Latest News & Analysis – Page 307

  • Article

    Goldwin Turns Nippon Into X-japan

    2008-10-10T00:00:00Z

    X-Technology, the Swiss marketer of X-Socks and the X-Bionic apparel, continues to expand all over the globe and is now moving into the Japanese market. With annual sales of roughly $420 million, its new Japanese distributor, Goldwin, is one of the largest manufacturers and wholesalers for outdoor and sporting goods ...

  • Article

    Outdry Secures Patent Rights At Epo

    2008-10-10T00:00:00Z

    OutDry, the young Italian brand of waterproof membranes for footwear and gloves, has won a case against W.L. Gore before the Munich-based European Patent Office (EPO). Since 2004, Nextec srl, the marketer of the OutDry brand, has fought demands by Gore that it withdrawal its patent EP1139805. The Patent Office ...

  • Article

    Wolverine Just Keeps On Growing

    2008-10-10T00:00:00Z

    The third quarter of the fiscal year, which ended Sept. 6, marked Wolverine World Wide’s 25th consecutive quarter of record revenues, in spite of the difficult economic circumstances. The company’s sales were up by 2.8 percent to $318.9 million for the period. Blake W. Krueger, president and chief executive, again ...

  • Article

    Vietnam Hosts New Eco-friendly Factory

    2008-10-10T00:00:00Z

    A new leather factory is being built in Saigon that is being promoted as a model for ecological health. Under construction for the German/Chinese leather producer ISA Tan Tec, the new facility will emit 35 percent less carbon dioxide than other leather factories. The water used for tanning will ...

  • Article

    Swiss Top Brands Join Fair Wear

    2008-10-10T00:00:00Z

    Odlo and Mammut have signed the code of labour practices for the garment industry requested by a non-profit-making organization, Fair Wear Foundation. The code requires that their products will not be made with the use of forced or child labor or by discriminating against certain types of workers. It asks ...

  • Article

    Thermore Goes Into Sleeping Bags, Russia, And Ukraine

    2008-10-10T00:00:00Z

    Thermore, the Italian specialty manufacturer of thermal insulation solutions, no longer puts its focus on apparel alone. After presenting its new 100 percent recycled paddings at this year’s ISPO, the company now comes up with an insulation for sleeping bags which consists of 60 percent recycled fibers. Negotiations with leading ...

  • Article

    Bushnell Launches A User-friendly Compass

    2008-10-10T00:00:00Z

    Called the BackTrack, the new gadget can be described as a very simple electronic compass linked to a satellite-based GPS system that is specifically designed for people to find their way back in the woods, in the city or in any other urban or outdoor environment. It can be used ...

  • Article

    Tnf Reshuffles Euro Management

    2008-09-12T00:00:00Z

    Topher Gaylord, a 15-year veteran of VF Corporation and most recently the groupfs president for international outdoor and action sports as well as managing director of The North Face for Europe, the Middle East, Africa and East Asia, is about to go back to the USA. Gaylord, who has been ...

  • Article

    Schöffel Hires New Top Sales Managers

    2008-09-12T00:00:00Z

    Schöffel, a leading German manufacturer of outdoor and snow sports apparel, separated from Alexander Timmers who acted as sales manager for Germany in the last one and a half years. Timmers, a former buyer of sporting goods at Karstadt, has been replaced by Frank Kaltenbach. The 48-year-old was hired from ...

  • Article

    Fenix Outdoor Records Strong First Half

    2008-09-12T00:00:00Z

    Fenix Outdoor, the Swedish group that markets the brnads Fjällräven, Primus, Tierra and Hanwag, increased its sales by 14 percent to 451 million Swedish kronor (€47.5m-$66.0m) in the first six months of 2008. The operating profit was up by 21 percent and reached SEK 58 milion (€6.1m-$8.5m). The groupfs result ...

  • Article

    Twelve Brands Win Polartec's Apex Award

    2008-09-12T00:00:00Z

    Polartec has announced its annual Apex Design Awards for the top products that feature the material and will reach retailers' shelves for the Fall/Winter season soon. The criteria of the jury were style, function and fit as well as the most inovative and useful way the brands have worked with ...

  • Article

    Berghaus Signs Major Deal To Conquer The Chinese Market

    2008-09-12T00:00:00Z

    The outdoor brand of the British Pentland group has announced that it is moving into the Chinese market in 2009. Berghaus has signed a license deal with Symphony Resources, a subsidiary of Symphony Holdings, for six years after a yearlong search for a suitable partner in the local market. Symphony ...

  • Article

    New Owners Will Review Rossi's Outdoor Apparel

    2008-09-12T00:00:00Z

    A full review of Rossignol's outdoor and winter sports apparel will be among the most urgent tasks set by Bruno Cercley, the French executive behind Rossignolfs take-over from Quiksilver. Backed up by Australian and American investors, the former chief executive of Rossignol entered exclusive talks with Quiksilver to buy the ...

  • Article

    Odlo International Reviews Its Scandinavian Distribution

    2008-09-12T00:00:00Z

    Odlo, the Swiss specialty brand for underwear and cross-country as well as outdoor apparel, has selected Oy Micky as the new distributor of its products in Finland. Oy Micky is already in charge of the Finnish market for Columbia Sportswear and Mountain Hardwear, replacing Exel, which now distributes Bjørn Dæhlie, ...

  • Article

    Aku Puts More Emphasis On Its Brand

    2008-09-12T00:00:00Z

    The Italian producer of hiking and trekking shoes is accepting fewer orders from corporate clients, especially from the U.S. private-label sector because of the lower value of the dollar. Instead, it is using a recently reinforced management team instead to push sales of its own AKU brand. In line with ...

  • Article

    Norrwin Hires Top Manager To Lead Tenson

    2008-09-12T00:00:00Z

    Further management changes are afoot at Norrwin, the holding company that controls Five Seasons, Tenson and Lundhags, three Swedish outdoor and golf companies. Just a few weeks ago a heavy-weight executive, Johan Vikman, former chief executive of the Fenix group, took up the same position at Norrwin. Shortly afterward it ...

  • Article

    Karhu Faces Delicate Legal Battle

    2008-09-12T00:00:00Z

    Karhu, the Finnish brand of cross-country skis, walking poles, outdoor footwear and other sports ranges, is at the center of an odd legal battle including a police investigation for suspected fraud. Karhu Holding BV, a Dutch company set up by two well-known sports executives, Huub Valkenburg and Jay Dukes, ...

  • Article

    Door Market Is In An Olympic Spirit

    2008-08-19T00:00:00Z

    The third edition of the Asia Outdoor trade show in Nanjing, which ended on Aug. 2, saw a nice increase both of exhibitors and trade visitors compared with the previous year. The number of visitors grew from 8,200 in 2007 to nearly 9,400 although the event was affected by a ...

  • Article

    Timberland Spends More On Marketing To Reverse The Tide

    2008-08-19T00:00:00Z

    Timberland’s efforts to revitalize its brand will become visible over the next months with a large-scale advertising campaign and many other moves, but for the time being the brand is still in the doldrums, with yet another sales dip and another loss for the second quarter. Timberland’s revenues fell ...

  • Article

    Deuter Jumps Easily, Even Loaded With Backpacks

    2008-08-19T00:00:00Z

    Schwanhäusser Industrie Holding, the German company that owns the well-known Schwan-Stabilo brand as well as an OEM production for cosmetics and, since late 2006, the Deuter brand, increased its annual sales from €340 million to €373 million between the fiscal years 2006-07 and 2007-08, of which the latter ended on ...