issue 1317 april 29, 2013 the weekly digital magazine for...
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APRIL 29, 2013ISSUE 1317
The Weekly Digital Magazine for the Sporting Goods Industry
2 SGBWeekly.com | APRIL 29, 2013
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APRIL 29, 2013 | SGBWeekly.com 3
Copyright 2013 SportsOneSource, LLC. All rights reserved. The opinions expressed by writers and contributors to SGB WEEKLY are not necessarily those of the editors or publishers. SGB WEEKLY is not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts, photographs or artwork. Articles appearing in SGB WEEKLY may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the express permission of the publisher. SGB WEEKLY is published weekly by SportsOneSource, LLC, 2151 Hawkins Street, Suite 200, Charlotte, NC 28203; 704.987.3450. Send address changes to SGB WEEKLY , 2151 Hawkins Street, Suite 200, Charlotte, NC 28203; 704.987.3450
Senior Business EditorThomas J. Ryan
Contributing EditorsAaron H. Bible, Fernando J. Delgado,
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Creative DirectorTeresa Hartford
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APRIL 29, 2013ISSUE 1317
12
The Weekly Digital Magazine for the Sporting Goods Industry
MAKING NEWS 4 Movers & Shakers Speedo Partners with Zumba Fitness 6 By The Numbers New Balance, Senators Lobby Pentagon To Buy Made In America Athletic Footwear 8 Boathouse Sports Launches Made In USA Ice Hockey Collection26 Job Classifieds
ON THE COVER: Sport Chek, Canada's largest sporting goods chain, unveiled it's new store concept in Toronto. Photo courtesy Sport Chek
SGB PROFILE10 John Schaefer, CEO, Sportsman's Warehouse
FEATURES12 Puma Signs Aaron Hernandez To Boost Training Push14 Sport Chek Launches Digital Lab Concept22 Fitness Products For The Modern Athlete
Hours before the 2013 NFL draft, Puma announced that it had signed a three-
year endorsement deal with Cordarrelle Patterson. Photo courtesy Puma
Speedo USA and Zumba Fitness, the dance-fitness company, an-nounced a new, multi-year agreement that will see Speedo USA serve as the “Exclusive Swimwear Licensee of Zumba Fitness” and launch the Aqua Zumba by Speedo Collection in North America.
Known as the Zumba “pool party,” Aqua Zumba integrates the contagious Zumba formula and philosophy with well-established aqua fitness and resistance disciplines, blending the two to create a safe, challenging, dynamic water-based workout that’s cardio-conditioning, body toning and exhilarating.
The Aqua Zumba by Speedo Collection will include more than 20 unique pieces, from swimwear to aquatic accessories, footwear and bags, and will feature high performance materials in bright colors, different silhouettes and signature styling – including laser cut-outs and fringe – that have become synonymous with the self-expressive look and feel of the Zumba brand. The collection will be available on speedousa.com, zumba.com and select sporting goods stores beginning in early 2014.
“The fitness swimmer is at the heart of the Speedo brand and this partnership with Zumba Fitness is a very exciting way for us to engage the Aqua Zumba community in an authentically Speedo manner,” said Jim Gerson, president of Speedo USA. “We are put-ting 85 years of swimwear expertise into a collection that supports and celebrates the Aqua Zumba enthusiast, but translates to the general swim fitness consumer as well.”
Speedo partnerS with Zumba FitneSS
Cabela's, Inc. announced the long-planned
transition of its Co-founder and Chairman,
Richard N. Cabela, to the role of chairman
emeritus, effective June 5, the date of Cabela’s
2013 annual shareholder’s meeting. His brother,
James W. Cabela, Cabela’s vice chairman and
co-founder, will become chairman following the
meeting.
Clif Bar & Company promoted President and
COO Kevin Cleary to the position of chief
executive officer. As CEO, Cleary will focus
on expanding Clif Bar’s growth in the sports
nutrition and healthy snacks category while
continuing to lead the company’s day-to-day
business operations.
Klean Kanteen President Jim Osgood was
promoted to CEO and chairman of the
company's board of directors. Osgood started
with the company in 2011 and will be replacing
long-term CEO, Darrel Creswell.
Brooks Sports, Inc. appointed Anne Cavassa as VP of global apparel. In this new position,
Cavassa will manage the Moving Comfort
brand and business, as well as the Brooks
Running Company apparel business.
Bill Chandler has joined the team at Sherpa Adventure Gear as its new sales director for
North America.
Backbone Media, LLC, an active lifestyle public
relations and media agency, added Page Kelley as associate media director.
