SGB Sportsmans

For the third consecutive year,  stocks in the active lifestyle market were impacted by inflation woes, tepid consumer spending and the larger public companies, including Nike, Lululemon, Columbia Sportswear and Topgolf Callaway Brands, all lost sales momentum.

The top news trends for the year were primarily centered around turnaround efforts at some of the biggest public companies in the active lifestyle market.

SGB Media remembers industry business leaders who passed away this year in the active outdoor space and acknowledges their contributions to the broader community.

In part two, SGB Media highlights the notable executive leadership changes in the active lifestyle industry in the second half of 2024, from July 2024 to December 2024.

Based on consumers’ short-term outlook for income, business and labor market conditions, the Board’s Expectations Index tumbled 12.6 points to 81.1 for the month, just above the threshold of 80 that usually signals a recession ahead.

Preliminary insights reveal that U.S. retail holiday sales, excluding automotive, increased 3.8 percent year-over-year from November 1 through December 24, exceeding the firm’s September forecast of 3.7 percent growth for the holiday sales period.

Rawlings, Brooks, Deckers Brands, Riddell, and SFIA were among companies and associations in the active outdoor lifestyle space that smoothly completed CEO transitions in 2024; however, the turnover for others was abrupt, headlined by two new leaders returning to Nike and at Under Armour.

SGB Media presents a roundup of M&A action in the industry for the second half 2024, including new deals struck or closed in the final days of 2024.

While the active lifestyle industry again saw a number of smaller to medium-size acquisitions during 2024, major deals for the second year in a row were few and far between due to a combination of higher interest rates, an uncertain economy, and fewer consolidators. A roundup of M&A action in the industry for the first half of 2024.

Miller owned Scholastic Sports Sales, which celebrated its 50th anniversary in April 2024 and is in its third generation of family ownership. He was a member of the NSGA Board for two terms from 2015 to 2021. He unexpectedly passed away on December 19 at age 69.