The Earnings (or Warnings) Season…
The confluence of a seemingly rough retail environment due to unseasonal weather patterns, pending Q4 earnings reports, and a number of investor conferences led to a number of earnings warnings, affirmations, and even some upward guidance last week. In c
NRF Forecasts 3.5% Retail Growth for 2005
The National Retail Federation (NRF) released its 2005 forecast on Monday, predicting that GAFS sales, which includes most general merchandise categories, will increase 3.5% from last year. In its quarterly Retail Sales Outlook Report, released Monday at
Vital Apparel Group Acquires ProMarX…
Vital Apparel Group has reached agreement to purchase the assets of ProMarX Specialties USA, a girls’ sports accessory company. The ProMarX accessory line will become Vital Accessories and be marketed along with the Vital Team girls’ and women’s apparel l
Thule Redesigns Thuleracks.com
Thule has launched a redesign of its award winning website thuleracks.com. The new site's design is based on the look of Thule's marketing materials and the results of a comprehensive usability study conducted by Adaptive Path of San Francisco,
SnowSports Retail Remains Flat; Chain Stores Lead the Way…
With an estimated 30% of retail sales for the season accounted for, trends are emerging in the SnowSports market which, historically, will continue through the remainder of the season. SnowSports retail sales slowed down slightly in the month of November,
Tecnica Launches New Women’s Ski Boot Line
Tecnica has developed a completely new series of boots, a new women's ski boot collection and has a new fit program with a series of lasted boot liners for men and women aimed at offering better fit, comfort and performance. Based on the successful l
ICON Falls into the Red in Fiscal Q2…
ICON’s sales decline was precipitated by the discontinuation of ICON’s “Jump King” business, a 22.7% decline in sales of strength training equipment, and an 8.1% drop in cardiovascular equipment. All the above, coupled with a sharp drop in margins pushed
Cloudveil Acquired by Fila Brand Parent…
Sport Brands International, the parent company to Fila footwear and apparel, finalized a deal with Cloudveil that has been several months in the making. Cloudveil Mountain Works, Inc. is now a division of SBI with all Cloudveil management, customer servi
Keds Back in Positive Growth Mode; Stride Rite Swings to Q4 Profit…
The Stride Rite Corporation just got over the profit line in the fourth quarter, managing to pull out net income of just $51,000, or zero earnings per share. Still, it was a swing to profit from Q4 last year when SRR posted a net loss of $965,000, or two
Re-Branding Pays Off for Hi-Tec…
Hi-Tec Sports USA has reported their best year in over 10 years in the U.S. market, with 16.8% growth for the company as a whole, from $39.7 million in 2003 to $46.4 million this year. The company’s outdoor division posted 15.2% sales growth for the year
Mizuno USA Snags Accolades; Puts Up the Numbers Again in 2004…
Mizuno USA, Inc. announced last week that it posted its fifth consecutive year of revenue and earnings growth, reporting that overall sales for the company increased 12% versus the prior year. Since 1999, Mizuno has seen revenue grow 77%…
Lafuma Completes Broomfield Move…
Last month, BOSS reported that Lafuma N.A. was in the process of moving all operations to a new HQ in Broomfield, CO, and recently, the company announced that the move to the 15,000 square foot facility has been completed. According to the company, the ne
Norco Sees Adams Trail-A-Bike Recall…
Norco Products Ltd, in cooperation with The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, has announced voluntary recalls of the Adams Trail-a-Bike or Adams Slipstream Bicycle Attachment. The Starter, Folder, Shifter, Shocker, Ultimate Tandem, Deluxe Folder, M
Karhu Changes Canadian Distribution; Grows OR Presence…
Trak Sports USA, the parent company to Karhu USA and Line Skis, has inked a deal with F3 Distribution to sell and market its brands in the Canadian market. For 30 years Trak Sports has been doing business directly with retailers Canada, but according to t
Fitness Product Manager –- Sportcraft
Sportcraft, Ltd. seeks a Product Manager for its Fitness division. Candidates must have complete and thorough understanding of the consumer and commercial fitness equipment markets…