Darn Tough Vermont, American manufacturer
of premium performance socks, partnered with
Kevin Brew Sales to represent the brand in the
Mid-Atlantic region.
moVerS & ShaKerS
4 SGBWeekly.com | APRIL 29, 2013
NEWS
NEWS
bY the numberS
14.7%Crocs, Inc. reported first quarter revenues rose 14.7 percent to a record $311.7 million. Excluding charges related to a software systems upgrade, earnings gained 8.8 percent. By region in its wholesale business, revenues in Asia Pacific grew 35.1 percent and Americas gained 19.2 percent, offsetting a 5.8 percent decline in Europe. For the first quarter of 2013, the company had a net income of $29.0 million, or 33 cents per diluted share, compared with net income of $28.3 million, or 31 cents per diluted share, in the prior year period.
$694.9 millionJarden Outdoor Solutions (JOS), which owns Abu Garcia, Coleman, K2, Rawlings and other sporting goods brands, generated sales of $694.9 million in the first quarter ended March 31, up 3.7 percent from the first quarter a year ago, according to its parent company Jarden Corp. Operating earnings reached $56.2 million, down slightly from $57.8 million in the first quarter of 2012.
19%Iconix Brand Group reported first quarter revenue of $105.1 million, a 19-percent increase over prior year quarter. EBITDA attributable to Iconix for Q1 was approximately $64.6 million, a 14 percent increase as compared to $56.8 million in the prior year quarter. On a non-GAAP basis, net income attributable to Iconix was $36.2 million, a 13 percent increase as compared to the prior year quarter of approximately $31.9 million.
Senators are asking President Obama to apply the Berry Amendment to athletic footwear so that manufacturing jobs can be sustained in the U.S. and military trainees receive American-made goods.
In an April 19 letter to the President, a bi-partisan group of 15 Senators wrote that they shared the Presi-dent's objective to encourage manufacturers to create more jobs in America. The Berry Amendment was en-acted in 1941 to ensure that American soldiers trained and operated in American-made materials whenever possible. As required by the law, the Defense Depart-ment purchases combat boots, service shoes and other uniform apparel that is made in America. For decades, American-made footwear was treated the same way. In October, Representatives Mike Michaud (D-ME) and Duncan Hunter (R-CA) sent a bipartisan letter signed by 50 members of Congress to the Defense Depart-ment, asking that athletic footwear be included under the Berry Amendment.
"We can increase American footwear manufacturing jobs at no cost to the federal government simply by your directing the Department of Defense (DOD) to align its athletic footwear procurement policies to those it has already adopted for other footwear, such as combat boots, service shoes, and other uniform items," the let-ter said. It urged the President "to insist that footwear worn by our troops is top quality and made in America in keeping with the intent of the law known as the 'Berry Amendment.'"
Written by Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and An-gus King (I-ME), the letter was signed by Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI), Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Sen. Roy Blunt (R- MO), Sen. John Boozman (R-AR), Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-NH), Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Sen. Mo Cowan (D-MA), Sen. Robert Casey Jr. (D-PA) and Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT).
Under new polices enacted over the last 11 years, the acquisition process no longer directly procures American-made athletic foot-wear for incoming recruits and other personnel: military personnel receive a cash allowance to purchase the athletic footwear of their choice regardless of where it is manufactured.
The cash allowances for athletic shoes are valued at about $15 million annually, which surpasses the minimum acquisition threshold of $150,000 that triggers compliance under the Berry Amendment. In their letter, the Senators noted that the Defense Logistics Agency has awarded more than $36 million since October 2012 to domestic companies for other footwear such as combat boots and shoes.
The Defense Department's policy shift has placed jobs in jeopardy in states, such as Maine and Massachusetts, where New Balance Athletic Shoe, Inc. has offices and plants; New Balance is the last surviving American athletic footwear manufacturer.
"Maine has a long and proud shoemaking history, and the men and women who work in the New Balance factories in our state are part of that legacy," said Sen. Collins. "The Depart-ment of Defense can make a sound investment in American factories, providing good-paying manufacturing jobs in Maine, and at no added cost to the government."
Matt LeBretton, director of public affairs for New Balance, said the language in the Defense Department's Acquisition Regulations System (DFARS) clearly includes footwear among the clothing covered by the Berry Amendment. He said that athletic footwear should be made in America whether it is purchased by the military for its personnel or is purchased through cash allowances."
"The Berry Amendment should apply," said LeBretton. "Our industry has come together to request that the DOD simply follow their own rules and allow for a competitive environment where companies that are committed to manu-facturing in the United States are encouraged to do so. We are hopeful that the Administration will correct this inequity and support domestic manufacturers."
new balance, SenatorS lobbY pentagon to buY made in america athletic Footwear
6 SGBWeekly.com | APRIL 29, 2013
NEWS
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Boathouse Sports will premier its new Made in the USA Ice Hockey uniform line at the 2013 American Hockey Coaches Association (AHCA) Convention in Naples, FL on May 1.
