Latest News & Analysis – Page 261

  • Article

    Strong growth for Cocona

    2013-02-21T00:00:00Z

    Cocona Technology is one of the fastest-moving suppliers to the sports and outdoor industry. Founded in 2006 and run by former managers of Gore-Tex, Outlast and eVent, the U.S. company saw its sales grow by 80 percent to $20 million in 2012, and Brad Poorman, the company's chief executive, predicts ...

  • Article

    Unconfirmed: Will Globetrotter be the lost son of the Euro Family?

    2013-02-01T00:00:00Z

    The rumour has remained unconfirmed by top managers both of Globetrotter Ausrüstung, the huge specialty outdoor retailer from Hamburg, and Euro Family, the informal alliance of some of Europe's most important retailers in the sector. Will Globetrotter leave the family?Both Andreas Bartmann, managing partner of Globetrotter, and Christoph Schmid of ...

  • Article

    Lafuma's sales drop in all divisions

    2013-02-01T00:00:00Z

    All the divisions of the Lafuma Group registered sales decreases in the first quarter ended last Dec. 31 against the first quarter of the previous financial year due to a sluggish market in Europe and an Asian market that turned out to be less dynamic than in the previous seasons. Sales in the Surf ...

  • Article

    Softgoods are a driving force behind Amer's expansion

    2013-02-01T00:00:00Z

    Apparel sales at Amer Sports, the Finnish group that owns Salomon and Arc'teryx, again contributed strongly to the company's expansion last year. They jumped by 30 percent to €248.6 million for the year, which was an increase of 23 percent in constant currencies, but the fourth quarter was slightly weaker ...

  • Article

    Change of generations at Deuter

    2013-02-01T00:00:00Z

    Effective June 30, Bernd Kullmann will step down as managing director of Deuter, the German backpack company. He has served the company for nearly 27 years. The 58-year-old began back in 1986 as regional sales representative and was quickly promoted to the position of sales and marketing director. He became ...

  • Article

    Skylotec gets dressed with Gentic

    2013-02-01T00:00:00Z

    Skylotec, the German manufacturer of climbing equipment, is about to widen its product range into the area of apparel through the acquisition of Gentic, the brand of climbing clothing. Recently, Gentic was owned by Outdoor-Profis, the group of specialty outdoor retailers within Sport 2000 Germany, which tried unsuccessfully to market ...

  • Article

    Parent of Mountain Equipment buys out German distributor

    2013-02-01T00:00:00Z

    OSC, Outdoor and Sports Company, based in Hyde near Manchester, has acquired Invia Sportartikel Vertriebs GmbH, the longtime distributor of its Mountain Equipment brand in Austria and Germany. Invia was founded some 25 years ago by Thomas Strobl, most of those years dedicating his work to building up and developing Mountain ...

  • Article

    Mammut and Mountain Equipment come to China this year

    2013-02-01T00:00:00Z

    As reported earlier, Mammut enters the Chinese market this year through the set-up of its own subsidiary after the Swiss brand failed to find appropriate distributors. Mammut moved its Asia-Pacific office to Beijing and hired key people in charge of the penetration of the Chinese market.The former vice president of ...

  • Article

    MontBell changes its strategy in China

    2013-02-01T00:00:00Z

    MontBell, the Japanese outdoor brand, has just opened its 10th store in a Chinese shopping mall in the city of Taiyuan in the Shanxi province. The company decided to delay its shop opening program for 2012 as it had to face a couple of difficulties in China last year, but it promised to move much ...

  • Article

    McTrek survived a difficult year in good shape and is set for further expansion

    2013-02-01T00:00:00Z

    Yeah! AG, the parent company of McTrek, the German prize-driven outdoor chain, posted total sales of €30.5 million last year, up from €26.2 million in the previous year. The gain in sales was partially reached through an increase of comparable store sales in addition to three openings of new points ...

  • Article

    U.S. Industry is cautious after two poor seasons

    2013-02-01T00:00:00Z

    The mood at the Outdoor Retailer Winter Market that just wrapped up in Salt Lake City was subdued. Though the industry this past season wasn't as sluggish as in 2011-12, nonetheless the ratio of exhibitors to visitors at the show was less than desirable, and our colleagues at SGI America ...

  • Article

    Joffard and family pull out of Lafuma

    2013-01-24T00:00:00Z

    Philippe Joffard and the Lafuma family have decided to sell their remaining shares in the Lafuma Group, the French company that markets the Lafuma, Eider, Millet and Oxbow brands, and that has a license for Killy activewear. Their 15.2 percent stake has been acquired by the French subsidiary of the ...

  • Article

    Columbia puts out a profit warning for the fourth quarter

    2013-01-24T00:00:00Z

     Columbia Sportswear blamed the mild winter in North America and wariness among consumers for weaker-than-expected sales and earnings in the fourth quarter of last year. The company predicted in October that its quarterly sales could increase by up to 1.5 percent, but it now expects that they will end up ...

  • Article

    Former Columbia chief in Sweden becomes supernatural

    2013-01-24T00:00:00Z

    Christian Matti, former sales manager for the Columbia brand in Sweden, has left the company to set up his own distribution firm, Superagency. Based in Gothenburg, it will start by handling Swedish sales for Super Natural, an apparel brand made of merino wool and technical fabrics launched by Shanghai Challenge ...

  • Article

    Salewa invests in Turkey and China; Rauter quits

    2013-01-24T00:00:00Z

    Salewa has set up a joint venture with Inspiration Outdoor Trading, which has been the Italian outdoor brand's distributor and licensee for China for nearly two years. Salewa is investing 40 million yuan renminbi (€4.8m-6.4m) in the company, in which it holds a stake of 60 percent. The two partners ...

  • Article

    Western brands walk away from Sanfo's wholesale arm

    2013-01-24T00:00:00Z

    Beijing Travel Mouse, the wholesale sister company of Sanfo, China's largest specialty outdoor retailer, will lose the Chinese distribution of both Scarpa and Westcomb effective with the next autumn/winter season. The Mouse will continue, however, to work with Nikwax, Julbo and Teko.Westcomb, the Canadian outdoor brand, was the first customer of Beijing ...

  • Article

    Amer reinforces its European sales apparatus; new Euro managers for Arc'teryx

    2013-01-24T00:00:00Z

    Amer Sports is reinforcing the structure of its sales operations in the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region by establishing a new network of commercial directors, strategic account managers and field sales managers with specific functions. The Finnish-based group has also appointed a new high-caliber general manager for its ...

  • Article

    Investment company acquires Royal Robbins

    2013-01-24T00:00:00Z

    Royal Robbins, the American outdoor and travel apparel brand, has been taken over by Bruckmann, Rosser, Sherrill & Company (BRS), a New York-based private equity firm. It was previously part of American Recreation Products (American Rec), a group owned by Sun Capital, with a gaggle of outdoor brands from Wenzel ...

  • Article

    Vaude launches a webshop, integrating its retailer customers

    2013-01-24T00:00:00Z

    In March, Vaude will come up with its new online shop. The specific concept behind vaude.com is the fact that the company itself will not sell directly to end consumers, but will act as an interface between them and Vaude's retail clients. Once a customer places an order, the desired ...

  • Article

    Antonio Dus will lead Vibram

    2013-01-24T00:00:00Z

    Antonio Dus has been appointed to become the new chief executive of Vibram, the leading Italian-based supplier of slip-resistant shoe soles, following the resignation of Marco Bramani after 25 years in the post. The 51-year-old grandson of the company's founder, Vitale Bramani, will take a step back but will remain ...