SGB Executive Sportsmans
Aisle Talk Week of October 15
Top headlines from the active lifestyle industry you may have missed this week, including Mammut North America—a division of Swiss-based Mammut Sports Group AG—parting ways with the company’s managing director, Joe Prebich (pictured), for undisclosed reasons.
5.11 CEO Francisco Morales Talks Retail Expansion, Tactical Sector Growth
Francisco Morales, newly appointed CEO of 5.11—the tactical gear brand he co-founded in 2003—spoke with SGB about what’s driving the company’s brick-and-mortar growth, the explosion of the tactical sector and the importance of having a supportive parent company like CODI.
Implus Amplifies One-Stop-Shop Empire With SKLZ
In an interview with SGB Executive, Seth Richards, CEO of Implus, and Todd Vore, president, discuss the company’s game-changing acquisition of SKLZ, what it means to its expanding fitness platform and the evolution of Implus’ dynamic one-stop-shop solution for accessories that now covers 20 brands.
Aisle Talk Week Of October 8
Top headlines from the active lifestyle industry you may have missed this week, including Asics announcing the opening of an urban, large-scale, low oxygen training center in Tokyo in September 2019.
Kevin Plank Discusses Under Armour’s Vision Quest
Speaking last week at the Advertising Week conference in New York City, Under Armour’s Kevin Plank spoke about the importance of brand values in driving sales and earning advocacy. The brand’s recent sales slump, according to the CEO, is partly because management neglected the company’s core purpose after years of growth.
How To Navigate The Trade War
Companies that are subject to new tariffs on Chinese-made products might be able to mitigate some or all of the financial impact, according to David Cohen, a Washington, DC-based international trade lawyer, who spoke at the recent SFIA Industry Leaders Summit. “You’re not sitting ducks. There are ways, there are countermeasures, that companies can take.”
Aisle Talk Week of October 1
Top headlines from the active lifestyle industry you may have missed this week, including BSN Sports, a division of Varsity Brands and the nation’s largest direct marketer and distributor of sporting goods to the school and league markets, completing its acquisition of Port Jeff Sporting Goods (pictured).
SGB Executive Q&A: Coast Products CEO David Brands
Coast Products has a rich history. The Portland, OR-based maker of knives, multitools, headlamps, flashlights and other accessories is turning 100 next year and has been family-owned since its founding in 1919. CEO David Brands spoke with SGB about the origins of the company his grandfather created, what’s driving growth and where Coast goes from here.
Relief Over Recast NAFTA Deal
With fears over the arrangement being scrapped entirely, relief arrived after the U.S., and Canada came to a last-minute agreement on a revised trade deal that could replace NAFTA. While the dairy and auto industries will face some changes, the impact on the apparel and footwear sectors appears negligible.
Yeti IPO Shows Revenues Bouncing Back
Yeti is taking the company’s second crack at going public after seeing sales plunge 22 percent in 2017 and witnessing a robust recovery so far this year. The slowdown was caused by over-buying by retailers that led to a glut of inventory in the marketplace as well as a challenging retail marketplace, in part caused by the delay in the merger of Bass Pro and Cabela’s and several retailer bankruptcies.
Aisle Talk Week of September 24
Top headlines from the active lifestyle industry you may have missed this week, including Amazon opening Amazon 4-star, a new physical store where everything for sale is rated four stars and above, is a top seller or is new and trending on Amazon.com.
Retail Reports Roundup
Studies arrived last week including Nike dominating apparel brands’ preferences, mixed views on social commerce, AI benefits to supply-chain efficiency, wide-ranging checkout opportunities and free delivery’s expanding appeal as well as another merry holiday forecast.
Aisle Talk Week of September 17
Top headlines from the active lifestyle industry you may have missed this week, including sales growth at Gregory Mountain Products and High Sierra helping Samsonite International S.A.’s financial performance in the six months ended June 30.
Industry Voices Grow Louder In Opposition To Trade War
President Trump’s claim that increased tariffs on foreign goods have resulted in an improved business climate for U.S. companies has been widely rejected by representatives of the outdoor, sporting goods and active lifestyle industries, who are growing louder in their opposition to the administration’s escalating trade war.
Retail Reports Roundup
Studies arriving last week included a prediction that for the first time ever, more purchases will be made with mobile phones than ever during the upcoming holiday season. Research also found Nike’s chatter among Gen-Z getting louder, consumer reluctance to being targeted via customer segmentation methods, apparel shopping journeys increasingly starting online and the appeal of reward-based promotions and speedy checkouts.