Boathouse, a leader in sublimated team uniforms since 2004, is looking for-ward to introducing the technology to the ice hockey market. “Our sublimated jerseys are 20 percent lighter than the traditional cut-and-sew jerseys with large embroidered team logos and tackle twill letters and numbers,” explained
Doug Tibbetts, CEO of Boathouse Sports. “We are espe-cially excited about the pairing of our sublimated jerseys and sublimated hockey socks, which will give teams the opportunity to create a unique, fully branded look.
Boathouse partnered with several teams throughout the country that wore the new gear for the most recent ice hockey season. One of the teams included the New Trier men’s team that won the Illinois State High School Ice Hockey State Championships on March 25. “The athletes who wore our jerseys for the 2012/2013 [season] found our gear to be lighter, quicker to dry and more comfortable to play in than their old-school jerseys. Ours outperformed their traditional gear by a significant margin,” said Tibbetts.
The new gear comprises two fully-sublimated jerseys - the Flight and the Velocity -combined with Boathouse’s Sublimated Hockey Socks for a fully-integrated and elite uniform package. The jerseys have double shoulders and elbows and are reinforced at all critical seams. The Flight Jersey has the traditional hockey sweater tie neck, while the Velocity features a sleek V-neck collar. The Ice Shell is built from tough 420 denier coated nylon oxford with stretch insets for added mobility and includes an adjust-able buckle waistband. All styles are available in Adult and Youth sizing.
boathouSe SportS launcheS made in the uSa ice hocKeY collection
NEWS
Boathouse's new Made in the USA Ice Hockey uniforms,as worn by the Fountain Valley School of Colorado's ice hockey team. Photo courtesy Boathouse Sports
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By the time Seidler Equity Partners (SEP) recruited John Schaefer to lead Sportsman’s Warehouse out of a Chapter 11 bankruptcy in August 2009, the Midvale, UT hook-and-bullet retailer had shrunk to 25 from 67 stores. Today, the retailer is back up to 47 locations thanks in part to the purchase last month of 10 of 15 stores it handed over in 2009 to the Canadian cooperative United Farmers of Alberta in lieu of debt payments. All but six of those stores are located in 11 western states, including Alaska.
That deal solidifies Sportsman’s Warehouse’s status as a regional powerhouse, say industry observers. Considering that Gander Mountain, which has the most similar model among the five national hook-and-bullet specialty retailers, has just one store east of the Mississippi. Bass Pro and Cabela’s, which have until recently focused on large and expensive-to-operate destination stores, have only nine and 15 stores respectively in the region, leaving mom-and-pop retailers, Wal-Mart and Dick’s Sporting Goods as Sportsman’s Warehouse’s primary competitors. Under, Schaefer and SEP, Sportsman’s Warehouse has yet to re-enter the Texas market, thereby avoiding direct competition with Academy Sports & Outdoors, which has become the dominant specialty chain across the Gulf States and is now expanding aggressively in the Southeast.
One industry source reports that Sportsman’s Warehouse cut back the number of sock brands its carries from more than a dozen to four or five, but remains committed to a model that favors national brands over private label. The source said one of the retailers most effective decisions has been to move to a self-service model for lower priced footwear so it can focus in-store staff on providing value-added sales of higher priced products, such as hiking and work boots.
Reached late last month by e-mail, Schaefer attributed Sportsman’s Warehouse’s growth to disciplined operations, including better inventory management and merchandising. Schaefer honed those skills as CEO of Team Express from 2007 to 2009, as CFO and CEO of Cornerstone Brands from 1998 to 2007 and CEO and COO of Eastbay from 1992 to 1998.
Below are excerpts from his written responses to questions submitted by SGB.
What's allowed SW to expand so quickly since the Chapter 11 bankruptcy? I wouldn’t call this expansion “quick.” We developed a plan, fixed our inventory po-sition, rationalized our product offering, developed a comprehensive merchandise and marketing plan and most important, got the right people on board and gave them tools to understand and react to changes in the business. We then utilized the cash from running our operation profitably on strategically and carefully growing our business and justifying every expenditure and move we made.
The company had sales of $741.5 million in 2008 when it was operating 67 stores. It exited bankruptcy in August, 2009 with 29 stores. What are your current sales? We have more than doubled sales since 2010 but we do not give out sales or profit numbers. We are on our 38th straight month of double-digit same-store sales growth.
John Schaefer, ceoSportSman’S WarehouSe
What have been the three biggest changes in how the company operates since the bankruptcy? Discipline in operating the business, inventory rationalization by under-standing our customer, getting the right people in place and all going in the same direction. We have 20 percent fewer SKUs due to the SKU rationalization program. While we have cut back on the number of SKUs in certain categories, we have also increased SKU count with key vendors in categories such as men's, women's and kids casual clothing and footwear.
What changes have been most visible to your customers? Many – better inventory quantities in the “A” items, better merchandising of the store layout, new fixtures in many areas, better brands and broader clothing and footwear selection, better trained associates, local advertising and promotions, to name a few. We first needed to determine the “A” items and properly merchandise these items, then work with the various vendors to get more product based on our merchandising strategy and results. We also needed to find additional “A” items and vendors such as Under Armour and prove to them we are a good fit. How has this helped improve performance and enhance the Sportsman’s Warehouse brand? Since we are not private label focused, we must be brand focused and that means having the best brands in all three categories of the price/quality spectrum.
