SGB Footwear

Dick’s Celebrates Olympic Contenders

SGB reached out to Ryan Eckel, VP of Brand at Dick’s Sporting Goods, to discuss the inspiration behind the Contenders program, which allows U.S. Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls to work in Dick’s locations to help support their dreams. Twelve participants in the retailer’s Contenders program are participating in PyeongChang.

Asics America Widens Q4 Loss

Asics America widened its loss in the fourth quarter but saw earnings improve significantly in the full year. Sales in the region slid 7.2 percent in the quarter.

January Retail Sales Climb 5.4 Percent

An improving economy fueled a healthy 5.4 percent increase in retail sales year-over-year, the National Retail Federation said. Among sectors, sporting goods stores showed the only year-over-year decrease, down 5.9 percent.

Asics Americas Profits Recover In 2017

Asics reported net earnings declined 16.7 percent in 2017 due to restructuring activities in its European operations. Profits in the Americas region bounced back as improved margins and a fewer bad-debt write-offs offset a 6 percent sales drop.

Genesco Exploring Sales Of Lids Sports Group

Genesco Inc. announced that the company is initiating a formal process to explore the sale of its Lids Sports Group business. The company believes the “best long-term interests of the company and its shareholders to focus on building upon our core footwear platform” while the Lids business is undervalued as part of Genesco.