news alert
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news alert
#113/2014-11-27 News Alert global Sporting Goods Industry update among others in this issue WFSGI Manufacturers Forum 2014 praised with positive feedbacks 2 Nike to continue USOC sponsorship through 2020 3 Adidas: Purchase of treasury shares 3 EOG exclusive partner of ISPO Shanghai 5 Columbia Sportswear reports 29% net sales increase 7 Shimano Q3 results boosted by weak yen 11 Puma commits to 100% PFC removal 13 Li Ning: Interim CEO steps down 14 Turkish textile major to benefit from Ethiopia industrial park 15 Stoll fuses fashion with technology 16 EU and USA boost China textile and apparel exports 16 Coming soon: wfsgi annual meetings 2015 at ispo munich, germany February 3-5, 2014 ISPO, Munich, Germany SUSTAINING MEMBERS GOLD SILVER BRONZE Follow us on Twitter: WFSGI – WORLD FEDERATION OF THE SPORTING GOODS INDUSTRY @WFSGI Obere Zollgasse 75, P.O. Box 1664, 3072 Ostermundigen/Bern, Switzerland Phone +41 31 939 60 61, Fax +41 31 939 60 69, www.wfsgi.org 1 WFSGI NEWS ALERT: #113/2014-11-27 wfsgi manufacturers forum 2014 praised with positive feedbacks The WFSGI Manufacturers Forum 2014 was praised with positive feedbacks and a vast majority of the attendees said that they would participate in next year’s event again. The two-day event took place in Leipzig/Germany, on November 13-14, 2014, where 180 sporting goods industry representatives coming from 22 different countries discussed challenges and ways to better integrate design into manufacturing. a new mindset that inspires designers to explore the new capabilities that will be needed tomorrow”. “Why do we need to bring design and manufacturing together? The answer is simple: As a consumer brand, we need to reduce costs, increase speed and improve efficieny in our supply and distribution chains”, said adidas Group CEO, Herbert Hainer who delivered his keynote speech on value of design integration during the WFSGI Manufactuers Forum 2014. The sporting goods industry will have to further differentiate in its product portfolio to stay competitive and achieve strategic market positioning. This can be achieved by simplifiying the extension of the product portfolio through the use of modular systems and by the reduction of complexity, e.g. in production, and quality improvement through limitation of variants and multiple use of modules. A couple of presenters invoked the sporting goods industry to also establish design visualization and production facilities at the point of sale in order to accelerate the value chain and deliver an innovative customer experience. Participants coming from all over the globe were able to experience “efficiency” at first hand, when visiting the Porsche Factory in Leipzig. It is one of the success factors of Porsche AG to systematically align its production system to quality and efficiency and the close interlocking of production and development already in the early phase of product design. Steven Shih, Executive Director at Yue Yuen said that the manufacturer must make effort on building a user’s mindset among its executives, finding the right people and placing them in right positions. James Carnes, Global Creative Director at adidas argued that “The sporting goods industry needs to reframe its challenge to designers to maximize the production capabilities that exist today, and establish Professor Steve Evans emphasized that companies should prioritize their projects and work focused and disciplined on the ones selected and that tintegrated problem solving contributed to successful design integration into manufacturing. The WFSGI Manufacturers Forum is a yearly recurring event that will take place in Asia in Q4 in 2015. The event was powered by its partners Bayer MaterialScience, Com4® Yarns, Dassault Systèmes, DESMA, ISPO, Porsche Consulting and its Media Partners Bike Europe, Messeprojekt, SGI Europe, SAZsport and sport+mode. - See pictures of the event here. - Download presentations from the event here. Source: WFSGI Automation solutions for the integrated manufacturing process - the future begins - now! WFSGI – WORLD FEDERATION OF THE SPORTING GOODS INDUSTRY 2 WFSGI NEWS ALERT: #113/2014-11-27 nike to continue usoc sponsorship through 2020 Nike will continue to sponsor the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) through 2020 after the two organisations signed an extension of its existing agreement. The deal builds on a partnership that dates back to 2005 and will see the US sportswear giant providing clothing and footwear for the nation’s Olympic and Paralympic athletes. As well as kitting out Team USA at the Rio 2016 Games, as part of the previous contract, Nike, which is also the Official Uniform Supplier to the International Olympic Committee, will provide the medal stand uniforms that will be worn on the award podiums and during medal ceremonies at Pyeongchang 2018 and Tokyo 2020. The firm will also provide the award uniforms for the Lillehammer 2016 Winter Youth Olympic Games, the Buenos Aires 2018 Summer Youth Olympic Games and the 2020 Winter Youth Olympics, as well as the Toronto 2015 and Lima 2019 Pan and Parapan American Games. “Nike has been a proud partner of the US Olympic Committee since 2005 and we are excited to extend our support of Olympic and Paralympic athletes through 2020,” David Schriber, Nike’s vice-president of marketing for North America, said. “Nike’s mission is to provide inspiration and innovation to every athlete and this is another opportunity to show our continued support of Team USA athletes and the US Olympic Committee.” USOC chief marketing officer Lisa Baird said the National Olympic Committee is proud to extend its apparel, footwear and