To say that 2023 was a challenging year for the active lifestyle retail market would be an understatement as brands, reps and retailers dealt with a variety of challenges and very few notable instances of positive news.

In this latest installment of the 2024 Look Ahead series, SGB Executive talked with brand leaders and marketers about how their companies plan to address the challenges and opportunities in the market in 2024 and beyond.

Feedback unique to this group versus the broader market was the focus on sustainability, responsible sourcing, new technologies focused on renewable and reusable components and textiles, and the looming impact of new rules governing the use of PFAS and its impact on the market.

SGB Executive reached out to key leaders in the Active Lifestyle space to share their outlook for 2023. This first installment includes a cross-section of insights from Academy Sports + Outdoors, Baird, Fleet Feet, Gore, NSGA, Ortholite, Thermore, RIA, and more.

Fewer major deals were executed across the active lifestyle space in 2023 amid rising interest rates and persistent economic uncertainty but several tuck-ins and smaller to medium-size acquisitions were inked. Still, SGB Media found a few key trends expected to continue into 2024.

Fewer major deals were executed across the active lifestyle space in 2023 amid rising interest rates and persistent economic uncertainty but several tuck-ins and smaller to medium-size acquisitions were inked. Still, SGB Media found a few key trends expected to continue into 2024.

New CEOs at Academy Sports, Adidas, Asics, Gap, Kohl’s, Levi’s, Sportsman’s Warehouse, VF Corp., Vista Outdoor, and Wolverine Worldwide headlined the C-suite moves that transformed leadership across the active lifestyle space in 2023.

As the year closes, SGB Media remembers the active lifestyle industry business leaders who passed in 2023 and once again acknowledges their contributions to the market.

ICSC found that closing a store reduced online sales in the trade area surrounding that store by 11.5 percent. For emerging retailers, there was reportedly less of an impact, as online sales for largely DTC brands that closed a store decreased by 5.2 percent.

According to the analysis of the ICSC’s survey of 850 shoppers, department stores had a 50.6 percent increase in online spending, followed by apparel retailers with an 11.6 percent increase in e-commerce sales.

ICSC quantified the impact of opening or closing physical stores on online sales and retailers’ overall performance. Its latest study, the third installment in ICSC’s research on the halo effect of brick-and-mortar retail on online sales, is said to again prove the power of physical retail by demonstrating that a new store boosts online sales, while a closed store impedes them.

The survey, which was conducted in partnership with Morning Consult, surveyed active/causal lifestyle brand consumers ages 18 to 55 based in the U.S., UK, Germany, France, and Italy. It found that only one-third of respondents “Highly Prioritize” sustainability when making purchasing decisions, compared to other factors like “Good Value” (68 percent) and “Low Price” (57 percent).