdoors said it will be laying off approximately 140 corporate employees largely due to the outsourcing of certain IT functions at the retailer.
Hello Denver! (Take Two)
SGB reached out to a number of attendees of the inaugural Outdoor Retailer + Snow Show and heard largely positive feedback. Comments from Klean Kanteen, Vasque, Bogs, Pro-Tec, Massey Outfitters, OrthoLite, Croakies, Implus, Sweet Protection, Maine Outdoor Brands, Walls Outdoor Goods, Dare 2b, Craghopppers, Free Country, Kamik, MSR and Honey Stinger.
Hello Denver! (Take One)
With healthy traffic in the aisles extending into the last two days of the show for many exhibitors, the inaugural Outdoor Retailer + Snow Show was largely a hit. Comments from SCARPA, LEKI, OOFOS, SIA, Smartwool, Osprey Packs, Kari Traa, Oboz, Mountain Khakis, Downlite Outdoor, Stanley, Honeywell Retail and Seirus. More responses to come Thursday.
Should Boomer Women Fitness Enthusiasts Feel Ignored?
According to a study from JWT London Innovation Group, older Boomer women “feel invisible or ‘edited-out’ when it comes to the leisure and fitness category.”
