Latest News & Analysis – Page 287

  • Article

    Norway’S Xxl Sport Is Setting Sail For Sweden

    2010-08-18T00:00:00Z

    Swedish outdoor suppliers and retailers are awaiting with some trepidation the arrival of XXL Sport, the Norwegian operator of mega-sized sports stores, which will open three locations in Sweden by the end of the year. The plans call for two openings in Stockholm and one in Gothenburg. XXL Sport ...

  • Article

    Mountain Hardwear Retails Online

    2010-08-18T00:00:00Z

    Mountain Hardwear’s new e-commerce site is open for business, marking the first time that customers can buy the brand directly from the company online in the U.S., with Europe due to follow, probably next year. Among the features of the new site are product videos and comparison tools, multiple ways ...

  • Article

    Clarus/Black Diamond Reports First Results Since Merger With Gregory

    2010-08-18T00:00:00Z

    Black Diamond Equipment, the newly formed public company that combines the former Black Diamond and Gregory Mountain Products since their merger last May 28 under the umbrella of Clarus Corporation, is targeting annual sales of $500 million by 2015 – through organic growth as well as acquisitions. Takeover candidates include ...

  • Article

    Synergies Help Jarden’S Outdoor Solutions To More Timely Shipments

    2010-08-18T00:00:00Z

    Jarden Corporation had a 21.9 percent increase in net sales for the second quarter ended June 30, reaching $1.5 billion, partly boosted by the acquisition on April 1 of Mapa Spontex household products. In organic terms, the increase was 8.7 percent. Every segment showed growth, led by an 8.5 percent ...

  • Article

    Outdoor Segment Leads Johnson Results

    2010-08-18T00:00:00Z

    Johnson Outdoors has reported that its total revenues for the third quarter ended July 2 rose by 7.9 percent to $124.0 million, with a 1.4 percentage point increase in the gross margin to 41.5 percent. Operating profit was up by 26 percent to $13.4 million, and net income grew by ...

  • Article

    Wide Industry Support For The Eco Index

    2010-08-18T00:00:00Z

    Close to 100 companies have asked to be included so far in the pilot phase of the Eco Index or to join a workshop to find out how they can participate in the project. As indicated in the previous issue, the Eco Index is described as a new environmental assessment ...

  • Article

    Crocs Turns Around In The Quarter

    2010-08-18T00:00:00Z

    In the second quarter ended June 30, Crocs recorded a 15 percent increase in turnover to $228.0 million, with increases from all sales channels. Wholesale revenues were up by 12 percent to $140.0 million, retail grew by 20 percent to $66.4 million, and e-commerce did very well, up by 24 ...

  • Article

    New U.S. Tariffs On Some Outdoor Shoes

    2010-08-18T00:00:00Z

    President Barack Obama approved legislation last week that restores lower or zero duties on a variety of sporting goods products imported into the U.S., including several types of waterproof/breathable footwear for which the Outdoor Industry Association had obtained duty suspension in 2006. The OIA played a key role in ...

  • Article

    Double-digit Growth At Outdoor Retailer

    2010-08-18T00:00:00Z

    The Outdoor Retailer Summer Market show in Salt Lake City ended earlier this month, with organizers reporting an across-the-board “bounce back” in business from last year. Without citing precise figures, the organizers say that the number of attending buyers and represented stores there grew by the double digits. The demos ...

  • Article

    Asia Outdoor Was A Success, But Will Face Competition

    2010-08-18T00:00:00Z

    Asia Outdoor, the trade show that was held in Nanjing, China, from July 28-31 for the fifth time, recorded more exhibitors and trade visitors than ever before: The number of exhibitors grew by 24.6 percent to 359 while the visits peaked by 13.8 percent to more than 16,300. The ...

  • Article

    The North Face Continues To Shine

    2010-07-26T00:00:00Z

    The North Face increased its global revenues by 12 percent in dollar terms in the second quarter ended June 30, and its orders were up by about 20 percent overall. The weakend euro affected the score, and in fact, while TNF’s sales were up in single digits outside the U.S. ...

  • Article

    Columbia Posts Significant Sales Increase

    2010-07-26T00:00:00Z

    Stronger reorders and robust own retail sales lifted Columbia Sportswear’s revenues by 24 percent to $221.8 million for the second quarter, amounting to a rise of 22 percent in constant currencies. It enjoyed double-digit increases in all product categories, due to more abundant demand as well as a shift in ...

  • Article

    Blacks Improves Margins, But Sales Decline

    2010-07-26T00:00:00Z

    Comparable store sales tumbled by 7.5 percent at Blacks Leisure Group, the leading British outdoor retailer, for the 17 weeks to the end of June. The company pointed to disappointing sales in May, though it performed in line with expectations during other weeks of this period. The drop was probably ...

  • Article

    Tretorn Will Help Puma In The Outdoor Market

    2010-07-26T00:00:00Z

    Ulf Gustafsson, former chief executive and board director of the Fenix Outdoor group, has been appointed to the helm of Tretorn, a Swedish brand that has been entirely owned by the Puma group for many years. The German company wants to use Tretorn as another platform to move into the ...

  • Article

    Weak First Quarter At Haglöfs

    2010-07-26T00:00:00Z

    Apart from the situation with exchange rates, outdoor companies in several European markets have been affected by the long winter, which has delayed sales of spring products. This was the case for Haglöfs, the Swedish company that has just been acquired by Asics. However, Haglöfs’ managers have told ...

  • Article

    Berghaus Moves Into India And The U.S.

    2010-07-26T00:00:00Z

    After an overhaul of its product offering in the last years to expand in international markets, Berghaus is preparing to move into the U.S. market with its own subsidiary. The British outdoor brand, owned by Pentland Group, is already selling its products directly to a few American accounts, but the ...

  • Article

    Simond Diversifies Its Product Range Under Declathon’S Shadow

    2010-07-26T00:00:00Z

    Simond, the French brand of climbing equipment acquired two years ago by Décathlon’s parent company, Oxylane Group, has started to widen its product range with the small-scale launch of climbing footwear and apparel under the Simond brand, sold only in Décathlon stores for the time being. They should be made ...

  • Article

    Pro-x Elements, A New Brand Of Rainwear From Germany

    2010-07-26T00:00:00Z

    This new brand of rainwear was launched at the OutDoor show in Friedrichshafen last week by Matthias Cramer, a 55-year-old German industry veteran. Specifically designed for the global sporting goods and specialty outdoor retail circuit, Pro-X Elements is primarily intended to fill a gap in the German-speaking market caused by ...

  • Article

    Lafuma Continues To Face Declines

    2010-07-26T00:00:00Z

    In the first nine months of its fiscal year 2009-10, Lafuma Group faced another decline in sales by 6.1 percent to €163.8 million. The Lafuma core brand dropped by 11.2 percent and reached €63.2 million. Le Chameau, the hunting brand, dropped by 18.2 percent down to €13.1 million while ...

  • Article

    Black Diamond Develops Its European Strategy After Merger With Gregory

    2010-07-26T00:00:00Z

    At the OutDoor show, Christian Jäggi, the head of Black Diamond’s European operations explained to this publication how the European business is going to be set up after the brand merged with Gregory Mountain Products. Black Diamond is looking for a European brand manager for Gregory who will report to ...