Latest News & Analysis – Page 253
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The European outdoor market is boosted by new disciplines
After a lackluster year in 2011, when the market registered a 1 percent decline, the European outdoor market was slightly up in 2012, with a 2 percent increase, and this positive trend seems to be continuing this year, according to the NPD Group. Within this rather dynamic market, where the ...
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Patagonia reports further progress in sustainability
The outdoor industry's pioneer of the sustainability concept has announced a new milestone in its efforts, claiming that it is going to be the first apparel manufacturer of its size that will be capable to trace down the entire supply chain for its entire collection of down-insulated products, starting with ...
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Keen launches fan-based grants program
Keen is launching “The Keen Effect,” a fan-activated grants program created to support responsible outdoor participation. The American outdoor company, best known for its footwear but also now branching out into outdoor clothing, asks fans and customers to nominate community organizations that promote responsible outdoor participation.Organizations around the world are ...
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Salewa and Dynafit join the Fair Wear Foundation
Oberalp has announced that it has become a member of the Fair Wear Foundation (FWF) through its brands Salewa and Dynafit. The Fair Wear Foundation is an independent, non-profit organization that works with companies and factories to improve labor conditions for garment workers all over the world. FWF's 80 member ...
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Calida wants to control Lafuma
The Calida Group of Switzerland first invested in Groupe Lafuma last January by acquiring 15.3 percent of the shares and 12.99 percent of the votes at the shareholders' meeting from the family of its chief executive, Philippe Joffard, who has since left. Calida has now proposed to take over Lafuma's ...
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Extra-large growth and targets for XXL
While several Scandinavian sports and outdoor retailers are under pressure, XXL Sport & Villmark has set itself a target to reach sales of 4 billion Norwegian kroner (€491.9m-$663.8m) this year, compared with NOK 3.1 billion in 2012. That was already an increase of nearly 26 percent, while the retailer's operating ...
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Fogliato will run Columbia in Europe
Columbia Sportswear has named Franco Fogliato senior vice president for Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) with effect from Nov. 4. Fogliato is leaving Billabong International, where he spent nine years after holding various leadership roles at The North Face between 1997 and 2003, including that of general manager ...
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Klättermusen gets a new owner
In November of 2012, the owners of Klättermusen had contacted a venture capital firm, Scope, to discuss a possible partnership. Almost one year later the deal is official. Scope has become the majority owner of this Swedish producer of outdoor clothing and has also invested 30 million Swedish kronor (€3.4m-$4.6m) into ...
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Lorpen has financial problems
Industrias Savidai, the company that owns the Lorpen brand of technical outdoor socks, has requested voluntary insolvency protection from its creditors as a tool to renegotiate its financial debt. It is aiming for a settlement with its creditors to return to a financially healthier situation.Pending a meeting with them, the ...
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Wolverine reports record results, sees big growth ahead
Wolverine Worldwide is projecting an increase in its total reported sales to about $4.1 billion by 2018 from around €2.7 billion this year, implying an annual growth rate of around 8.5 percent. This doesn't include the revenues of its licensees around the world.Together, its two biggest brands, Merrell and Sperry ...
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Black Yak moves into the U.S. via Nau
Black Yak, the big South Korean outdoor brand, has finally landed in America through the acquisition of Nau, a U.S. brand of outdoor and outdoor-inspired urban style apparel, rather than by setting up its own operations in the region. Details on the deal were not disclosed. Nau is based in ...
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Outdoor is a weak spot at JD Sports Fashion
JD Sports Fashion enjoyed a 111 percent increase in pre-tax income to £6.087 million (€7.293m-$9.865m) for the first half ended on Aug. 3. Gross margins improved to 48.8 percent of sales from 48.4 percent in the year-ago period on 2.0 percent higher sales of £567,370,000 (€679.8m-$919.4m). Operating earnings before exceptional items ...
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Nemo launches “The Collective” e-commerce platform
Nemo Equipment has partnered with a select group of brands to launch the Nemo Collective, an online shopping platform that will feature products from other outdoor, complementary brands. Inaugural partners include Alite, Snow Peak and Nalgene. The Collective will offer products for a wide range of outdoor activities, from backpacking ...
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Kathmandu posts good results in difficult economy
Kathmandu Holdings reported growth in earnings and sales for the fiscal year ended July 31 despite Australia's slowing economy. The country's GDP grew by only 0.5-0.6 percent during the first six months of calendar 2013. The company, which operates 136 outdoor and adventure travel specialty stores in New Zealand, Australia ...
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A new Jack Wolfskin hits the market
Jack Wolfskin is gearing up for a rebound in sales, as it begins to fully implement a wide range of structural and strategic changes, and to invest further in international markets. On the back of sharply increased orders, the German outdoor company predicts that its sales will pick up at ...
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Zimtstern and Belowzero build new Swiss powerhouse
Sports-Pool AG, the Swiss company behind the Belowzero brand of ski and snowboard apparel, has merged with Zimtstern, another marketer of sports apparel, notably for snow sports, biking and street wear. Zimstern's staff of 17 people will remain on board, but its headquarters in Zurich will move to Belowzero's office ...
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Helly Hansen takes over in Benelux, Germany, Austria and Russia
Helly Hansen has put an end to its distribution and licensing agreement with the Dutch-based Unlimited Sports Group (USG) for the Benelux countries, Germany and Austria. The Norwegian brand has already taken over sales, marketing and distribution in all four markets and it will operate directly in all of them ...
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Focus on Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe has been drawing increasing investment from outdoor companies in the last two years. Yet, two decades after they opened up, some of the markets in this region remain unsettled, requiring a well-informed approach for the outdoor brands to achieve better penetration.Their dynamics and prospects are analyzed in detail ...
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Black Diamond launches many innovations – and announces a recall
Black Diamond seems to be very serious about putting together a striking collection of technical snow sports and outdoor apparel. The Salt Lake City-based company has partnered with two top suppliers in the industry, Schoeller and W.L. Gore & Associates.Schoeller, the Swiss manufacturer of high performance fabrics, will supply the ...
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OIA speaks on Congress’s shutdown
The state governors of Utah and Colorado have struck deals with Sally Jewell, the former chief executive of REI who is now running the U.S. Department of the Interior, to participate in the funding of the national parks in their territory in order to reopen them to the general public.On ...