headwear partnership with Nike. “Nike innovations have long been instrumental for many Team USA athletes as they perform at the Olympic or Paralympic Games, and we are inspired by the memorable looks and styles Nike has created for Team USA athletes during the Games and on the medal stand,” she added. Source: InsidetheGames adidas: purchase of treasury shares The share buyback programme announced by adidas AG by means of an ad hoc notification on October 1, 2014, commences on November 7, 2014. In a first tranche, treasury shares of the company with an aggregate acquisition cost of up to € 300 million (excluding incidental purchasing costs), however, in total no more than 6,000,000 shares, shall be repurchased exclusively via the stock exchange over a period of time not to extend beyond January 30, 2015. The repurchased shares will be cancelled, thus reducing the nominal capital, or may be WFSGI – WORLD FEDERATION OF THE SPORTING GOODS INDUSTRY used to meet obligations arising from the potential conversion of the Company’s € 500 million convertible bond due on June 14, 2019. adidas AG is thereby utilising the authorisation granted by the Annual General Meeting on May 8, 2014, to repurchase treasury shares pursuant to § 71 sec. 1 no. 8 German Stock Corporation Act (Aktiengesetz – AktG). In accordance with this authorisation, shares in an amount of up to 10% of the company’s nominal capital may be repurchased inter alia through the stock exchange until May 7, 2019. A bank shall be assigned to carry out the share buyback, making its decisions on the share repurchase date independently of and uninfluenced by the company. adidas AG’s right to early termination of the bank mandate and/or to transfer the mandate to another bank shall remain unaffected. The share buyback shall be carried out exclusively via the stock exchange in electronic trading through the Frankfurt Stock Exchange (Xetra). The price per repurchased share (excluding incidental purchasing costs) may not be more than 10% higher or lower than the average stock exchange price for the adidas AG share as established in the opening auction of the electronic trading system on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange on the day of the repurchase obligation. The bank has committed itself to observe all trading restrictions of Article 5 of the Commission Regulation (EC) No 2273/2003 of December 22, 2003 (EC Reg.). In accordance with the EC Reg., no purchase price may be paid which exceeds the price of the last independent trade or the highest independent bid placed at the time of the purchase at the stock exchange at which the purchase is carried out, whichever value is the highest. Pursuant to the EC Reg., not more than 25% of the average daily volume of shares on the stock exchange on which the purchase is carried out may be acquired. The average volume of shares is based on the average daily trade volume of the 20 trading days preceding the specific date of purchase. The share buyback programme may be suspended and resumed at any time if this is in compliance with all statutory provisions. The transactions will be announced pursuant to the requirements of Article 4 sec. 4 EC Reg. no later than on the seventh trading day after their execution. In addition, adidas AG will report regularly on the progress of the share buyback on www.adidas-Group.com. adidas AG reserves the right to continue the share buyback programme in the future with the parameters published in the ad hoc notification of October 1, 2014. Any questions? Contact Simone Ramsauer, WFSGI PR Manager Phone: +41 31 939 60 61, Fax: +41 31 939 60 69, E-mail: sramsauer@wfsgi.org Source: adidas Group 3 WFSGI NEWS ALERT: #113/2014-11-27 puma’s third quarter sales improve 2014 Third Quarter Facts: • Currency adjusted sales increase by 6.4% to € 843 million • Footwear sales return to growth • OPEX increase due to Forever Faster marketing campaign • EBIT of € 46 million • Net Earnings of € 29 million • Strategic equity investment made in Borussia Dortmund 2014 Nine Month Facts: • Currency adjusted sales increase by 2.4% to € 2.22 billion • Slight gross profit margin decline to 47.2% • OPEX increased by 3.7% • EBIT of € 117 million • EPS amounts to € 4.59 • Successful launch of worldwide Forever Faster brand campaign Bjørn Gulden, Chief Executive Officer of PUMA SE: “In a good third quarter, PUMA achieved sales that were slightly better than expected. Footwear sales were up for the first time in seven quarters, and operating profits met our expectations. The launch of the Forever Faster marketing campaign was well received by both consumers and retailers. We told our consumers that PUMA is back and showed our retail partners that we deliver on our promises by investing in media campaigns. We feel that things are moving in the right direction, but as we have said all along: We know that the repositioning of PUMA and the turnaround of the business will take time as we need to continue to build confidence in the marketplace. I am convinced that our efforts have already translated into better products, better marketing and more efficient operations. In addition, we have now defined the key priorities which will mark the start of our IT infrastructure upgrade, laying the foundations for a fast, lean and efficient company in the future.” Khyati Bhinde, a vice president with Columbia’s Indian distributor Chogori India Retail Ltd. said Chogori plans to open 25 stores in India by April and up to 120 outlets over the next three years, according to reports by two Indian news media sites. Chogori agreed to open five Columbia stores in August, 2013, when Columbia named the company as its first distributor in India. But Bhinde told Indian