SGB Update Outdoor

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

Reebok Team Uniforms Shuts its Doors…

Fab-Knit Ltd., which is doing business as Reebok Team Uniforms, abruptly shut its doors last week and laid off the majority of its employees. The move by the company, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in January (SEW_0505), is curious sinc

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

Golf Rounds Down Nationally, Up in Dry Winter Regions…

The National Golf Federation released its report on golf rounds played in the month of January this week, finding that the number of rounds played had dropped 4.0% against January 2004. The NGF attributed the drop to heavy rains, flooding and mudslides in

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…

LaCrosse Chairman Dies at Age 82…

George W. Schneider, 82, LaCrosse Footwear's chairman of the board for 23 years, passed away on Friday, March 18, after a brief illness. Mr. Schneider is survived by his loving wife of 57 years, Virgina (Ginnie), their 11 children, and 24 grandchildr

Strong Q4 Keeps Shoe Pavilion Back in Black for the Year…

A strong fourth quarter helped Shoe Pavilion, Inc. into the black for the fiscal year, a turnaround from the red ink flowing the year before. Net sales increased 11.5% to $24.8 million for the fourth quarter ended January 1, 2005, compared to net sales o

G-III Repositioned for Renewed Apparel Growth…

G-III Apparel Group dropped $40 million in revenue in its sports licensed end of their business in fiscal 2005, a decline that pushed total sales down 4.8% for the year to $214.3 million, compared to $225.1 million in the prior year. Excluding the elimin

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

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…