Latest News & Analysis – Page 249

  • Article

    Fjällräven drives Fenix expansion

    2014-03-25T00:00:00Z

    Despite rough competition in Scandinavia and unfavorable weather at the end of the year, the Fenix Outdoor Group lifted its turnover by 8 percent to 1,865.7 million Swedish kronor (€210.7m-$293.7m) last year. The improvement was publicized just before the company finalized its already reported acquisition of a stake of 20 ...

  • Article

    Camelbak’s parent seeks new acquisitions

    2014-03-25T00:00:00Z

    Compass Diversified Holdings (CODI) said it will continue to actively pursue acquisitions of other companies. The public company has controlling interests in Camelbak Products, Ergobaby and Liberty Safe, and it spun off a minority stake in Fox Factory to the stock exchange last year, earning net proceeds of $142.4 million ...

  • Article

    New multi-brand store concept for Deckers Outdoor

    2014-03-25T00:00:00Z

    Deckers Outdoor Corporation announced this week the opening of its first Brand Showcase store at the company's new headquarters at Goleta, in the Santa Barbara area of California. Measuring more than 8,000 square feet, it features an extensive range of products across all its brands: Ugg Australia, Teva, Sanuk, Tsubo, ...

  • Article

    American military drawdown affects Rocky Brands, too

    2014-03-25T00:00:00Z

    Rocky Brands saw its sales increase by 7.1 percent to $244.9 million in 2013, with a strong performance in Rocky and Georgia Boots work footwear because of the cold and snowy conditions in many parts of the U.S. at the end of the year. The American company also experienced strong ...

  • Article

    ENOS appoints its heads

    2014-03-25T00:00:00Z

    The management committee of European Nature & Outdoor Sports Network (ENOS) has set up a 12-member bureau chaired by François Beauchard, the French official who runs, CREPS, the very dynamic public body in the southeastern France that organized the 2011 Nature & Sport Euro'Meet convention in Annecy, France.Beauchard will be ...

  • Article

    Gore-Tex is the best-known ingredient brand

    2014-03-25T00:00:00Z

    A study compiled by us about the Italian sporting goods market a few years ago showed that Gore-Tex was by far the biggest brand of outdoor products in the country. Gore-Tex turned out to be now the best-known “ingredient brand” for the textile and outdoor industry in the German-speaking region. ...

  • Article

    Eoca asks for public vote on conservation projects

    2014-03-25T00:00:00Z

    The European Outdoor Conservation Association (Eoca) and its media partners, including The Outdoor Industry Compass, have opened the public vote to decide which conservation projects will be funded this year.There are three categories - alpine, outdoor and nature – on which the public is asked to vote by March 31 ...

  • Article

    The EOG opens up to retailers as Rolf Schmid takes the helm again

    2014-02-21T00:00:00Z

    At its annual meeting just before the Ispo Munich show last month, the European Outdoor Group elected Rolf Schmid as its president for the next two years and decided to expand the membership and to allow retailers to join the organization.Schmid, the president of the Mammut Sports Group, was one ...

  • Article

    Globetrotter re-invents itself - and buys another German retailer

    2014-02-21T00:00:00Z

    Globetrotter Ausrüstung, the Hamburg-based specialty retailer, has confirmed substantial job cuts, notably in its warehouse, shortly after it became known that the Swedish Fenix Outdoor group would buy a 20 percent stake in the German outdoor specialty chain. At least 100 employees have been affected by the decision, and further ...

  • Article

    New momentum for Columbia

    2014-02-21T00:00:00Z

    Columbia Sportswear reported a sales increase of only one percent to $1,685 million in 2013, but the company enjoyed a higher-than-expected sales increase of 6 percent in the fourth quarter and the management sees the growth accelerating to a rate of between 15 and 17 percent in 2014. More than ...

  • Article

    VF sees outdoor sales accelerating

    2014-02-21T00:00:00Z

    The management of VF Corporation predicts that The North Face will grow by around 12 percent this year and Timberland by about 10 percent, compared with increases of 7 percent and 5 percent, respectively, in 2013. The acceleration became evident in the fourth quarter of last year, when the two ...

  • Article

    Management changes at TNF China

    2014-02-21T00:00:00Z

    Simon Shih, who is considered to be one of the most experienced people in China's growing outdoor industry, has become the new general manager of The North Face in China, taking the place of Patrick Zhong who has left the company.While Zhong was previously a category sales director at Nike ...

  • Article

    Growing Toread invests more in travel services

    2014-02-21T00:00:00Z

    Toread, China's leading supplier of outdoor sports products, has made an interesting diversification into the adventure travel business. After becoming the biggest shareholder in Asiatravel.com, one of the most important online travel operators in Southeast Asia, last August, last month it acquired 55.67 percent of the shares in Lyve.cn, which ...

  • Article

    Blackyak starts in Europe from scratch

    2014-02-21T00:00:00Z

    Blackyak, probably the leading outdoor brand in South Korea and the country's top specialty outdoor retailer, has decided on a new strategy which the company calls Blackyak 2.0. At Ispo Munich, where the brand had a stand to present itself internationally Jun Suk Kang, member of the executive board and ...

  • Article

    Wolverine grows more slowly than expected

    2014-02-21T00:00:00Z

    Sales increased by only 0.6 percent on a pro-forma comparable basis for Wolverine Worldwide in the fourth quarter ended last Dec. 28, due in particular to the impact of the early and protracted cold weather in the U.S., which led many consumers to buy boots as of last September.Merrell was ...

  • Article

    Weak results for Jarden

    2014-02-21T00:00:00Z

    Jarden Corporation's Outdoor Solutions segment (JOS) had flat sales of $617.8 million in the fourth quarter of 2013, although they went up by 1.7 percent on an organic basis, excluding the impact of foreign exchange rates, acquisitions and disposals.Cold weather in many parts of the U.S. cut the fishing season ...

  • Article

    Sales and profits accelerate at Amer

    2014-02-21T00:00:00Z

    Amer Sports raised its sales by 6 percent to €657.4 million in the fourth quarter ended Dec. 31, but they grew by 12 percent on a currency-neutral basis, confirming its focus on the development of the softgoods category with increases of 25 percent in footwear and 21 percent in apparel. ...

  • Article

    Black Diamond’s diversification pays off

    2014-02-21T00:00:00Z

    Black Diamond Inc. has started to “explore strategic alternatives to monetize the value of untapped markets” for its Gregory Mountain Products business through the Rothschild group, said Peter Metcalf, chief executive of the group, pointing out that this brand is a coveted lifestyle brand in Japan, Korea and other Asian ...

  • Article

    Helly Hansen rejigs European business

    2014-02-21T00:00:00Z

    Helly Hansen is rebuilding its organization in Europe after several departures and the end of its distribution and licensing agreement with the Unlimited Sports Group (USG) for Germany, Austria and the Benelux countries.Harry Schedlbauer, formerly at USG, was appointed late last year as sales manager for Germany and Austria, while ...

  • Article

    Cascade announces two major promotions

    2014-02-21T00:00:00Z

    Cascade Designs has promoted Drew Keegan from director of Stoves & Cookware to vice president of product development and marketing services, a new position within the American company. He will oversee both functions for all the eight outdoor brands of the group, running a team of five managers responsible for ...