media that results at the three Columbia stores it has opened since then have exceeded expectations. Bhinde said Chogori plans to open its first shop-in-shop stores in select multi-brand departmental stores like Shoppers Stop next fall. Source: SportsOneSource intersport pulls out of korea The European edition of Sporting Goods Intelligence reports that Intersport International Corporation (IIC) and its master franchise partner for South Korea, LG Fashion, have decided not to extend their five-year agreement. A whole year of negotiations on financial terms and future positioning in the Asian country has apparently proved fruitless. SGI Europe writes that this is the first time in the IIC’s 46-year history that such a franchise deal has not been renewed. Nonetheless, IIC sees itself on track with its plans to develop the Intersport banner in the Asia-Pacific region. IIC aims to have 500 stores under the Intersport and The Athlete’s Foot banner in the region by 2022. Intersport International, at this point, is already ahead of its targets. The group originally planned to have 200 doors in the Eastern hemisphere by 2016. As of now, it already has 230 points of sale. Source: ISPO Third Quarter 2014 - Sales increase: PUMA’s 2014 third quarter sales performance was positive, as consolidated sales rose by 6.4% currency adjusted to € 843 million. This represents an increase of 3.7% in Euro terms, as continuing currency effects from various countries had a negative impact on sales. Read more details here. Source: Puma columbia’s indian distributor quintuples store openings Columbia Sportswear’s distributor in India has dramatically accelerated their plans to open Columbia branded retail stores after Indian consumers responded to the brand better than anticipated. WFSGI – WORLD FEDERATION OF THE SPORTING GOODS INDUSTRY 4 WFSGI NEWS ALERT: #113/2014-11-27 mizuno announces fiscal 2014 consolidated business results Overview: • Net sales totaled 90.0 billion yen, up 1.9% compared with the same period in the previous fiscal year. • Operating income stood at 2.7 billion yen, up 3.9%. Net income before tax totaled 2.8 billion yen, up 24.1%. The quarterly net income after tax was 1.7 billion yen, up 31.4%. • Europe and Asia remained solid, mainly centered on runningrelated products, but in Japan, the activity of products in the mid- to high-price ranges, such as those in baseball and golf, was sluggish in part due to a delay in recovery from the impact of a consumption tax hike. • Gross margin improved by 0.9 point as product development and an improvement in the production process absorbed the rise in import costs resulting from a weaker yen. Main regions: Europe: • The footwear business related to running and indoor sports remained especially healthy. • Golf continues to face an uphill battle, with continued impact from the golf market’s global slump. • Product planning and marketing functions for European sports were moved from England to Germany. The operation started in May. • Net sales ultimately increased 18.7% The Americas: • The running and golf businesses did not perform well due to the impact of record low temperatures and sluggish sales, but the volleyball business has maintained its healthy performance. • Net sales ended up 3.9% lower. Asia: • Performance was healthy overall. The brand for running and lifestyle sports in particular advanced to firmly establish itself, contributing substantially to earnings. Also, the business restructuring in China was a success, considerably improving profitability. • Net sales ultimately rose 80.0% partly due to the effect of transferring the management of agency business in the Asian/Oceania region to subsidiaries in South Korea and Singapore. Japan: • The baseball and golf businesses were especially hard hit by challenging conditions, mainly due to the delay in recovery from a reaction to the tax hike, coupled with inclement weather in the summer. The shoes business in the health area, such as walking, continued its solid performance. • The sports facilities business, which has been expanding, showed solid performance due to an increase in the number of programs for the elderly and children. WFSGI – WORLD FEDERATION OF THE SPORTING GOODS INDUSTRY • Net sales fell 4.8% partly due to the effect of the transfer of the agency business for the Asian region, which was conducted in Japan until last fiscal year, to two consolidated subsidiaries. Estimate for Fiscal 2014: • Changes made • Net sales: 186.0 billion yen; operating income: 5.9 billion yen; net income before tax: 6.0 billion yen; net income after tax: 3.4 billion yen. Source: Mizuno eog: exclusive partner of ispo shanghai The European Outdoor Group (EOG) and ISPO are further expanding their partnership. EOG will exclusively support the new summer exhibition and multi-sport platform ISPO SHANGHAI. Renowned exhibitors have already confirmed their participation. ISPO SHANGHAI is the segment-overlapping sports business platform for primary growth market China. It is held from July 2 to July 4, 2015 at the Shanghai New International Expo Center (SNIEC). The forecast for the new exhibition for year-round sports is very positive. With a focus on outdoor, action sports, water sports, performance and fitness, ISPO SHANGHAI is receiving plenty of attention from international partners as well as the industry itself. Rolf Schmid, CEO of Mammut Sports Group and President of EOG explains his decision to participate in ISPO SHANGHAI as follows, “ISPO has always been the place where the entire sports & outdoor communities get together, and China is the market with the largest future potential in this industry. Messe München International organizing ISPO SHANGHAI as a summer