What percentage of SW sales are now online and how does that compare with pre-Chap. 11 period? There were no online sales before Chapter 11. We added online sales in September 2010. We do not disclose sales by source.
What are you big goals for 2013-2105? Category ex-pansion, geographic expansion, omnichannel integration, revenue and gross margin growth.
What can you tell us about your plans east of the Missis-sippi, where you operate five stores? There are numerous markets east of the Mississippi where our particular expertise would be valuable to the person who loves the outdoors. To the extent the circumstances and opportunities make sense we will pursue those particular areas aggressively. ■
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Puma SignsAaron Hernandez to Boost Training PushBy Thomas J. Ryan
12 SGBWeekly.com | APRIL 29, 2013Photos courtesy Puma
APRIL 29, 2013 | SGBWeekly.com 13
uma inked a two-year partnership with professional football player Aaron Hernandez who will become the first face of a bigger push for Puma into men’s training in 2013 and beyond.
The New England Patriot’s tight end will be part of a roster of athletes from a variety of sport backgrounds to work with the brand on men’s training initiatives. Known for his speed and versatility, Hernandez was the first to join the Puma training team. Last week, Cordarrelle Patterson, the star wide receiver from the University of Tennessee, was signed as the second member and last week was chosen by the Minnesota Vikings as the 29th pick in the NFL draft.
“It is an important category for us, our consumers are active and training is a key part of their lives,” Tara McRae, VP of strategic planning and brand management for Puma North America, told SGB Weekly. “The idea is to bring top-notch professional athletes like Aaron Hernandez who are actively training to our brand so that they can share their experiences with our consumers and help to bring our product to life.”
As part of the long-term relationship, both Hernandez and Patterson will be featured in the brand’s Nature of Performance marketing cam-paigns, attend Puma events, offer training tips via the brand’s website and social media channels, and lead special programs with retail part-ners including a program launching later this year involving training with high school students.
Puma’s relationship with Hernandez, 23, will focus on the unexpected and highlight his life off the field. A fan of diverse and rigorous work-outs, the former All-American from Florida University spends time doing various training activities to increase his speed, agility, and strength. He trains in Puma’s latest trainer BioWeb Elite, which combines a detailed and colorful outsole with a flexible and lightweight midsole.
“The overall design plays with negative space, carving into the outsole tread and minimizing materials to reduce weight, but it also features a unique element called the “Webcage,” noted McRae of BioWeb Elite. “This is an engineered piece of technology that wraps around the foot in order to keep it supported during intense workouts. BioWeb Elite has been received very well by consumers and will continue to be a focus for us for the back half of the year and will be expanding in 2014.”
Hernandez has also recently tested the brands latest Compression Bodywear, ACTV. The training apparel collection fuses the benefits of graduated compression with those of strategically placed athletic tape built into the apparel. He will continue to train in ACTV as he preps for the upcoming football season.
Puma will also work with Hernandez to create programs that not only fit within his outlook and fitness philosophy, but also work to help causes
he is involved with including outreach within the Hispanic community. “I’m very excited to be working with Puma, I have admired the brand
for many years and it really fits my overall lifestyle,” said Hernandez. “Most people know me for what I do on the football field, but I have to train hard behind the scenes and Puma helps me to perform at my high-est level and look my best.”
“I love the style and performance elements of the brand,” said Patterson, who will also be training in BioWeb Elite and ACTV. “It will let me look my best while training to be my best – which is a great combination.”
Puma has worked with athletes for many years. Its biggest sponsored athlete is Olympic champion sprinter Usain Bolt but it also endorses other runners, as well stars as and up-and-comers in soccer, golf, rugby and sailing. But McRae said Puma’s new partnership with Hernandez and plans to add others represents “the first time we have brought on a roster of athletes with the intent to use them collectively to bring a category to life for Puma.” The other training team roster athletes will span across
sports, but they all share the common thread of versatility, uniqueness and speed. Said McRae, “Each of them is fast, and each needs to train hard in their own way to keep up their speed.“
McRae added that while some brands have focused greatly on the CrossFit trend in attacking the training category, Puma will be looking at all the different training activities that help athletes and every day con-sumers be active.
“[Training] is a category that is continuing to grow and doesn’t show any signs of slowing down,” observed McRae. “Being active is not a trend, it is part of life for our consumers.” ■
P
Puma BioWeb Elite
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SpOrt CHek LAuNCHeS DiGitAL
Lab CONCEPt By Thomas J. Ryan
Photos courtesy Sport Chek
APRIL 29, 2013 | SGBWeekly.com 15
SpOrt CHek LAuNCHeS DiGitAL
Lab CONCEPt
port Chek, Canada’s largest sporting goods chain, unveiled a new store concept that it’s
describing as a “game-changing retail lab.”
