Latest News & Analysis – Page 198
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Columbia to buy out China joint venture
Columbia Sportswear and Swire Resources will part on friendly terms from their joint venture in China after Columbia stated its intention to acquire the remaining 40 percent in Columbia Sportswear Commercial (Shanghai).An amicable press release issued by Columbia and Swire states that Swire Resources will continue as the exclusive ...
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JD targets more integration of outdoor stores
The outdoor division of the JD Sports Fashion group sharply raised its operating profit margin for the fiscal year to Feb. 3, and the company wants to take more advantage of its infrastructure to enhance the performance of Go Outdoors.The division's sales more than doubled to £416.4 million (€474.1m-$574.0m) for the ...
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Fenix adjusts wholesale distribution
Fenix Outdoor International has tightened the distribution of its brands in some markets, leading to the end of a partnership with Intersport in Sweden. But the owner of Fjällräven, Hanwag, Brunton, Primus and Tierra said that buoyant demand at the start of this year more than made up for these ...
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Fenix appoints European manager for Royal Robbins
Erik Tjerneld has been appointed as brand manager in Europe for Royal Robbins, after the U.S. outdoor travel brand was purchased by Fenix Outdoor International and the Swedish-based company put an end to a European distribution agreement with Bradshaw Taylor.Tjerneld was previously the brand manager for Tierra, another outdoor apparel ...
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Hi-Tec moves to a full licensing structure
International Brands Group (IBG) has obtained a licensing agreement to sell footwear under the Hi-Tec brand in Latin America, the Middle East and Asia-Pacific as part of a restructuring plan for the brand's distribution. This Dutch entity is very familiar with the Hi-Tec business since it was established by Ed ...
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Bergans’ chief executive resigns
Leif Holst-Liæker has resigned as chief executive at Bergans of Norway over disagreements with the board regarding the implementation of far-reaching strategic changes at the Norwegian outdoor brand.Holst-Liæker formally joined Bergans in December 2015, taking over the leadership from Ragnar Jensen, who retired after many years at the helm. As ...
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Newell may get out of the outdoor sector
The proxy fight for Newell Brands' control is over, but there is strong speculation among financial analysts that the new board of directors that will come out of it will authorize the divestiture of Coleman, Marmot Mountain, Pure Fishing, Shakespeare and other brands in its outdoor group. These brands previously ...
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WakaWaka goes public
WakaWaka, the Dutch-based supplier of solar power banks, solar-powered lamps and other solar-powered solutions that we have already talked about extensively (Compass Vol. 10 N° 24+25 of Dec. 19, 2017 etc.), said it is the first European Benefit Corporation to go public, hoping to raise €2.5 million through an equity ...
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Thule started the year well
The Swedish group's sales went up by 5.5 percent on a currency-neutral basis in the first quarter of 2018, driven by a 9.1 percent increase in Europe and other parts of the world outside the Americas. The Thule Group's operating margin (Ebit) improved by 0.5 percentage points from the year-ago ...
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Hydro Flask continues to grow
New product introductions by the Hydro Flask and OXO brands helped the housewares segment of Helen of Troy to raise its revenues by 13.4 percent to $116.6 million in the fourth quarter of its financial year, ended Feb. 28. Other positive factors were an increase in online sales, incremental distribution ...
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Rocky Brands is off to a strong start in 2018
After returning to profitability in 2017, following heavy losses in 2016, Rocky Brands' profits rocketed in the first quarter of this year. Net income jumped by 117.3 percent from the year-ago quarter to $3.3 million.The group's sales declined by 2.7 percent to $61.4 million, but this included approximately $1.9 million ...
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Tight trade show schedule in January
The winter edition of Outdoor Retailer (OR) is to take place in Denver and in conjunction with the Snow Show around the end of January for each of the next four years – ending just two days before the scheduled start of Ispo Munich in 2019.Some companies struggled with the ...
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Physical activity is declining in Europe
Nearly one in two Europeans are not doing any physical exercise, and the proportion has increased gradually in recent years, a new survey released by the European Commission has found. The Eurobarometer survey 2017 interviewed some 28,031 citizens from different social and demographic categories, face-to-face at home and in ...
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Fenix is buying Royal Robbins
Fenix Outdoor International is acquiring Royal Robbins, the American brand of travel and outdoor garments, to complement an apparel offering that is led by the Fjällräven brand. The acquisition will be consolidated in the second quarter.The seller is Bruckmann, Rosser, Sherrill & Co (BRS), a private equity firm from New ...
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VF buys Altra, sells Nautica
VF Corporation reported on March 14 a definitive agreement to buy Altra Footwear, the fast-growing American brand of sports shoes, from Icon Health & Fitness. Four days later, it announced the long-awaited sale of one of its remaining contemporary sportswear brands, Nautica, to the Authentic Brands Group (ABG).VF said the ...
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Steve Murray goes back to VF Corporation
Shortly after announcing the acquisition of Altra, VF Corp. said that Steve Murray is returning to the group in the new position of vice president in charge of strategic projects. One of his tasks will be to develop the footwear product strategy of The North Face and to support the ...
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Kathmandu buys Oboz
Kathmandu, the New Zealand outdoor brand and retailer, has agreed to take over Oboz Footwear, the U.S. outdoor footwear brand, for $60.0 million in cash and an earn-out of up to $15 million, as a means to expand its footwear and international sales.Established in Bozeman, Montana in 2007, Oboz is ...
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Chullanka tweaks its retail concept under new management
Chullanka, a French outdoor retailer previously owned by Decathlon, has started updating its retail concept to focus more strongly on brands and retail animation at its four large-scale outdoor stores, after a change of shareholding and leadership last year.Chullanka's management was taken over last year by Thierry Crampes. He previously ...
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Bergans rethinks its business structure
“Breathe Fresh Air” is the tagline adopted by Bergans as part of the Norwegian company's efforts to push its brand in international markets with a more focused range and marketing approach.Bergans previously attempted to export the Norwegian concept of “Ekstrem Turglede,” encapsulating the joy of moving freely in the outdoors. ...
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Odlo rebuilds sports performance sales
Odlo is projecting a sales rise of about 20 percent to over 120 million Swiss francs (€104.0m-$128.0m) for the financial year ending in June, after it entirely revised its strategy last year to focus more on sports retailers and key accounts.The Swiss-based company opted to target several large markets through exclusive ...
