Latest News & Analysis – Page 237

  • Article

    A slightly resilient outdoor market in Europe

    2015-02-16T00:00:00Z

    A preliminary study by European Outdoor Group (EOG) indicates that the European outdoor market expanded by 2 to 3 percent last year, despite often tough trading conditions. The EOG told journalists at the Ispo Munich trade show that this continued growth underlined the resilience of the outdoor market, but it ...

  • Article

    New EOG focus on sports participation

    2015-02-16T00:00:00Z

    A handful of members of the European Outdoor Group's board of directors have formed a working group of suppliers and retailers on physical activity – one of five areas that were identified or confirmed as priorities for action at its general assembly in the framework of the recent Ispo Munich ...

  • Article

    Go Outdoors goes big into fishing tackle

    2015-02-16T00:00:00Z

    In contrast with the U.S., it is unusual to see outdoor retailers offering rods and other fishing tackle equipment in their stores, except in the Nordic countries and in Décathlon stores. Another exception is Go Outdoors, one of the biggest outdoor retail chains in the U.K., which sells fishing tackle ...

  • Article

    Youngone gets control of Scott and Outdoor Research

    2015-02-16T00:00:00Z

    Youngone Corp., the big Korean-based manufacturer of outdoor apparel, shoes and backpacks, made one more step into the branded business a few days ago by raising its stake in the Swiss-based Scott Sports Group to 50.01 percent. The move boosted its share price. Last year, it had silently acquired a ...

  • Article

    New chief executive at Helly Hansen

    2015-02-16T00:00:00Z

    Paul Stoneham, a seasoned executive in the consumer goods industry, is to take over next week as chief executive of Helly Hansen. Peter Sjølander, who led the Norwegian outdoor brand's rapid rise in the last eight years, will continue in an advisory role for the next six months, before starting ...

  • Article

    New top manager for Didriksons

    2015-02-16T00:00:00Z

    Johan Ekeroth became the new chief executive of Didriksons on Jan. 5, taking the place of Sören Andreasson, who remains as a significant shareholder in the company and as a member of the board of directors. Ekeroth, 45, was most recently Asics' sales director for the Nordic countries and Benelux. ...

  • Article

    Lafuma reorganizes its outdoor sales structure

    2015-02-16T00:00:00Z

    The Lafuma Group has announced a reinforced international wholesale organization for the three outdoor brands that belong to its so-called Mountain Group - Millet, Lafuma and Eider - with five area managers reporting to a single head of wholesale, Thibaut Cornet, who previously acted as deputy general manager of Eider.Three ...

  • Article

    Shoes and clothing keep Amer growing

    2015-02-16T00:00:00Z

    Amer Sports' continued expansion in footwear and apparel helped the group to book a 7.3 percent increase in revenues to €705.3 million in the last three months of the year, with growth of 6.0 percent in local currencies. The gross margin improved by one full percentage point to 43.0 percent ...

  • Article

    Jarden will benefit from lower oil prices

    2015-02-16T00:00:00Z

    Jarden Corp. sees the recent drop in oil prices as giving it a tailwind in the second half of this year because many of the group's products, including its household items, are made with oil derivatives and it typically takes six to nine months for lower commodity costs to affect ...

  • Article

    Columbia ended 2014 strongly

    2015-02-16T00:00:00Z

    Columbia Sportswear's sales jumped by 27 percent in the fourth quarter of 2014 to $677.0 million, generating a 57 percent higher operating profit, equal to 12.1 percent of sales, and a 51 percent higher net income of $55.6 million. On an adjusted basis, the operating margin reached 13.0 percent, up ...

  • Article

    Columbia invests in European races

    2015-02-16T00:00:00Z

    Columbia Sportswear is gearing up for the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc (UTMB), with which it has formed a partnership starting this year. Launched in 2003, the UTMB was sponsored for 12 years by The North Face, which gave its name to the event. This year no brand name will be attached ...

  • Article

    Strong showing for VF's outdoor brands

    2015-02-16T00:00:00Z

    All the three major brands in the Outdoor & Action Sports segment of VF Corp. had double-digit growth in local currencies during the fourth quarter of 2014. The biggest one, The North Face, enjoyed a 12 percent increase, driven by a jump of 30 percent in its direct-to-consumer (DTC) business.In ...

  • Article

    Sales climb at Peak Performance

    2015-02-16T00:00:00Z

    Peak Performance saw its sales advance by 5.6 percent in constant currencies for the six months to the end of December, despite several store closures. The Swedish ski, outdoor and golf brand's turnover reached the equivalent of 585.9 million Danish kroner (€78.7m-$89.1m) for the half year, up by 3.6 percent.The performance ...

  • Article

    Johnson Outdoors affected by late orders

    2015-02-16T00:00:00Z

    Sales of outdoor and diving products at Johnson Outdoors dropped significantly in the first quarter until Jan. 2, but the company attributed most of the decline to a shift in orders as retailers adjusted their inventory management. The first quarter of Johnson's fiscal year is seasonally slow for the company, ...

  • Article

    Vaude sets new criteria for its retail partners

    2015-02-16T00:00:00Z

    Vaude has issued new guidelines for the distribution of its products all over the world. They come into effect on Feb. 15. The new directives are meant to strengthen the brand within brick-and-mortar and online retail, safeguarding the quality of the brand's presentation in any distribution channel, particularly on the ...

  • Article

    Efta investigates Norway’s ban on PFOA

    2015-02-16T00:00:00Z

    On June 1, 2014, Norway became the first country in the world to impose a national ban on the manufacture and importation of consumables and textiles containing perfluorooctanoic acid, or PFOA. Now, the Efta Surveillance Authority (ESA), a regulatory committee within the European Free Trade Association (Efta), believes the ban ...

  • Article

    Gore introduces a new, versatile technology

    2015-02-16T00:00:00Z

    About 30 brands have adopted the new Gore-Tex C-Knit backer fabric technology in some of the jackets and trousers that they are proposing for the next autumn/winter season, creating a new category in their collections. Developed by W.L. Gore & Associates, it is designed for broader usage than the more ...

  • Article

    Attendance grows by 2.7% at Ispo Munich

    2015-02-16T00:00:00Z

    As usual, Messe München put out its Final Report on the last day of the Ispo Munich show, announcing that close to 80,000 industry professionals from more than 100 countries had visited the fair - meaning 80,000 daily passes through the turnstiles. The figure indicated a certain stability as compared ...

  • Article

    Slowdown and uncertainties in China's market growth

    2015-02-16T00:00:00Z

    The growth of the Chinese outdoor market declined markedly last year and there are signs that a clean-up has started among brands as well as retailers. However, the outdoor market was still on the rise and prospects are buoyed by growing participation trends.The China Outdoor Commerce Alliance (Coca) estimates that ...

  • Article

    Knut Jaeger: The unexpected death of a visionary man

    2015-02-16T00:00:00Z

    Knut Jaeger, co-founder of the OutDoor show in Friedrichshafen and co-founder of the Asia Outdoor fair in Nanjing, died on Jan. 30 in Hong Kong at the age of 72. The Chinese and European industry was shocked as many of his business partners, including two of our collaborators, had just ...