Located on Yonge Street in Toronto, the 12,000-square-foot store is de-signed to "wow" shoppers with perks such as valet parking. But the big show takes place inside with the powerful images, sound and interactivity fueled by digital innovation.
The innovations are expected to be proven in the store and then rolled out across Sport Chek’s more than 500 stores in late 2013 with new flagship stores across Canada.
"Our goal with this live lab store is to test and demonstrate the latest in retail technology to deliver the same emo-tional rush our customers get when they are pursuing the sports and physi-cal activities they love," said Michael Medline, president, FGL Sports, the parent of Sport Chek. "The store will serve as a conduit between customers and their favorite brands, it offers un-paralleled levels of customization and is staffed with the strongest product category experts in the industry."
"We wanted to create a store that is dynamic and has its own energy. We have built a store that matches the intense passion Cana-dians have for sports and the activities they pursue," Medline added. FGL Sports was acquired by Canadian Tire in 2011.
The digital and product innovations showcased across the store include:
Tile, Tablet, Touch and NFC Screens - The store features 140 digital screens installed throughout the store that management believes represents the most advanced digital retail space of any category in North America. With ultra-thin borders, touch technology and near-field-communication (NFC) capabilities, the Samsung displays allow for personalized content and greater customer interaction with merchandise. Screens include new digital 'tiles' both on the wall and custom built into tables. Traditional signage built in
to the top of apparel racks now include tablets in custom fixtures showing video and still image content specifically designed for the associated products.
Shoe Wall Innovation - Adidas installed its first permanent digital shoe wall in Canada and largest installation in North America, featuring 'digital' shoes on three 55-inch touch screens. Each shoe contains custom digital content when selected, including product features, live twitter feeds, videos, images and interesting facts about athletes' accomplishments while wearing that specific model of shoe.
Its sister brand Reebok installed a customized, 'build your own Reebok' kiosk where customers can custom-build every single part of their shoe. The shoes are shipped to the customer directly within four to six weeks.
S
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Nike installed its first 'Nike Shoe VJ Experience' in the world. The 12-foot high digital wall enables shoppers to use Nike shoes, cus-tom-built with gaming '"controller'" technology, to design art and sound with the palettes by artists James Jean and David Choe, and sound courtesy of world-renowned DJ Cut Chemist.
Gait Analysis - Customers can gain a comprehensive gait analysis by walking or running on a gait analysis treadmill, while being monitored by trained Sport Chek associates.
Ski and Snowboard Innovation - The store features one of only three Wintersteiger Mercury automated ski and snowboard tuning machines in Canada. Customers will be able to watch their skis and boards being tuned on the most advanced machine in the world, offering razor-sharp edges and eight different available base structures. The machine can tune 30 skis or boards per hour, meaning a quick turn-around for customers. To add further customization, Sport Chek has installed a Sidas custom ski and snowboard boot insert system. Specifically-trained Sport Chek staff use the machine to create a 3D map of the customer's foot which is then reflected in a boot insert that provides maximum support, shock absorption and comfort within 30 minutes.
Wilson Baiardo Racquet Stringer - The retail lab includes the Wilson Baiardo Racquet Stringer, offering a precise racquet stringing tension within a decimal point of poundage in just 12 minutes. The Baiardo is used in many tour events each year, including the Austra-lian Open and U.S. Open.
Custom Oakley Installation - A custom sunglass design kiosk from Oakley allows customers to interact with a wide variety of lens, frame, color and logo options to create a customized pair of Oakley sunglasses which are built in-store by specially trained staff in minutes.
Staff Tablets - Staff are equipped with tablets loaded with vendor content to better serve customers, with the ability to "take over" the
APRIL 29, 2013 | SGBWeekly.com 17
PRECISION ENGINEERED SUPPORT
A ANATOMICALLY CORRECT
FLYWEIGHT CONSTRUCTION
ENHANCED RANGE OF MOTION
VENTILATION COOLING
larger screens in the store to show off vendor advertis-ing or community content.
Digital Community Board - An interactive Community Board connects customers with each other and allows them to view schedules, events, standing stats and updates from their favorite community sports leagues as well as information on fitness classes.
Interactive Escalator - Nineteen screens are installed in the wall beside the escalator with a custom-built Xbox Kinect application that follows and matches the customer's ascent, activating a variety of themes on the screen including sports scenes, promotions and a simulated chairlift ride.
Custom Content - Sport Chek's new '"digital store control" facility in Calgary produces and pushes custom content to each screen - allowing for any individual screen to be updated with new content within 12 minutes. The Calgary-based 'digital store control' room will run all digital screens throughout the chain as new stores are opened with the digital innovations proven in the retail lab.
