Latest News & Analysis – Page 274

  • Article

    EOG opens the floor for ‘Living Wage Roundtable’

    2011-09-16T00:00:00Z

    The European Outdoor Group has joined forces with the Clean Clothes Campaign (CCC) to organize a roundtable conference on the theme “Living Wage.” The event will take place in Berlin on Oct. 27. Access to the conference is strictly limited to invited guests. Invitations can be applied for through Mark ...

  • Article

    SOG goes hunting in Nuremberg

    2011-09-16T00:00:00Z

    The Scandinavian Outdoor Group (SOG) is widening its activities to move into what it describes as the wilderness segment. As part of its investments in this category, SOG will set up a Scandinavian Village at the IWA show in Nuremberg. Taking place in March, IWA is mostly known as a ...

  • Article

    Cotton prices finally stabilize

    2011-09-16T00:00:00Z

    The cotton bubble has burst. Prices are half what they were at their peak in March, when they reached about $1,400 for a candy (356 kilograms). Constraints on production capacity among Far East producers have also eased up. As a result the Indian government has decided not to impose any ...

  • Article

    Use of organic cotton rises

    2011-09-16T00:00:00Z

    Textile Exchange estimates that global retail sales of apparel, home and personal care items using organic cotton increased by 20 percent between 2009 and 2010, reaching a value of more than $5.61 billion and exceeding TE's earlier projection that they would go up to a level of $5.1 million. A ...

  • Article

    Uzbek labor practices are under fire

    2011-09-16T00:00:00Z

    The use of forced child labor in harvesting cotton in Uzbekistan has gotten the attention of more than 60 international apparel companies, including Adidas, Li & Fung, New Balance, Columbia Sportswear, Eddie Bauer, Puma, PPR, VF Corporation, Burberry, C&A, Carrefour and The Jones Group. They have all vowed not to ...

  • Article

    New premium dealer program for Brunton

    2011-09-16T00:00:00Z

    The Brunton Outdoor Group, the U.S. company controlled by Fenix Outdoor, has launched an interesting new “Summit Team” program to spur higher orders for the Brunton and Primus ranges of outdoor products in the U.S. and Canada. The program is intended to regain the confidence of independent retailers through a ...

  • Article

    China: More growth, more competition, more uncertainties

    2011-08-16T00:00:00Z

    The sixth edition of the Asia Outdoor trade show held in Nanjing in late July was definitely a success. It came along with two firsts: It was organized in combination with a new bicycle show called Asia Bike, and it had a new venue, the Nanjing International Exhibition Centre. In ...

  • Article

    Trezeta gets a new German agent

    2011-08-16T00:00:00Z

    The German subsidiary of Genfoot, owner of Kamik, had dropped the distribution in the German-speaking countries of Trezeta, the Italian brand of outdoor shoes, after its owners decided to take a 50 percent stake In Aku. The distribution of Trezeta in Germany, Austria and Switzerland has now been taken over ...

  • Article

    Garmont moves U.S. office to Portland

    2011-08-16T00:00:00Z

    Garmont is moving its North American subsidiary to Portland, Oregon, which is becoming an increasingly important footwear and outdoor hub, as evidenced by the recent transfer of Keen to the same area. The operation will be run by David Fee, a 38-year-old manager who lives in the area, where he ...

  • Article

    Lowe Alpine goes back to Colorado

    2011-08-16T00:00:00Z

    Another outdoor brand is leaving the East Coast of the U.S. By next November, the U.S. operations of Lowe Alpine should again be based in Colorado, where the brand was founded back in 1967. Equip Outdoor Technologies, the parent company of Rab that recently acquired Lowe Alpine from Asolo, is ...

  • Article

    Oboz puts its foot into the Chinese market; Europe should follow

    2011-08-16T00:00:00Z

    Among a couple of other brands, Oboz, the young U.S. specialty brand of trail-running footwear, premiered at the Asia Outdoor show in Nanjing to make it into the Chinese market. The plan is to have 20-odd retailers in the People's Republic of China this year, followed by market entries in ...

  • Article

    Kailas counts on products “made in Europe”

    2011-08-16T00:00:00Z

    Kailas, the fast-growing Chinese brand, announced something very interesting at the Asia Outdoor show in Nanjing: This supplier of outdoor and climbing products will add to its collection climbing ropes that are not going to be manufactured in China, but in Europe. They will be made by Edelrid, a company ...

  • Article

    Ahead of its IPO, Sanfo is in an excellent shape

    2011-08-16T00:00:00Z

    Sanfo, the leading specialty retailer in the Chinese outdoor business, made progress in the first half of 2011, and no one doubts that the chain can make it successfully to the Chinese stock exchange in 2012 or 2013. In any case, its founder and president, Heng Zhang, kept the promises ...

  • Article

    With new management, Toread is set to confirm its leadership in China

    2011-08-16T00:00:00Z

    Recently, Toread, the leading domestic brand of outdoor products in China, shuffled its management. The new president of this big player, which leads the market along with The North Face and Columbia Sportswear and which went public three years ago, is Peng Xin, who worked before at companies such as ...

  • Article

    Columbia is strong, less so in the U.S.

    2011-08-16T00:00:00Z

    + Columbia Sportswear achieved impressive sales figures for its second quarter, lifting its turnover by 20.8 percent to $268.0 million. The U.S. delivered the smallest share of the rise, as the group's turnover in the country firmed up by 4.3 percent. Canada, a traditionally strong market for Columbia products, was ...

  • Article

    OurDry gets new clients, keeps busy on the legal front

    2011-08-16T00:00:00Z

    OutDry Technologies, the company acquired by Columbia Sportswear one year ago, has found several new customers for the application of its water-resistant membranes to gloves. One is Browning, the hunting gear company. Another one is a company in the bike sector whose identity will be revealed just before next month's ...

  • Article

    Double-digit growth for Timberland

    2011-08-16T00:00:00Z

    Timberland reported a net loss of $20.1 million for the second quarter, down from a loss of $23.5 million in the same period a year ago, as sales rose by 27.1 percent to $240.1 million, up 20.6 percent on a constant dollar basis.The gross margin declined by 2.1 percentage ...

  • Article

    Some respite for cotton

    2011-08-16T00:00:00Z

    The International Cotton Advisory Committee is predicting a fall in cotton prices over the next year due to a projected 8 percent increase in global production during the 12-month period ending in September 2010. Shortages drove the average price of cotton to a record of US$1.64 per pound during ...

  • Article

    Outdoor Research gears up for Phase 3

    2011-08-16T00:00:00Z

    Dan Nordstrom, president and chief executive of Outdoor Research, has announced yet another reorganization of the management to help sustain the strong growth of this company in all the segments of its product range. He will act from now on as CEO, focusing on strategy and other matters. Alex Kutches, ...

  • Article

    Point6 moves output from China to the U.S.

    2011-08-16T00:00:00Z

    Point6, the American company founded by former executives of SmartWool three years ago, has announced that it is moving all the production of its merino wool socks from China to the U.S., triggering positive reactions from U.S. retailers. SmartWool and some other American producers of socks make some or all ...