SGB Executive Sportsmans

June M&A Roundup: Megaresorts Expand Their Empires
Summer is an odd time to discuss what’s happening at North American ski areas—especially with record high temps now sweeping the U.S.—but the escalating “arms race” between megaresort operators Vail Resorts Inc. and Alterra Mountain Co. was among the hottest M&A developments in June.

Aisle Talk Week Of June 25
Top headlines from the active lifestyle industry you may have missed this week, including Adidas announcing a potential data security incident.

Retail Report Roundup – June 25
Studies arrived last week on the benefits to local retailers from community engagement, quality beating price as a purchase driver, apparel’s continuing appeal in malls, the benefits of perks over raises for workers, the stress of online shopping, and Fourth of July sales.

Retailers Cheer Supreme Court Ruling On Online Taxes
Specialty retailers in the active space – decimated over the years by consumers showrooming stores and then fetching lower prices online – stand to significantly benefit from the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling that requires online retailers to collect sales taxes. Amy Roberts, executive director of Outdoor Industry Association (OIA), said, “The Supreme Court’s ruling is a huge win for the future of specialty outdoor retailers and will help ensure that all retailers compete on a level playing field.”

Aisle Talk Week Of June 18
Top headlines from the active lifestyle industry you may have missed this week, including Puma signing endorsement deals with the NBA’s No. 1 draft pick Deandre Ayton and Hall of Fame legend Walt “Clyde” Frazier.

Why Did Winnebago Acquire Chris-Craft?
On the company’s first-quarter quarter conference call, Winnebago Industries’ CEO Michael Happe said the reason it acquired the Chris-Craft, the recreational boat builder, was not only for diversity but to tap burgeoning growth opportunities in the marine segment.

American Outdoor Brands Sees Firearms Weakness Continuing
American Outdoor Brands, the parent of Smith & Wesson, closed a challenging year by reporting a sales drop of 24.9 percent in its fourth quarter ended April 30 while projecting flat earnings on a slight decline in sales for its current fiscal year.

Retail Report Roundup – June 18
Studies arrived last week on the growth of customization in footwear and apparel, omnichannel order tracking, online-ad spam, mobile pay, the important of brand’s values and retailers paying off hackers.

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.

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.

Camping World To Open RV Dealerships In Gander Outdoors Locations
Speaking at the Baird’s 2018 Global Consumer, Technology & Services Conference, Camping World CEO Marcus Lemonis revealed that Camping World’s plan all along has been to add RV dealerships to the acquired Gander Mountain locations.

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.

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.

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.