Latest News & Analysis – Page 223

  • Article

    Black Diamond moves ahead with relocation and cuts

    2016-04-13T00:00:00Z

    Confirming that the relocation of its European head office from Basel in Switzerland to Innsbruck in Austria should be finalized in May (see The Compass Vol. 9 n° 1-2 of Jan. 21), the management of the Black Diamond group said it should reduce operating costs by $2.2 million on a ...

  • Article

    Strong growth for Gregory

    2016-04-13T00:00:00Z

    Samsonite International, which acquired Gregory Mountain Products from Black Diamond for $84 million in 2014, reports that this brand of backpacks reached sales of $43.3 million in 2015, including $13.3 million in the U.S., $2.6 million in Europe and $18.5 million in Asia. Gregory's sales were apparently up sharply from ...

  • Article

    Garmin bets on fitness and outdoor

    2016-04-13T00:00:00Z

    Garmin announced a sharp 37 percent decline in net income to $132 million for the fourth quarter of its financial year, ended Dec. 26. The quarterly gross margin fell marginally by 0.7 percentage points to 52.9 percent.The fitness segment saw a 51 percent gross margin decrease as a result of ...

  • Article

    Assosport and the Italian Outdoor Group will cooperate

    2016-04-13T00:00:00Z

    Setting aside their long-standing differences, Assosport and the Italian Outdoor Group (IOG) signed a collaboration agreement. The two bodies will continue to operate independently of each other, but the deal is being regarded by some as a first step toward a possible merger in the future. Technically, a merger would ...

  • Article

    New course for the British OIA

    2016-04-13T00:00:00Z

    Robert Louden, director general of The Camping and Caravanning Club, was elected as the new chairman of the Outdoor Industries Association (OIA) of the U.K. at the association's annual meeting last month, taking the place of Stephen Newlands of the AGM Group. Two directors, Hans Falkenburg of Cotswold Outdoor and ...

  • Article

    Andy Airey quits George Fisher

    2016-04-13T00:00:00Z

    After spending 26 years with George Fisher, the iconic outdoor retail store in Keswick, in the English Lake District, its managing director, Andy Airey, has decided to resign at the end of April. Stressing that this was his personal decision, the 55-year-old manager told us that he plans to spend ...

  • Article

    New Eurochief for Hydro Flask

    2016-04-13T00:00:00Z

    Hydro Flask continues to boost its management. The fast-growing American supplier of vacuum-insulated drinking bottles, has selected David Ledouble to serve as managing director of its new Hydro Flask Europe subsidiary in Basel, Switzerland. In the U.S., Hydro Flask has also appointed a vice president of marketing and e-commerce, Phyllis ...

  • Article

    Bonvita merges with Nordic Footwear

    2016-04-13T00:00:00Z

    Bonvita, the Danish-based distributor of many brands of Wolverine Worldwide, has completed a merger with a sister firm, Nordic Footwear Company. The merger and the implementation of some other adjustments designed to increase efficiency have lowered the break-even point. Henrik Hammer, owner of Bonvita and Nordic Footwear, says the move ...

  • Article

    Jarden’s Outdoor Solutions segment takes a writeoff

    2016-04-13T00:00:00Z

    Provisions booked by Jarden Corp. for its winter sports operations in the fourth quarter of 2015 add to speculation that they may be divested after the consummation of its merger with Newell Rubbermaid, which was agreed in principle on Dec. 14. Analysts had speculated that the whole Outdoor Solutions segment ...

  • Article

    Moncler sets up a new factory in Romania

    2016-04-13T00:00:00Z

    Moncler has hired around 600 people for the factory it is establishing in Romania, in the Bac?u county, via its local subsidiary Yield Industries. The move is part of a wider plan to expand the company's capacity to make down jackets in-house, while further consolidating its know-how in down jackets. ...

  • Article

    Polygiene gets stock market listing

    2016-04-13T00:00:00Z

    Shares in Polygiene, the Swedish company specializing in odor control with a focus on sports and outdoor products, started trading on the Nasdaq First North market on March 14, after a share issue that raised about 22.5 million Swedish kronor (€2.4m-$2.7m) in December.In the fundraising process, the company's shares were ...

  • Article

    Downlite is the first Global TDS-certified company

    2016-04-13T00:00:00Z

    NSF Sustainability has announced it has certified Downlite, a supplier of performance fills for outdoor and other products, to the Global Traceable Down Standard (Global TDS). Downlite is the first company in the world to have been certified according to this standard. Certification for the Global TDS can be granted ...

  • Article

    Helen of Troy gobbles up Hydro Flask

    2016-03-10T00:00:00Z

    The outdoor sports market continues to be an appetizing target for acquisitions, and its hydration segment is particularly juicy at the moment. After the takeover of Cool Gear by Igloo Products, of Camelbak by the new Vista Outdoor group and of Sigg Switzerland by a Chinese maker of vacuum bottles ...

  • Article

    Vista Outdoor buys Bell, Giro, Blackburn

    2016-03-10T00:00:00Z

    Treading along on its acquisition path, Vista Outdoor has struck an agreement for the purchase of BRG Sports' Action Sports division, which mainly comprises the Bell, Giro, C-Preme and Blackburn brands of helmets and other accessories for cycling, snow and power sports. The deal is subject to regulatory approvals. It ...

  • Article

    Samsonite merges with Tumi

    2016-03-10T00:00:00Z

    While continuing to look for opportunities in the outdoor market, Samsonite International is reinforcing its position as the leading global travel lifestyle company through a merger agreement with Tumi, which addresses business travelers mainly. The transaction is expected to close in the second half of this year.The deal offered to ...

  • Article

    VF disappoints investors

    2016-03-10T00:00:00Z

    The usually buoyant Outdoor & Action Sports coalition of VF Corp. suffered a 3 percent drop to $2.1 billion in its sales during the fourth quarter ended Jan. 2, largely due to the warm weather conditions that also hurt Wolverine Worldwide, Deckers Brands and other companies with the exception of ...

  • Article

    Wolverine reports mixed results

    2016-03-10T00:00:00Z

    Wolverine Worldwide reported overall declines in revenues of 7.1 percent to $751.2 million for the fourth quarter and 2.5 percent to $2.69 billion for the full financial year ended Jan. 2. On an underlying basis - before currency conversions, retail store closures and the phase-out of Patagonia footwear - the ...

  • Article

    Lafuma makes some progress

    2016-03-10T00:00:00Z

    The Lafuma Group has confirmed its turnaround by reporting a small net profit of €2,406,000 in the past year, up by 8.9 percent from the profit of the previous year. As expected, its strategic realignment led to a 5.3 percent increase in its total revenues to €162.8 million. All the ...

  • Article

    Moncler posts double-digit sales and profit growth

    2016-03-10T00:00:00Z

    Moncler posted consolidated sales of €880.4 million for the year ended Dec. 31, 2015, up by 27 percent, or by 19 percent at constant exchange rates, despite a slowdown in the last few months of the year due to an unusually mild winter in the U.S. and a drop in ...

  • Article

    Weyco posts lower revenues, with Bogs down by 22%

    2016-03-10T00:00:00Z

    Weyco Group reported sales of $87.4 million for the fourth quarter of 2015, down from $95.3 million in the fourth quarter of 2014. The big problem was a sudden 22 percent drop for Bogs in North America, after many seasons of strong growth for this brand of outdoor boots, due ...