Store Front Projection - The store's Yonge Street facade features a large-scale five-foot by 32-foot digital projection displaying high-definition video, still images and live feeds of sporting events to anyone passing by the store. The display is driven by four high powered projectors to produce a high-definition picture visible from across the street, even in direct sunlight.
Augmented Reality - Interactive "augmented real-ity" is being tested in the store with customers being able to access customized offers and discounts by downloading the Sport Chek 'Scan and Save' app for in store savings.
Wired For Scalability - Spot Chek intends to introduce and test ground-breaking and 'next in class' digital retail advancements in the store for years to come. Recognizing the rapid speed of technology advancements, the retail lab has been pre-wired with 5.5 km of fiber optic cable and 6.5 km of Cat6 cable in anticipation of continuous innovation and testing of new technology.
The interactive innovations will be complemented by an even-greater effort to match staff members in categories that match their knowledge to enable them to share in-depth product knowledge and insights from their experiences using the gear. Multimedia stories detailing the sporting lives of store employees will be featured on digital screens throughout the store, both inspiring consumers and addressing product questions and expert recommendations.
18 SGBWeekly.com | APRIL 29, 2013
APRIL 29, 2013 | SGBWeekly.com 19
"Our global technology team was thrilled to be involved in this truly unique retail experience that will inspire consumers to a completely new level. With the installation of adidas' first permanent digital shoe wall in Canada and the largest in North America, we are proud to share our global innovations with Canadians in this one of a kind retail concept."
"With Samsung displays helping to power opening day, we are excited to partner with Sport Chek on this project that matches our ambitions to push the boundaries on innovation. Our partnership will see best-in-class Samsung technology rolled out to amplify this amazing retail experience and really wow Sport Chek's customers."
VENDOR’S TAKE ON THE LABVendors were actively involved in helping invent Sport Chek’s new "Lab" concept. The following are a few
comments from some of the major players on the undertaking and the results.
Eric Grimes, General Manager, Nike
Canada
"We are proud to introduce the Nike Shoe VJ at Sport Chek's retail lab in Toronto. For the first time, we are enabling consumer to express themselves through original artwork that is inspired by the performance attributes of our most innovative products: Nike Free 3.0 and Nike Air Max 2013. Nike has always been about pushing the limits of performance and self-expression, and we are excited to continue to push the boundaries of the retail experience for our consumers in partnership with Sport Chek."
"Telus believes that connectivity and customization are the future of retail as brands strive to create new experi-ences for their customers. This con-cept store from Sport Chek has the technology and high energy environ-ment of a sports stadium living inside a 12,000 square foot retail lab and Telus is pleased to have delivered the digital media solutions to help bring the Sport Chek vision to life."
"Infusion has been thrilled to work with FGL in creating retail digital ex-periences from concept to design. The innovative experience created at the Sport Chek flagship store in Toronto is a great example of a major retailer embracing the future. Through this collaboration, Sport Chek can explore the potential that digital technology provides in driving increased consum-er engagement, impacting both sales and perception of the brand. We are proud to be able to complement the Sport Chek vision and add them to a growing family of world-class brands that we've helped break through the status quo."
Jim Gabel, President of Adidas Canada
Group
James Politeski, President of
Samsung Canada
Joe Natale, EVP and Chief Commercial
Officer, Telus
Alim Somani, President of
Infusion.
20 SGBWeekly.com | APRIL 29, 2013
The SGB 40 Under 40 AwArdS now in their sixth year, once again honor the
best and brightest young professionals shaping the future of the sporting goods industry.
APRIL 29, 2013 | SGBWeekly.com 21
The SGB 40 Under 40 AwArdS now in their sixth year, once again honor the
best and brightest young professionals shaping the future of the sporting goods industry.
Aimee AranaTim Bantle
Simon BonhamJackie BrownT.J. CiaravinoKris DahlgrenScott Daley
Matt DiLorenzoMike EtienneZe'ev Feig
Louise FormbyAntonio Gray
Greg GreenbergDamien HuangSalym Hunter
Mark IshVanessa Walton Keefe
Paul LaBarberaJules LambertJanica Lane
Bridgit LombardMarc MisiewicaDavid Mossé
Charles MurrayDaniel Near
Marisa NicholsonKyle Orme
Brian PhillipsCarey PlattoJoey Pointer
Ian PundDani Reiss
Doug SmileyLaura St. GeorgeJoe Suboticki
I Ling ThompsonColin TrueEric Tung
Melissa ValentineKatie Wagner
The SGB 40 Under 40 hOnOreeS FOr 2013
COMInG In MAY Full editorial coverage of the 40 Under 40 Awards in SGB
22 SGBWeekly.com | APRIL 29, 2013
What do a rubber ball, a foam cylinder and a plastic rope have in common? They are all part of an exploding health and fitness product trend happening right in our own living rooms.