event and ISPO BEIJING as a winter event in China simplifies our structure and organization. We speak to the same contacts and can be sure that they will duly fulfill our requirements to our satisfaction.” This exclusive partnership with the European Outdoor Group (EOG) is yet another guarantee for the success of the premiere of ISPO SHANGHAI. “ISPO SHANGHAI is not just an isolated event for us but a component of our year-round partnership. This provides EOG and all our members with a number of new opportunities and openings. We are very confident that ISPO SHANGHAI will be a complete success,” comments Mark Held, Secretary General of EOG. In addition to Mammut, manufacturers such as Black Diamond, Fjällräven, Deuter, Dolomite, Primus, Osprey, Julbo, Vasque, Smartwool, Sympatex, Camelbak, Point 65 Sweden and Regatta have already confirmed their participation in ISPO SHANGHAI. Source: ISPO 5 WFSGI NEWS ALERT: #113/2014-11-27 kjus names new design, product development and marketing leaders The premium sportswear brand KJUS has reinforced its design, product development and marketing unit in order to strengthen its position as the leading innovator in the ski, golf and active-wear markets. Terence Senford is the new Head of Design, Tom Schumacher manages the Accessories Department and Bettina Grabher takes over responsibility as Head of Marketing Communication and Digital Marketing. “The brand KJUS is backed-up by passionate experts with in-depth knowledge,” says Nico Serena, Executive VP Product and Marketing. “With the additional great expertise in management positions, we are ready for a successful future and will keep the sportswear revolution going.” Terence Senford Born and raised in the British capital, Senford holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the London College of Fashion. He has over 14 years of experience in the sports, textile and fashion industry. Starting his career as the Lead Designer for fashion icon Ozwald Boateng, he contributed his creativity to brands such as Ripcurl, Adidas and Nike. During his time at Puma, he revived the Active Lifestyle segment and brought it to commercial success. “One of the highlights of my career was for sure to equip Usain Bolt and his Jamaican Olympic team for the games in Beijing,” Senford says. “What I love most about my job is the combination of people management and creativity. I strive to promote and bring out the best of my team members on the one hand, and to build my aesthetic vision into clothing on the other.” At KJUS, Senford is responsible for the design of all collections, ski, golf and active-wear. Tom Schumacher Tom Schumacher brings along extensive experience in the sporting goods industry with brands like Billabong, Quiksilver or Palmer in his portfolio. At Scott’s Sport he was responsible for the global development of protection, gloves and bags. Recently, he was CEO and Creative Director at Atewa. “I’m really looking forward to expanding the accessories line and improving the existing products,” says the Swiss citizen. He has already contributed innovation to the KJUS range: the GSM/ Bluetooth glove (with integrated headset) was created by Tom as a freelancer back then. Bettina Grabher Bettina Grabher takes over additional responsibility as Head of Marketing Communication and Digital Marketing. She has been leading global teams and strategic marketing programs for over 14 years. During her career, she was responsible for the global brand and marketing strategies at big corporations such as Adecco and Dow, at small premium businesses such as Zima, as well as advertising and digital marketing agencies. She led co-branded consumer campaigns around new stretch fabrics to success, in cooperation with brands such as Nike or Calvin Klein. “Smart campaigning needs integrated thinking WFSGI – WORLD FEDERATION OF THE SPORTING GOODS INDUSTRY and a deep understanding of the consumer, as well as an intelligent interplay of different channels and media,” Grabher explains. The Austrian is an established citizen of the digital world and has kept up to date with the internet ever since it learned how to walk.. Source: PRNewswire garmin and oakley team up for action camera technology Garmin, the specialty brand of sports and other electronics, and Oakley have agreed to team up to develop advanced action cam technology. The two partners provide technical features that will combine Oakley’s Airwave technology for ski goggles and the Virb Elite action camera on a wireless basis. The connection of the Airwave 1.5 goggle with the Garmin camera enables the user to use the Airwave’s remote control also for the use of the Garmin device. In return, the Display of the goggle can be used as an LCD display for the camera which will feed the Airwave with videos and/or GPS data collected by the Virb Elite cam. The combined technology enables the user to navigate with maps, and to analyze jumps based on speed and altitude data. Source: ISPO descente north america names president Descente North America named Fumiatsu Hirai as its president, Yasuhiro Yamanaka as vice president, and Patrick Purcell as marketing and sales admin manager. Fumiatsu Hirai comes to Descente with a distinguished international background in executive management for consumer goods sales, marketing and manufacturing. “I’m so glad to be joining Descente to represent the Americas market” said Hirai. “I wish to contribute as much as possible to grow Descente brand value by maximizing customers satisfaction to the brand.” Yasuhiro Yamanaka has been with Descente for 20 years, most recently as a member of the global marketing division over European companies. “I am excited to join Descente North America and to expand and grow