SGB Update Outdoor
Vail Resorts Pass Sales Kept 23/24 Lift Sales Positive; Fewer Visits Hurt Retail and Rentals
Fourth-quarter Resort Reported EBITDA declined from the prior year and expectations, primarily driven by underperformance in the Australian winter business. During Q4, snowfall at the company’s Australian resorts declined 28 percent from the prior year and was 44 percent below the ten-year average.
Vail Resorts to Cut 14 Percent of Corporate Workforce in Transformation Plan
After ten years of expansion, Vail Resorts has published a two-year Resource Efficiency Transformation Plan (Plan) to continue its rapid growth and global expansion.
Asics Global State of Mind Study: The Desk Break Experiment
Asics enlisted actor Brian Cox to take on the role of the world’s scariest boss to highlight the real threat to our mental health—the desk we work at every day. Asics Global Study found tour mental state starts to decline after only two hours of continuous desk-based working, but just 15 minutes of exercise can help to reverse the effects.
FluidLogic Investors Look to Expand Hydration Systems to Consumer Categories
The company said this investment will fund new product development and innovation for consumer products in the adventure sports and outdoor endurance categories expected to be available in early 2025.
Thorogood Brand Parent Breaks Ground on New Wisconsin Facility
Weinbrenner Shoe Company, Inc., the parent company of the Thorogood brand, is breaking ground on a new state-of-the-art facility in Marshfield, WI.
Puma Appoints Markus Neubrand as CFO
Neubrand replaces CFO Hubert Hinterseher, who has mutually agreed to step down, effective September 30, 2024, leaving on December 31, 2024, after successfully transitioning his duties to Neubrand.
American Outdoor Brands Board Approves Share Repurchase Program
The program follows the company’s prior share repurchase program approved last year, which authorized the repurchase up to $10.0 million of AOUT shares that resulted in 412,735 shares repurchased at an average price of $8.70 per share, or roughly $3.6 million in the aggregate.
Selle Italia NA Adds Indie Sales Reps, Launches B2B and Expands OEM Inventory
The Italian bicycle saddle brand has added two new reps in the U.S. market, one each in New England and the Southeast, and expanded another territory to service all of Northern California.
Peak Performance Skiwear Hits the Starting Gate in U.S. Launch
The Scandinavia-based performance apparel brand owned by Amer Sports, launched this week in the U.S. Along with Arc’teryx, the outdoor and ski wear brand is part of Amer’s Technical Apparel segment.
Helinox Appoints VP of Marketing for North America
The manufacturer of lightweight, portable furniture and accessories, has hired industry veteran Courtney Matthews as vice president of marketing for North America, based in its U.S. headquarters in Berkeley, CA.
Rad Power Bikes Expands Retail Network to Include Best Buy; Adds Sales Director
New Sales Director George Lee was most recently director of strategy & operations at Conte’s Bike Shop. Prior, he spent nearly nine years with Specialized most recently as global retail operations manager.
Report: Holiday E-Commerce to Grow 8.4 Percent; Cyber Monday May Lag Overall Gains
Cyber Week, the five-day period including Thanksgiving, Black Friday and Cyber Monday, is expected to drive $40.6 billion in online spend this year, up 7.0 percent y/y and representing 16.9 percent of the overall Holiday selling season.
L.L.Bean Adds Von Maur Department Store as Wholesale Partner
Starting this fall, the company’s stores and online channels will begin offering the latest assortment of L.L.Bean favorites for men, women and kids, including select outerwear, clothing, footwear and accessories.
Dynafit Opens New HQ, the “Speed Factory”
“The entire building, with its clear yet innovative style, fits us perfectly as a brand. We look forward to bringing every visitor here in Kiefersfelden closer to the Dynafit DNA in all its diversity—by athletes for athletes.” —Benedikt Böhm, General Manager, Dynafit
Thor Industries Taking Cautious Look Ahead as Fiscal Year-End Backlog Falls $3.37B
The company may be taking some solace in an improvement in gross margin for the fiscal fourth quarter ended July 31 because there wasn’t much else to hang its hat of in a very difficult year for the RV market, or high-end discretionary purchases, in general.
