SGB Executive Sportsmans

SGB Media Reports Top Stories Of 2020

SGB Media has reported its Top 20 stories read online in 2020, with the Bass Pro acquisition of Sportsman’s Warehouse and related stories leading the charts. Overall, the SGBonline.com web site had a banner year in readership, recording over 2.5 million page views, a 20 percent increase over 2019.

American Outdoor Brands Still Seeing Firearms Softness

American Outdoor Brands wrapped up a challenging year with a fourth quarter that came out well ahead of guidance. But James Debney, president and CEO, said the beat was largely driven by promotions and he still sees flat demand for firearms despite May’s uptick in firearms background checks.

Cause Marketing Platforms Not Breaking Through With Gen Z

Several brands in the active lifestyle space, including Patagonia, Nike and Toms, are being recognized for their purpose-driven ethos and related cause-marketing efforts according to an extensive study from DoSomething.org. But the study still found it’s not easy to break through and create belief among consumers.

Cannondale Driving Rebound For Dorel Sports

Dorel Industries said its Dorel Sports’ segment showed some recovery in the first quarter. Growth at Cycling Sports Group (CSG), led by Cannondale, helped offset continued pressures at the mass channel. Said Martin Schwartz, Dorel’s CEO, “We’re excited about prospects with the Cannondale line demonstrating excellent momentum.”

Sturm, Ruger Again Faces Activists At Annual Meeting

Sturm, Ruger & Company Inc. reported another quarter of double-digit declines with so signs of a pickup in the firearms market while yet again facing a number of gun-control activists at its annual meeting.

Johnson Outdoors Q2 Boosted By Strength In Fishing And Diving

Johnson Outdoors Inc. said it faced challenges in its kayak and tent businesses in the second quarter March 29, but still managed to show a slight increase in profits in the period due to momentum in its larger Fishing and Diving segments.

Big 5 Delivers Robust First Quarter But Weak Outlook

Big 5 Sporting Goods Corp. delivered a strong first quarter as cold weather boosted its winter business. But the California-based sporting goods chain also warned of a loss in the current quarter due to a later Easter this year and also warned that overall sales appear soft.

Rocky Brands Inc. Ramps Up Reinvestment After Strong Q1

Marketing efforts clearly paid off for Rocky Brands Inc. in the first quarter, with the company reporting a 9.1 percent earnings increase on a 7.4 percent revenue gain, both of which beat Wall Street’s estimates. Now the company plans to double down on that strategy by reinvesting some of the profits from last quarter into a revamped and rejuvenated marketing strategy aimed at taking more share across end markets.

Academy’s Struggles Continued In 2018

In an update, Moody’s Investors Service confirmed the debt ratings and outlook of Academy, Ltd., the parent of Academy Sports & Outdoors, while also indicating that the retailer’s financial performance continues to erode. The report noted that Academy’s comps declined in the mid-single-digit range and EBITDA declined 12 percent in 2018.

IMF Study Finds Tariffs Can’t Fix Trade Problems

New research from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) finds that if the U.S. and China raise tariffs to 25 percent on all goods traded between the two countries, the U.S. economy would lose between 0.3 and 0.6 percent in growth, the Chinese economy would lose between 0.5 and 1.5 percent, and global growth would slow by 0.1 and 0.2 percent.

Tariffs Less Worrisome For Some, Not Others

While no trade deal has been reached between the U.S. and China, the news around tariffs has been more favorable than unfavorable since the start of the year. But some industry players still have been raising prices, purchasing early to avoid hits and taking other steps to mitigate their potential impact.

Aisle Talk Week Of March 11

Top headlines from the active lifestyle industry you may have missed this week, including Brooks Running Company’s promotion of Dan Sheridan to a newly configured role of EVP and chief operating officer.