Aisle Talk, Week of February 5
Top headlines from the active lifestyle industry you may have missed this week.
Columbia Q4 Boosted By Improving U.S. Business
President and CEO Tim Boyle said, “In the fourth quarter, the U.S. wholesale channel played a significant role contributing to our top line beat relative to our October outlook, aided by improved order conversion.”
Newell Brands Confirms Receipt Of Starboard Value’s Director Nominations
Newell Brands confirmed that it has received notice from Starboard Value and Opportunity Master Fund Ltd. of its intention to nominate 10 candidates to stand for election to the Newell Brands Board of Directors at the company’s 2018 Annual Meeting of Shareholders.
Fitness And Outdoor Drive Amer Sports’ Q4 Growth
Amer Sports reported revenues on a currency-neutral basis grew 9.0 percent in the fourth quarter, led by a 14 percent gain by its Fitness segment and an 11 percent climb by its Outdoor segment. The Ball Sports’ segment inched up 1 percent and has been impacted by a “challenging U.S. wholesale market.”
Wolverine Worldwide Provides 2018 Guidance With Strong Growth Investment Plan
Wolverine World Wide Inc. provided its outlook for fiscal year 2018 including its investment plan to drive its new GLOBAL GROWTH AGENDA, along with details on the expected positive impact of U.S. tax reform and its WAY FORWARD transformation. The company also announced certain preliminary financial results for the fiscal year ended December 30, 2017, including special charges recognized in the fourth quarter.
Columbia Sportswear’s Q4 Revenues Climb 8 Percent
Columbia Sportswear reported earnings excluding a massive tax charge and restructuring costs rose 9.2 percent on an 8 percent revenue gain. U.S. net sales increased 8 percent to $492.6 million, reflecting growth in DTC and benefits from a shift in the timing of shipments of Fall 2017 advance wholesale orders from the third quarter to the fourth quarter.
NRF Forecasts Retail Sales Will Increase Between 3.8 and 4.4 Percent In 2018
The National Retail Federation released its 2018 economic forecast, projecting that retail industry sales will grow between 3.8 and 4.4 percent over 2017. Online and other non-store sales, which are included in the overall number, are expected to increase between 10 and 12 percent.
Vista Outdoor’s Q3 Hamstrung By Weak Hunt Business
On a conference call with analysts, Christopher Metz, Vista Outdoor’s CEO since October, said the company made progress in the third quarter generating cash, reducing inventories and driving down costs, but continued weakness in its Shooting Sports continues to erode earnings.
Canada Goose Blasts Past Street Targets In Q3
Driven by oversized growth in its direct-to-consumer (DTC) channel and its ability to drive premium pricing, Canada Goose Holdings Inc. reported third-quarter results that easily eclipsed Wall Street’s consensus estimates.
Canada Goose Names CFO And EVP
Canada Goose Holdings Inc. announced that Jonathan Sinclair will succeed John Black as chief financial officer and executive vice president. He is expected to join the company toward the middle of the year.
Messe Friedrichshafen Establishes A New Outdoor Platform
In an internal voting process, a majority of members of the European Outdoor Group (EOG) have voted to hold the OutDoor trade show in Munich from 2019. In full independence and with support from numerous major industry players, the show organizers will be holding a new version of the trade show in Friedrichshafen from 2019.
Surf9 Appoints Brad Gruber As Footwear Division President
The addition of Gruber coincides with the launch of the Body Glove Footwear Lifestyle Collection, an all-new line of high quality casual shoes for men and women.
L.L. Bean To Tap Blockchain Technology To Help Track Its Products
L.L. Bean says it will start sewing in sensors inside its products to track how customers use the items in a pilot test, according to the Wall Street Journal. This information would be fed into a blockchain and then anonymized for later use.
Alterra Mountain Appoints CEO
Alterra Mountain Company, the owners of Steamboat, Deer Valley, Mammoth Mountain, Squaw Valley and several other resorts, announced the appointment of Rusty Gregory as chief executive officer.
Dick’s Announces Grand Opening Of Four Stores In February
Stores will open in Evansville, IN; Baxter, MN; Santa Maria, CA; and Warwick, RI.