Millions of Americans are taking their massage and physical therapy needs - as well as their personal training - from the gym and clinic into the home. And thanks to ever-advancing technolo-gy and materials, combined with informed and intuitive construc-tion, the products are getting better and better.
“One of the growing trends in fitness is body weight exercises using hand held products that allow you to do multiple exercises,” explained Alden Mills, personal trainer, former U.S. Navy Seal, and EVP and founder of Perfect Fitness. “People are moving away from the bigger singular pieces - they take up too much room and don’t offer as much flexibility. People have downsized homes and the smaller products are more flexible. Home workouts become more about variety in the programming than a big heavy machine.”
According to Senior Vice President of Marketing for Gaiam, Susan Haney, yoga is a category that continues to experience year-over-year growth both from a revenue and participation standpoint. It’s also something that moves easily from the studio to the living room. “Mats are always a top-selling item for Gaiam, but what used to be primarily a mat, block, and strap business has expanded beyond that. The growth of hot and Vinyasa yoga has blazed the trail for the yoga mat towel category,” Haney said. “Other accessories that are working well are athletic head bands and yoga socks, which are now also being used for barre classes.”
Beyond aesthetics, yoga practitioners are looking for functionality - whether it is natural materials such as rubber, extra cushioning, better grip, or antimicrobial material - so the features and benefits in this category are expanding. “For that reason, Gaiam developed a professional line called Gaiam Sol that offers quality, form, and function along with fashion-forward design,” she explained. This line will include plyometric boxes, conditioning ropes, paralletes and more.” Gaiam Mats
Fitness Products For the Modern AthleteBy Aaron H. Bible
As Seen on TV? Not anymore…these in-home fitness products are getting better every season, playing in part off the exploding health and fitness lifestyle trend, evolving health and fitness technology and sports science, and are now widely available through both big box and specialty retailers nationwide.
Photo courtesy of Gaiam
APRIL 29, 2013 | SGBWeekly.com 23
Another new area of growth for both the Gaiam and SPRI brands is the category of flexibility and recovery, including rubberized re-sistance training products and accessories such as foam rollers and small balls. “Under the Restore by Gaiam brand, Gaiam has a wide variety of products sold through various retailers such as Barnes & Noble, Whole Foods, and Target," said Haney. “SPRI, un-der SPRI Dynamic Recovery, has a line of products aimed at sports recovery that was launched at The Sports Authority in fall 2012. Top selling products include a variety of foam rollers, massage stick, and the Core and Back Kit.”
Perfect Fitness, a division of Implus Corporation, is a market-leading designer, manufacturer and distributor of innovative fit-ness equipment and accessories. The company is committed to
in place while doing big movements like plyometrics. The vest is road-ready with high visibility reflective material for low light con-ditions and a contour pocket for a smart phone or MP3 player. The 20 lb vest, MSRP $80, comes with 20 individual 1 lb weights, and the 40 lb vest, MSRP $120, comes with 32 individual 1.5 lb weights.
Perfect Multi-Gym Pro is a unique de-sign that features a foam padded cross bar, ergonomically angled handles, and extra thick bumpers that safely attach to most standard door frames (no drilling re-quired). By focusing on body weight training, the equipment helps you get the famous V-Cut: a combo of broad shoulders and narrow waist. You can do three types of pullups (wide-angled grip, close grip, hammer grip), as well as chinups, situps, and dips, MSRP $40.
“In an industry that can often appear more focused on quantity over quality, Trigger Point Performance has remained dedicated to providing premium products, education and therapy to be used by anyone in need of a lifestyle change, performance enhancement or general wellness,” said Trigger Point Performance CEO, founder and coach Cassidy Phillips. “A self-care company, TPP is committed to creating innovative solutions through their line of mobility tools and educational programs to em-power people to take care of their own bodies, prepare for movement and maintain a healthy lifestyle.”
It was with these goals in mind that Phillips created its latest prod-uct the Grid Mini Foam Roller. At 5" tall by 5.5" in diameter, it is unique-
ly travel friendly. Featuring Matrix Tech-nology and Distrodensity Zones to mirror the feel of the human hand, the Grid Mini utilizes the same qualities of a traditional foam roller by providing targeted massage to increase circulation and help maintain flexibility in a small compact design for traveling as it easily attaches to a gym bag, backpack or suitcase, MSRP $25.
Athletes and professionals are recog-nizing the benefits that massage thera-py has on keeping muscles flexible and energized which is a key contributor to their performance. In addition to their current offering of high-density foam rollers and the Roller Massager, Pro-Tec Athletics recently introduced its new
offering advanced product so-lutions founded on functional training, natural movements and back-to-basic principles.
Perfect Fitness introduced the Perfect Ab Carver Pro to achieve flat abs, sculpted arms, and a strong back. The equipment takes one of the toughest ab exercises - the ab wheel - and makes it attain-
able. Inside is the Ab-Carver’s kinetic engine, consisting of an internal carbon steel spring that coils up as you extend, and then springs back to keep your work-out going. It adds resistance as you roll out and provides assistance as you roll back.
