On October 31, I posted an article called “What’s Wrong with Capitalism?” After a couple of paragraphs of me ranting and raving there was a link to an article that described what Ben Hunt calls the “financialization of Texas Instruments. It was disturbing to a few people I heard from and, I hope, to some
The Disaster of Negative Interest Rates Read More »
At its September 29 quarter end, Big 5 had 433 stores down from 436 a year ago. Big 5 “…provide a full-line product offering in a traditional sporting goods store format that averages approximately 11,000 square feet. Our product mix includes athletic shoes, apparel and accessories, as well as a broad selection of outdoor and
Big 5 Sporting Goods. What Should We Think About Their Solid Quarter? Read More »
Well, uh, nothing actually. Okay, not nothing. Some things- sure. There’s no perfect system. But the real problem is that what we actually have is less and less like real capitalism. Adam Smith’s invisible hand and Schumpeter’s idea of creative destruction have both taken it on the chin. Quantitative easing, low to negative interest rates,
What’s Wrong with Capitalism? Read More »
I admit it. Before this deal, I’d never head of Kathmandu, a public company headquartered in New Zealand. If you haven’t either, you can visit their consumer facing web site or their investors web site where you can pour over all the deal related documents I’ve looked at. Mostly, though, I think you’re happy to
Kathmandu Buys Rip Curl: Analysis and Questions Read More »
This is interesting. It seems to indicate that most retailers are being left behind. You might want to click through to Capgemini and sign up for some of their research. Anyway, here’s the link.
Machine Learning Dominates AI Use for Retailers Read More »
I never learned why SPY went public in the first place all those years ago. I imagine it was because a group of people who may not quite have understood the industry saw potential fast growth and a chance to make a lot of money. Those were different times. I have some experience with that
An Inevitable Deal: SPY Purchased by Bolle Read More »
Zumiez had a great quarter ended August 3 (remember I don’t write until I have received and digested the 10-Q). They did it with sales that rose just 4.3% from $219.0 in last year’s quarter to $228.4 million in this year’s. But they also increased their gross margin from 33.1% in the same quarter last
An Agnostic Moat; Zumiez’s Most Recent Quarterly Results Read More »
Globe filed its annual report for the year ended June 30, 2019 pretty much concurrently with the announcement that it had sold Dwindle to Highline Industries Corporation. Skatewire reported that the purchase price was $1.5 million, but what the annual report says is that the carrying value of the assets was $1.5 million. I haven’t
Globe Sells Dwindle and Files Its Annual Report Read More »
It was July 22nd when Vail announced it had reached an agreement to purchase Peak Resorts for $11.00 a share or a total of $264 million. Peak Resorts, traded publicly under the symbol SKIS, closed at $5.19 on July 19. Hard to say “no” when somebody offers you more than double your stock price. Vail
Consolidation and Finding New Participants; Vail Buys Peak Resorts Read More »
In its conference call and 10Q filing for its May 4th quarter, Hibbett said some interesting things about what it’s doing. Let’s take a brief look at Hibbett and its numbers then talk about how Hibbett is trying to adjust to the changing retail world after its very late start. Hibbett describes itself as “…a
Hibbett Sports Says Some Interesting Things: Can They Catch Up in Ecommerce? Read More »