SGB Update Outdoor

Honey Stinger Signs James Russell Gill III

James Russell Gill III, professional ultra-endurance runner, owner and CEO of Bad to the Bone Sports and race director for the Ultra Race of Champions, has signed on as an athlete with Honey Stinger, maker of honey-based energy products.

ICSC Sees Robust Holiday Gains

This holiday season saw an increase in consumer spending according to the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC), which released its annual Post-Holiday Shopping Survey. This year’s survey showed that the average spend on gifts and other holiday-related items was $841.50 this season, compared to $711 last year, representing a gain of 18.3 percent.

Helen of Troy’s Houseware Sales Increase 2.6 Percent In Q3

The gain reflected an increase in online channel sales, incremental distribution with existing customers, international growth, and new product introductions for both Hydro Flask and OXO brands that helped offset weak store traffic at traditional brick and mortar retail, and the unfavorable comparative impact of strong sales into the club channel.

Outdoor Retailer Sets Education Schedule

Snowsports Industries America (SIA), the non-profit trade association for the winter sports industry, and Outdoor Industry Association (OIA), the non-profit trade association for the outdoor industry, released the Outdoor Retailer + Snow Show Industry + Intelligence schedule and the Outdoor University education schedule.

Moody’s Revises Boardriders’ Rating Outlook To Positive

Moody’s said the combination of Boardriders and Billabong “combines the two premier companies in the global action sports apparel industry with complementary business philosophies, product offerings and geographic footprints, which could potentially drive material cost savings over time.”

Big 5 Cuts Q4 Guidance On Weather Woes

Big 5 Sporting Goods Corp. slashed its fourth-quarter earnings guidance as “extraordinarily dry and warm weather conditions” led to a double-digit comp decline in December. 

Retail Imports End 2017 With 7 Percent Growth as Industry Sales Continue to Increase

Imports at the nation’s major retail container ports grew 7 percent during 2017 over 2016 as retail sales continued to increase and the industry wrapped up the year with a strong holiday season, according to the monthly Global Port Tracker report released today by the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates.

Houlihan Lokey Hires Nathan Pund

Houlihan Lokey, the investment bank, announced that Nathan Pund has joined the firm as a managing director in the Consumer, Food, & Retail (CFR) Group. He is based in Dallas, TX, and will continue his focus on the active lifestyle, outdoor, and tactical sectors.

Strava Names Chief Product Officer

Strava, the social network for athletes, named Stephanie Hannon as chief product officer. Hannon, an ex-Googler who served as chief technology officer on the Hillary for America campaign, joins Strava to lead the next chapter of the company’s product and platform expansion.

Crocs Increases Q4 Guidance

Crocs is increasing its previous fourth quarter revenue guidance from between $180 and $190 million to between $195 and $198 million, which approximates 5 percent growth over the prior year’s fourth quarter revenues of $187.4 million.

Grassroots Fall Connect Show Moving To Denver

The Grassroots Outdoor Alliance will be moving its Fall 2018 buying show, Grassroots Outdoor Alliance, to Colorado Convention Center in Denver, starting in November. The first expo will take place November 4 to 7.