the brand in this market. There is a great deal of potential to grow our business and I look forward to the opportunity.” Patrick Purcell joins the Descente team with over 15 years of marketing, digital, and sales experience in hard goods, soft goods and online marketing. “I am thrilled to be joining the team. I look forward to helping increase brand awareness and am very excited about the potential and direction of Descente.” Source: SportsOneSource 6 WFSGI NEWS ALERT: #113/2014-11-27 columbia sportswear reports 29% net sales increase Columbia Sportswear Company announced record net sales of $675.3 million for the quarter ended September 30, 2014, an increase of $152.2 million, or 29 percent, compared with net sales of $523.1 million for the same period in 2013. Third quarter operating income increased 28 percent to $98.3 million and net income grew 20 percent to $65.6 million, or $0.93 per diluted share. Tim Boyle, Columbia’s president and chief executive officer, commented, “I’m thrilled to announce these outstanding third quarter results which reflect strong performance by our Columbia and Sorel brands in North American wholesale and direct-to-consumer channels. In addition, strengthening of the Columbia brand in our Europedirect markets and incremental sales from our new China JV and newly-acquired prAna brand further bolstered top-line growth. “In response to our strong year-to-date performance, we raised our full year 2014 financial outlook to anticipate consolidated net sales growth of approximately 22 percent and a 35 percent increase in net income. In addition, we raised our quarterly dividend for the second time this year, bringing the cumulative increase in the dividend during 2014 to 20 percent. “We see solid momentum continuing into 2015, assuming seasonal weather prevails in key global markets. Our confidence is based on strong early Fall 2014 sell-through, coupled with growth in Spring 2015 advance wholesale orders, and our plans for continued growth in our direct-to-consumer channels.” Boyle concluded, “The efforts of our global teams over the last several years to deliver meaningful innovation, performance and compelling styling through our products, while increasing our investments in demand creation, are resonating with wholesale customers and, more importantly, with consumers, positioning us to generate double-digit net sales growth again in 2015, and to make further progress toward our goal of mid-teen operating margin.” Read the full report here. Source: Columbia Sportswear haglöfs has a new chief executive Swedish outdoor brand Haglöfs has appointed its new chief executive. Effective Nov. 3, Peter Fabrin will take over at the helm of the Asics subsidiary. Most recently, Fabrin served as chief executive of The Original Group, a fashion brand of the Danish DK Company group. Before, he was responsible for management of, among others, Diesel Nordic, and IC Companys where he sat on the board of directors at Peak Performance. Before Fabrin’s arrival, Haglöfs was managed by Eva Strand, chief financial officer, and Richard Jägrud, product director on an interim basis. The job of CEO at Haglöfs has been vacant since the departure of Nicolas Warchalowski who was appointed chief executive of Peak Performance in September. Source: ISPO reebok acquires luta sportswear Reebok International, which is owned by Adidas, has acquired the U.K.-based, boxing and martial arts brand, Luta. Reebok also established a long-term alliance with Fight for Peace, a non-profit organization which combines boxing and martial arts with education and personal development, and helps more than 100,000 young people in communities affected by crime and violence. Fight for Peace and Luta were founded by Luke Dowdney MBE, a former amateur boxer and British Universities champion, who used the sport as a means to attract and work with young people from Complexo da Maré, a complex of 17 favelas in Rio de Janeiro, where the project began in 2000 followed by a London Academy in 2007 as well as satellite projects across the world. Today Fight for Peace provides a comprehensive program combining boxing & martial arts, education, personal development, youth leadership and employment support, as well as offering a range of youth support services. Fight for Peace directly benefits over 3,000 young people each year in Rio and London, and has now trained over 100 community based organizations in its methodology across 24 countries. Its product range includes hoodies & sweatshirts, performance t-shirts, base layers, shorts, pants, jackets and boxing gloves. Source: SportsOneSource german court rules against nike’s flyknit patent In a long-lasting patent quarrel, Adidas has won an important legal battle concerning the specific “knitting” technology used in Nike’s Flyknit and the Three Stripes’ corresponding Primeknit products. These techniques make it possible to manufacture one-piece shoe uppers, which make footwear lighter and the manufacturing process simpler. The Federal Patent Court in Munich has now ruled that Nike’s European patent on the technology is obsolete and is to be removed from the German register of patents. Two years ago, on the eve of the London Olympic Games, Nike tried to prevent Adidas from marketing its own version of knit technology footwear. Adidas has argued that the knitting technique is far from innovative as the first constructions of this type were presented as early as 1940. Source: ISPO do you follow us on twitter? Get the latest news by following: WFSGI – WORLD FEDERATION OF THE SPORTING GOODS INDUSTRY @WFSGI 7 WFSGI NEWS ALERT: #113/2014-11-27 asics reports strong 2nd quarter and opens flagship store in hamburg In its second quarter ended