It’s accurate to say that VF ran into the same issues and economic dislocations as other brands and retailers. During their fourth quarter, ended December 31, 2016, revenues fell 2.7% from $3.41 billion to $3.32 billion in the quarter ended December 31, 2015 (the prior calendar period- PCP). Net income was also down from $312 […]
Six months ago, reporting on Billabong’s results for the whole year, I said this was a challenging turnaround, Billabong was doing things right, they were starting to see results, but the market was tough, and implementing their plan was taking longer and costing more (perhaps because it’s taking longer) than they’d initially expected. That’s all […]
Let’s just jump right to a comment CEO Nick Woodman made during the conference call. “I would say that we are more focused on revenue and margin and less focused on volume on a unit basis.” That sounds to me like GoPro is more interested in the higher end of the market. And they should […]
It was, I think, a couple of years ago when I said, 3D printing of various products is on its way. I suggested maybe getting a 3D printer for a few thousand bucks and experimenting with it. Maybe print some key chains or stuff like that. The responses were along the lines of “Oh, sure, […]
Last week was spent in Arizona on an annual excursion with old friends playing golf. In my case, bad golf. There may also have been a cocktail or two involved. Anyway, as I left, GoPro came out with its 10K annual report and, while I was gone, Billabong reported its half yearly numbers. So I’m […]
Life was simpler when I wrote my first article on trade shows in the mid-90s. We went to trade shows because it was the only place to see, and to make, complete product presentations, and discover new, meaningful, features and products. There were also a lot more specialty retailers. The shows were the only place […]
I’ve reviewed Deckers’ 10Q for the three months ended December 31, 2016 and their conference call. The company earned $41 million on sales of $760 million in the quarter, which isn’t bad. But that’s down from net income of $157 million on revenues of $796 million in the same quarter last year. The problem? I’m […]
I’ve been sitting on this for a while trying to figure out whether or not offer it up. It’s certainly not action sports or active outdoor focused. And, in our current environment, it’s inevitably going to be perceived as having a particular bias. I’d say it reaches a solid conclusion based on the data […]
Over the last months or maybe a year, I’ve watched the trade show discussion as dates have changed, unchanged, and we’ve all tried to figure out the role of trade shows. We agree, I think, on the following: We need some trade shows Right now, there are too many Face time is a primary benefit […]
That was the question asked at a meeting last week at the Agenda trade show. The meeting was attended by various invited brands and retailers and by me. This meeting has been going for maybe four shows now and has generally been thoughtful and productive. That’s a welcome improvement from the larger group meetings that […]
