October 20, 2022

Al’s Sporting Goods aquires all Bob Ward & Sons locations

Al’s Sporting Goods announced the acquisition of Bob Ward & Sons and will take over operations of all five of its locations in Missoula, Bozeman, Butte, Helena, and Hamilton. There are currently no plans to change the company name of Bob Ward & Sons, but they will integrate successful operations and...

October 19, 2022

Aspen Snowmass Has Cool Idea to Help Housing Crunch for Workers

It’s called Tenants for Turns and it’s a simple idea. If homeowners or landlords in the Roaring Fork Valley area of western Colorado, which encompasses Aspen and Carbondale, two areas in which affordable housing is incredibly difficult to come by, rent their housing to employees of the company that owns...

October 19, 2022

Outdoor Retailers Give Customers Their Expertise for Free. Should They?

The cost of spending valuable time and energy on customers, only to have them walk away, is measurable and meaningful. Ieremia estimates he and his sales staff lose 10 to 15 hours per week to non-paying customers, or 480 to 720 hours a year. In dollars, he estimates that time...

October 13, 2022

Startup Outdoorsy Passes $2 Billion in Transactions as RV Hype Grows

Recreational vehicle rental marketplace Outdoorsy Inc. reached a milestone in October of $2 billion in total bookings value since the startup was founded seven years ago. That’s double what it was 18 months ago, signaling that more people are taking vacations inspired by the #vanlife movement even as the pandemic fades. Bloomberg

October 12, 2022

The North Face Eyes New Growth Targets

At VF Corp.’s Investor Day, Nicole Otto, global brand president, featured the company’s growth plans in the trail/hike, footwear and owned stores categories and announced its latest mission statement, expected to guide its growth over the next five years. VF set TNF’s growth target in the high-single to low-double-digits in...

October 11, 2022

September Saw Another Stock Slide for the Outdoor Industry. This Time, It Was a Big One

The OBJ Outdoor Index tracked similarly to other U.S. indices last month, heading south as winter approaches. The outdoor industry sustained a bruising 10.58 percent dip after August’s 3.04 percent decline, continuing a downward trend that shows no signs of slowing and has all but erased short-term hopes for investors...

October 10, 2022

Camping World Announces Strategic Appointment of SVP of Corporate Development and Investor Relations to Leadership Team

LINCOLNSHIRE, Ill.--Camping World Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: CWH) (“Camping World”), America’s Recreation Dealer, today announced the appointment of Brett Andress to the role of SVP of Corporate Development and Investor Relations. Mr. Andress will be responsible for developing and enhancing corporate initiatives, along with management and communication to the investment community...

October 7, 2022

Green Theme Raises $5.4m in Series B2 Financing Round

Green Theme Technologies Inc (GTT), a leader in water-free and PFAS-free textile finishing raised $5.4 million in its series B2 financing. The capital will be used to grow GTT’s trademarked water-free EMPEL performance technologies, which include the durable water repellent (DWR) finish, stain protection, new technology to keep footwear dry and the...

October 5, 2022

Helen Of Troy’s Home & Outdoor Segment Q2 Growth Boosted By Osprey Acquisition

Helen of Troy reported sales at its Home & Outdoor segment, which includes OXO, Hydro Flask and Osprey, increased 11.8 percent in its second quarter ended August 31 to $240.6 million. Gains from the acquisition of Osprey were partially offset by a decrease in its organic business of 9.0 percent,...

October 4, 2022

REI to Close Its Stores on Black Friday Permanently

After closing its doors on Black Friday every year since 2015, the annual practice, dubbed “Opt Outside,” was launched as a way to allow workers to spend time with family and friends during the Thanksgiving Day weekend and encourage shoppers to spend some time outside. This year, the program has...

October 3, 2022

How to Make Outdoor Products Go Viral

Going viral is every marketing team’s dream. With more than 4.7 billion users active on social media around the world every day, the power of virality—even of a single post—can revive a struggling product or brand almost overnight. But content creation takes time, energy, and creativity, and even the best...

September 29, 2022

Wholesale RV Values Decline As Economic Outlook Weakens

Black Book, which publishes a family of vehicle appraisal guides, has released the Black Book RV Market Commentary for October. The average sales prices for motor homes and towables sold at wholesale auctions decreased last month, as auction volume increased to more typical levels. RV Business

September 29, 2022

Johnson Outdoors Announces Cash Dividend Increase

Johnson Outdoors Inc. announced approval by its Board of Directors of an increased quarterly cash dividend. Class A shareholders will now receive a 31 cents dividend per share and Class B shareholders a 28 cents dividend per share. The quarterly cash dividend is payable on October 27, 2022, to shareholders...