Sept. 30, the Japanese sporting goods company booked net sales of ¥265,097 million (€1.86 billion). Asics is not providing any comparison to the previous year because of the group’s switch in financial calendar, which synchronizes the fiscal with the calendar year. This led to irregular settlement periods that make it impossible to compare results with the previous year. Operating profit was ¥33,073 million (€232.1 million), net income was ¥24,534 million (€172.1 million). In Europe, turnover amounted to ¥82,544 million (€579.2 million), while income was ¥8,880 million (€62.3 million). On Oct. 31, Asics opened a new shop format called True Sport Performance Store in the heart of Hamburg. The flagship store has a selling surface of about 1,000 square meters. It is located at Speersort, close to Mönckebergstraße, the well-known shopping street where Swedish sporting goods chain Stadium just opened its first store in Germany in September. The new Asics store will open with an event featuring Olympic track & field gold medalist Dieter Baumann and players from Hamburg’s HSV handball team. The performance store presents the entire range of Asics products available on the German market, comprising collections for running, team sports, training and tennis. The company is improving the shopping experience with additional services such as a running club and “Asics Lab”, where customers can check their health and performance. Source: ISPO we are marathoners. #better your best WFSGI – WORLD FEDERATION OF THE SPORTING GOODS INDUSTRY 8 WFSGI NEWS ALERT: #113/2014-11-27 blatter lodges criminal complaint with swiss authorities over alleged misconduct in world cup bidding process Fifa lodged a criminal complaint with the authorities in its home country of Switzerland in relation to possible misconduct by individuals in the bidding process for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups. Fifa president Sepp Blatter said that he filed the complaint with the Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland on the recommendation of German judge Hans-Joachim Eckert, the head of the adjudicatory chamber of the federation’s independent ethics committee, following the publication of a summary of a report of the committee’s probe of the controversial bidding process last week.The full 430-page report, which was compiled by former US district attorney Michael Garcia, the head of the ethics committee’s investigatory chamber, has not been made public for legal reasons, and the individuals accused of wrongdoing have not been disclosed at this stage. In an interview on the Fifa website, Blatter said: “I cannot… comment on any possible criminal offences. I am not a lawyer. I also was not the addressee of the investigatory report, which I have never seen. However, given Judge Eckert’s recommendation, it was my duty – as the president of Fifa – to lodge the complaint.” Fifa has said that “there seem to be grounds for suspicion that, in isolated cases, international transfers of assets with connections to Switzerland took place, which merit examination by the criminal prosecution authorities.” In Eckert’s 42-page summary published last Thursday, Russia and Qatar were cleared of corruption in their successful bids to host the 2018 and 2022 World Cups respectively as it was concluded that any breaches of the rules by the countries bidding for the two tournaments were “of very limited scope”. However, although the ethics committee stated that the bidding process for the World Cups was now closed, it was made clear that it could still launch proceedings against individuals based on the findings of the overall probe. The release of the summary was somewhat undermined by Garcia rejecting it for alleged “numerous materially incomplete and erroneous representations” and taking his case to the Fifa Appeal Committee, prompting claims that the Fifa might be trying to cover up the findings. However, this was denied by Eckert who states on the Fifa website: “During my analysis of the report… I came across indications that pointed to suspected unlawful activity in connection with Switzerland. In the circumstances, I saw it as my duty to bring this to the Fifa president’s attention and to recommend to him that the Swiss criminal prosecution authorities be informed.“I would like to point out that not once did my statement involve a so-called ‘whitewashing’ of the award process with regard to the various allegations and assumptions made, contrary to what has been claimed in some quarters. WFSGI – WORLD FEDERATION OF THE SPORTING GOODS INDUSTRY “My statement was based on the Garcia report – I can only work with the material contained in it, and in my view, there was insufficient clear evidence of illegal or irregular conduct that would call into question the integrity of the award process as a whole.” He added that the ethics committee was now undertaking further clarification work while the relevant national criminal prosecution authorities will determine whether individuals have a legal case to answer. Blatter supported Eckert’s defence, saying: “I have no doubt that the ethics committee has done all it possibly could under the Fifa statutes to shed light on the issues surrounding the awarding of the World Cups.” He added: “Michael Garcia can of course still conduct further internal Fifa investigations into individuals if he deems this to be necessary in the light of his report. Furthermore, there is no change to Judge Eckert’s statement that the investigation into the bidding process for the 2018 and 2022 Fifa World Cups is concluded. “Of course. If we had anything to hide, we would hardly be taking this matter to the Office of the Attorney General. Fifa’s internal bodies have