Angled handles activate arm muscles, so you can work your core, arms and back in one movement. The large stable wheel with extra wide tread and ergonomic left/right-hand grips provide control and comfort, MSRP $40.
The Perfect Weight Vest, available in 20- or 40-pound versions, is inspired by military body armor and is fully adjustable with the ability to add or take away weights to adjust the level of workout intensity. It features a slim bib design with double belly band for a snug and secure fit, and flat flex-ible weights that move with your body and stay
Gaiam foam roller and massage stick
Perfect Fitness Perfect Ab Carver Pro
Perfect Fitness Perfect Weight Vest
Perfect FitnessPerfect Multi-Gym Pro
Trigger Point Performance Grid Mini Foam Roller
24 SGBWeekly.com | APRIL 29, 2013
Travel Size Roller Massager in addition to the Orb Massage Balls and Y Roller featured in last month’s SGB Magazine.
“Currently in the sporting goods retail market, the hot trend of massage therapy continues. Foam rollers and hand held massage products are consistently moving well everywhere from running retail to general sporting goods stores,” said Jeff Rodgers, president of Pro-Tec Athletics. Massage therapy products enable deep tis-sue stimulation to maximize muscle performance and expedite recovery.
Most products come with injury guides with stretching and strengthening exercises and their new brochure comes with an Inju-ry/Massage Therapy pullout poster. Products are widely available at running specialty, Fleet Feet, Big 5 and REI, among others. While the Orb Deep Tissue Massage Ball features multi-directional roll for focused massage to target areas, the Y Roller Contoured Foam Roller is “the most effective Foam Roller I’ve ever used,” according to ultra marathon champion Scott Jurek, author of Eat & Run.
• Consumers want to train like athletes and when the best athletes in the world are seen on TV using ladders and hurdles, they want to do the same.
“There also seems to be a trend of consumers who are training with a purpose,” he continued. “Traditional fitness can lead to boredom which leads to quitting. When you train to be an athlete you improve your agility, flexibility, core strength and more which is more mentally stimulating than traditional fitness. You will also see the former ‘exercise enthusiast’ now registering for competitions (endurance/adventure races, cross fit, etc). The desire for competition and training with a goal in mind has shifted this market tremendously. Instead of working out to look good, you are training to be an athlete.”
There are two new products this year from Sklz in the performance training category. The Corewheels, MSRP $40,
dynamic core strength trainer allows you to take planks, pushups and pillar exercises to a new level. The rolling
wheels on each side destabilize your movements, causing your shoulders, torso and hips to work harder. It features ergonomic foam handles, lightweight design and a training guide.
The AccuRoller, MSRP $30 improves flexibility, strength and preparation for any athletic activity. You can use this adjustable massage stick in a variety of configurations to compress and stretch aching muscles following activity to promote muscle recovery. Also increase flexibility throughout the entire body by utilizing the nylon straps around feet or hands to assist in stretching.
As the flagship brand of Pro Performance Sports, San Diego, CA’s Sklz develops innovative athletic and high-performance skill development training products, technology and knowledge for athletes of all ages, skill levels and sports. ■
Pro-Tec Athletics Travel Size Roller Massager
Pro-Tec Athletics Orb Deep Tissue Massage Ball
Sklz Corewheels
Sklz AccuRollerThe Pro-Tec Roller Massager-Travel Size features raised Vynafoam sections that “sink” into soft tissue to roll out tight-ness, and rounded grip ends provide precision trigger point re-lease. The 17.5” length fits in most carry on bags and user guide includes 20 massage and trigger point release techniques.
Sklz has been hard at work bulking up on its fitness products. Ac-cording to Mike Carlson, Sklz VP of sales, the company is seeing some dramatic trends this season at retail. “Consumers spending habits are shifting from heavy cardio equipment (treadmills/ellip-ticals) to performance training equipment like ladders, hurdles, medicine balls, resistance cables, etc.,” he explained. Carlson said there are several reasons for this trend:
• Cost and space required for heavy equipment is enormous when compared to performance training equipment;
• Boredom occurs when using the same machine in the same manor over and over - products like a stability ball have nu-merous ways to use it; and
Ultra-Wide Wheel - Stabilizes movement
to carve left, right and center
Performance Grips - Rubberized non-slip ergonomic grips for
stability control
Kinetic Engine - Carbon Steel Spring turbocharges abdominal and arm workouts
Foam Kneepad - High-Density foam for superior comfort
CARVEyouR
CoRE
AB-CARVER™ PRO
800 446 7587 | [email protected] | www.abcarverpro.com | www.perfectonline.com
©2013 Implus Corporation. Perfect® is a division of Implus Corporation. 3.13
Contact Jeremy Freed at 303.997.7302 or email [email protected].
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