SGB Update Outdoor
China Increases U.S. Import Share, But Loses Ground in Footwear…
Sporting goods imports into the U.S. surpassed the $10 billion milestone for the first time in 2004 with a 7.5% increase in declared value to $10.43 billion. SGMA International reported these numbers by analyzing U.S. Commerce Department data for athletic
Kelty Signs U.S. State Dept. Deal
Kelty has inked a specialty contract with the U.S. State Department for the purchase of 110,000 daypacks. The packs
will be filled with basic school supplies and distributed by the State Department to school-age children in 13 countries. The Kelty daypack
SEW Goes One-On-One with… Exeter Brands’ Mary Gleason
Mary Gleason is president of Exeter Brands Group, a subsidiary of Nike, Inc. Prior to joining Exeter, Ms. Gleason served as president and CO of Group 3 Design, a full-service brand management company credited with reviving the Starter brands and building
Backcountry.com Blames the Weather for 84% Sales Increase
Backcountry.com posted an 84% year-over-year increase on sales of more than $27 million. 2004 also featured record-breaking activity for single day sales and single day shipments…
NSGA: Specialty Athletic Footwear Retail Consolidation Continues
Sales at the four largest specialty athletic footwear chains grew to 70.5% of sales in this channel of distribution during the five-year period 1997-2002, according to an NSGA analysis of recently released U.S. Census of Retail data. In the previous five-
Canoecopia Event Marks Opening of Paddling Season…
For three days in March, Madison, Wisconsin is the center of the universe for paddling enthusiasts. Since 1981, the Rutabaga Paddle Shop has hosted an event called Canoecopia. Billed as the ‘World’s Largest Paddlesports Expo,” the event marks the beginnin
Yue Yuen Sees ASP Up, GM Still Suffers…
Yue Yuen Industrial Holdings Ltd, one of the world’s largest manufacturers of athletic footwear, saw an increase in average selling prices help drive total revenues up 15.8% to $746.4 million for the fiscal first quarter ended December 31, compared to $64
Looking for a Chair as the Music Stops…
Several Specialty Outdoor brands played a game of musical chairs last week with a number of top executive moves to bolster their teams. It seems that Yakima, Thule, Kelty, Mountainsmith, and Lowe Alpine have all been switching employees in one form or an
The New Green Fiscal Conservative: An Industry Perspective
A recent article in The Economist notes that conservatives view environmental issues in much the same way liberals view defense issues, they’re just not comfortable with them. While there are a growing number of environmental conservatives, this attitude
Obituary: George W. Schneider, 82
George W. Schneider, LaCrosse Footwear's chairman of the board for 23 years, passed away on Friday, March 18, after a brief illness. He was 82 years old…
Smith Optics Wins Backpacker Magazine ‘Gold Editors Choice’ Award
Smith Optics' Slider series has earned the 2005 Backpacker Magazine Editors' Choice Gold Award. Among the annual Editors' Awards, the Gold Award is the most prestigious, only bestowed upon products that go the extra mile in delivering perfo
NSGA Conference Registrations Continue Record Pace
With two months remaining before the 41st Annual NSGA Management Conference & 7th Annual Team Dealer Summit, registrations continue to arrive at a record pace. As of March 17, nearly 390 persons had registered…
Osprey Hires New Product Development Manager
Osprey Packs welcomes Stephen Barnes to its team as Product Development Manager. For the past three years Stephen has served as Osprey's South Central sales representative, opening up several major dealers and resurrecting a dormant part of the U.S.
Two Promotions and One Retirement at Shoe Carnival
Shoe Carnival, Inc. has announced two executive promotions and one executive retirement. Tom Welden is taking over for the retiring Ed Hensel as vice president of distribution and Kathy Yearwood has been promoted to vice president – controller…
Shoe Pavilion Swings to Profit in Q4 on 14.7% Comp Sales Gain
Shoe Pavilion, Inc. reported net income of $1.0 million, or 14 cents per fully diluted share, for the fourth quarter ended January 1, 2005, compared to a net loss of $60,000, a loss of a penny per share, on a restated basis for the year-ago period. Net sa