done all they can within the scope of their capabilities, and they are continuing with their work. The matter will now alo be looked at by an independent, state body, which shows that Fifa is not opposed to transparency.” The apparent dispute between Eckert and Garcia has led to renewed calls, notably from Greg Dyke, the chairman of England’s Football Association, and some Fifa executive committee members, for the latter’s report to be published in full to ensure complete transparency. However, Blatter maintained today that that would not be possible under Fifa rules and Swiss legislation, saying: “Once again, we have examined this matter very, very carefully from a legal point of view. The result was clear: if Fifa were to publish the report, we would be violating our own association law as well as state law. “The people who are demanding in the media and elsewhere that Fifa publish the report are obviously of the opinion that Fifa should or must ignore the law in this regard. We obviously cannot do that. Fifa’s headquarters are in a constitutional state, and we therefore have to abide by the country’s laws.” However, the full Garcia report will be made available to the Office of the Attorney General in Switzerland to assist with its investigation. Much of the focus of the World Cup bidding process has been on the 2022 contest, with Qatar considered a controversial choice because of its small size, lack of soccer heritage and summer temperatures of up to 50 degrees Celsius, which have already prompted a continuing Fifa study to assess whether the tournament should be moved from its traditional months of June and July to the northern hemisphere winter. Source: Sportcal 9 WFSGI NEWS ALERT: #113/2014-11-27 ioc and fifa presidents ‘won’t let world cup and olympics clash’ The presidents of the International Olympic Committee and soccer’s world governing body FIFA have made an agreement the 2022 World Cup in Qatar won’t overlap with the Winter Olympics, IOC vice president Craig Reedie said. FIFA may reschedule the soccer tournament, which is usually held when major European soccer leagues break in June and July, to another date because of stifling summer temperatures. Last month, European soccer official Umberto Gandini suggested the Winter Olympics should make way for a winter World Cup in Qatar in February 2022 because the winter event was less important. There is an agreement between IOC president Thomas Bach and FIFA president Sepp Blatter “not to have that clash,” Reedie said in an interview with a small group of reporters at the Host City: Bid to Win conference in London today. “We are restricted in winter sports to doing it when winter sports conditions are absolutely right and that’s February,” Reedie said, when asked if the 2022 Winter Olympics could be held at a different date. “And with a bit of luck, FIFA will be able to work around that.” The host of the 2022 Games will be decided in July, with Beijing and Almaty, Kazakhstan, as the remaining candidates after Oslo withdrew last month because of a lack of local support. “The FIFA World Cup is one of the major events in the sporting landscape, with the Summer Olympics,” Gandini, vice chairman of the European Club Association, told a conference on Oct. 8 in London. “The Winter Olympics aren’t there yet, but they’re very important to their sports. But if you are moving such a major event as the World Cup, it should be possible to find a solution and move a little bit the Winter Olympics. With wisdom and debate, it’s possible to come to a solution.” Reedie today said he “disagreed,” with AC Milan’s Gandini. “You’ve only got to look at the interest in the last Winter Games in Sochi, and the number of hours covered. There is a huge interest in the Winter Games and that will continue.” Source: Bloomberg germany confirms bid to host 2024 olympic games Berlin and Hamburg are the two cities contesting to host the Games with a decision on who the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) will put forward set to be decided on March 21, 2015. Both cities outlined concept proposals for a bid last month. Berlin has previously put a figure of €2.4 billion (£1.9 billion/$3.1 billion) on hosting the Games. The German capital would spend €250 million (£197 million/$318 million) on upgrading 15 existing sports facilities and €1 billion (£790 million/$1.3 billion) building temporary ones for the Games. Under Berlin’s plan from outgoing Mayor Klaus Wowereit, many of the events would be held in the surrounding states of Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-West Pomerania, Saxony-Anhalt, and Saxony. Hamburg, meanwhile, plans to hold the majority of the events within a ten-kilometre radius of a new Olympic Stadium. This central venue would be built on the island of Kleiner Grasbrook in the city’s harbour on the Elbe River. “The Olympic and Paralympic Games are for the German sports the most important event ever,” DOSB President Alfons Hörmann said. “The Olympic and Paralympic Games, created sustainably, are a chance for the whole country and especially for the host city and region. “From Munich 1972 to London 2012 it becomes clear what they can trigger in the economy and society if well conceived and executed.” The DOSB revealed in a statement that if they are unsuccessful in 2024, they will bid again for the 2028 Games. Germany has been reluctant to decide upon a single candidate city in an effort to avoid a repeat of Munich’s bid for the 2022 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games. Last year, a referendum held in Munich and the surrounding areas voted against backing a bid for the 2022 Winter Olympics and Paralympics, leaving the DOSB unable to proceed. A