September 28, 2022

Vail Resort’s Strong Recovery In Fiscal 2023

Vail Resorts, Inc. reported results for its fourth quarter and fiscal year ended July 31 outperformed results from the prior year primarily due to the impact of COVID-19 and related limitations and restrictions on results for the previous year. Season-to-date season pass sales are ahead 7 percent, and the company...

September 27, 2022

REI to Give Every Employee Paid Time Off to Vote

Specialty outdoor retailer REI Co-op announced today that it will delay the opening of its stores by two hours this Election Day to give every employee paid time off for civic engagement. As part of its Your Vote Can’t Wait campaign, the co-op has also created an election resource hub...

September 23, 2022

Exclusive: Black Folks Camp Too Signs First State RV Association as Partner

North Carolina-based Black Folks Camp Too (BFCT), a company that strives to connect the outdoor industry to what it says is a vastly untapped market – Black people – announced that for the first time, it is partnering with a statewide RV dealers association.  Dealers Association has signed with BFCT founder Earl...

September 22, 2022

Wolverine Worldwide, 3M To Pay $54M In PFAS Class Settlement

A judge has given tentative approval in a $54 million settlement involving Wolverine Worldwide and 3M Co. related to a class action lawsuit over PFAS chemicals that contaminated drinking water in western Michigan. The chemicals from a since-closed tannery were discovered five years ago. SGB Media

September 22, 2022

Columbia Sportswear Looks to Add $700 Million in Net Sales by 2025, Fueled by Growth at Sorel

At its first investor day since going public in 1998, Columbia Sportswear Co. outlined ambitious long-term growth targets. The Portland, Ore.-based sportswear company on Thursday laid out a goal to add over $700 million in net sales by 2025, a strategy that hinges on growth in footwear, digital sales and...

September 21, 2022

Dick’s Sporting Goods opening more Public Lands’ stores

Dicks’s Sporting Goods is more than doubling its Public Lands’ store portfolio. The sporting goods giant will open four Public Lands stores this fall, starting in Framingham, Mass., on October 14. Additional locations include Melville, N.Y., on October 21; Kennesaw, Ga., on October 28; and Medford, Ore., on November 4.  CSA

September 15, 2022

Patagonia’s billionaire owner gives away company to fight climate crisis

Setting a new example in environmental corporate leadership, the billionaire owner of Patagonia is giving the entire company away to fight the Earth’s climate devastation, he announced on Wednesday. Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard, who turned his passion for rock climbing into one of the world’s most successful sportswear brands, is...

September 14, 2022

Alterra Mountain Company Acquires Ski Butlers

Alterra Mountain Company announced it has acquired ski equipment rental and delivery company Ski Butlers. The Park City, Utah-based Ski Butlers will continue to operate as a standalone business providing services to 50 ski destinations worldwide. Ski Butlers Chief Revenue Officer Mike Cremeno said the acquisition was a “super clean”...

September 13, 2022

Thule Warns Of Bike Market Inventory Imbalance

Thule Group said excessive inventory levels in the cycling channel have worsened in recent months and would impact sales and profitability in the second half of the year. Thule noted that it communicated in its half-year report on July 21 that the general market in bike retail, at the time,...

September 9, 2022

Oofos Receives Investment From Derek Carr

Las Vegas Raiders Quarterback, Derek Carr, has invested in the recovery footwear maker Oofos as part of a multi-year partnership that also sees Carr as a brand ambassador. SGB

September 8, 2022

Alterra Mountain Company acquires Park City based Ski Butlers

Alterra Mountain Company announced in a press release that it has acquired ski equipment rental and delivery company Ski Butlers. Ski Butlers will continue to function as a standalone business and to provide services to 50 ski destinations across the world. Townlift PCN

September 8, 2022

RVs Are Going Mainstream — But Will the Boom Last?

Lockdowns led to a surge in RV purchases. For new and existing customers alike, RV life helped counteract the claustrophobia of lockdown life, offering a responsible way to travel and take advantage of their newfound ability to work from home. The trend persisted into 2021, which saw an all-time record...