referendum will be held in each city to determine whether they wish to move forward with a bid for the 2024 Games, however the DOSB are confident of favourable public support. According to its own polls, a narrow majority was against the Games in Berlin, 48 per cent for and 49 per cent against, while the project had the support of 53 percent of the Hamburg population. If Germany were to become successful in their bid, it would be the first time the country has hosted the Olympics since Munich 1972 - a Games overshadowed by a deadly attack on Israeli athletes by Palestinian terrorists. Source: InsidetheGames Germany will bid to host the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games and, if they are unsuccessful, again in 2028, they have confirmed. WFSGI – WORLD FEDERATION OF THE SPORTING GOODS INDUSTRY 10 WFSGI NEWS ALERT: #113/2014-11-27 shimano q3 results boosted by weak yen Shimano reported sales of its bicycle components for the first nine months of the year are running more than 20 percent ahead of last year and that inventories were healthy in all regions, indicating the industry may have made up for its late start last spring. The Japanese company said total net sales increased 20.8 percent to ¥241,012 million ($2.3 bn) in the nine months ended Sept. 30 compared with the same period of the previous year. Operating income increased 54.5 percent to ¥47,969 million ($466 mm), ordinary income increased 37.4 percent to ¥48,215 million ($468 mm), and net income increased 35.9 percent to ¥34,670 million ($337 mm). In Europe, despite a temporary decrease in retail sales owing to unsettled weather in August and September, sales have been buoyant since the winter, which was mild. In the U.S., which experienced an extremely harsh winter, despite a delay in the commencement of sales, retail sales have been generally brisk since spring and comparable to the level in a typical year. In Japan, despite a severe winter, retail sales of sports bicycles and mid-range and high-grade community bicycles have been robust, even after the consumption tax increase. Sales of commuting bicycles, however, have weakened somewhat. Sales of sports bicycles continued to grow in China, and sales growth in other emerging markets was also robust. Distributor and retailer inventories were relatively low or in an appropriate range in all regions. In these market conditions, against a backdrop of rising expectations in view of promising market trends looking forward, order-taking was brisk as Shimano products were relatively affordable because of the depreciation of the yen. Moreover, sales of new disk brakes for road bikes released in the third quarter, as well as new models released in the second quarter, including Alivio mountain bike components, Tourney TX entry-level mountain bike components, and 105 road bike components, were buoyant. Segment sales for the first nine months exceeded the figure for the same period of the previous year. As a result, sales from this segment increased 23.4 percent from the same period of the previous year to ¥196,437 million ($1.9 bn), and operating income increased 53.5 percent to ¥44,707 million ($434 mm). Source: SportsOneSource WFSGI – WORLD FEDERATION OF THE SPORTING GOODS INDUSTRY accell group expects turnover and profit growth Based on developments through October, Accell Group expects to book higher turnover in all of its key markets in the second half of 2014, compared to the same period last year. Also net profit is expected to increase in the second half year, compared to 2013. Accell Group is in takeover talks with Danish firm Cycle Service Nordic, a distributor of bicycle parts and accessories. René Takens, CEO of Accell Group: “The positive trend of the first half year has continued into the second half year. Following a good first half, the weather conditions have also been favourable in the second half in most of the countries where Accell markets its products. The margin is developing positively as in particular more electric bikes and high-end sports bikes are being sold. The cquisition of Comet in Spain and the expected takeover of Cycle Service Nordic in Denmark lead to a further strengthening of our position in the field of bicycle parts and accessories in Europe. Based on the above, we expect sound growth in turnover and profit for the full year 2014.” Accell Group recently completed the earlier announced acquisition of Comet in Spain. The Spanish company will be consolidated in Accell Group’s results from 1 November 2014. Furthermore, Accell Group is in talks with Cycle Service Nordic in Denmark. Cycle Service Nordic is a distributor of bicycle parts and accessories in Scandinavia with a profitable annual turnover of around € 13 million. The company has a workforce of around 40 people. Based on the developments outlined above and the current market outlook, Accell Group expects a higher organic growth in turnover in the second half of the year compared to the first half of 2014. Added value is expected to be slightly higher than in 2013, partly due to a reduction in the number of bicycles from older production years to be sold at a discount. The ratio of operating costs to turnover will be comparable to the level reported in the second half of 2013. The total trade working capital is lower than in 2013, due to the reduction of inventories and the divestment of the Hercules business and the fitness activities. Accell Group expects full year 2014 net profit to significantly increase compared to 2013, due to a higher operating result, lower financing costs and lower restructuring costs. Taking into account normal effects related to seasonal sales patterns, there have been no notable changes in the financial structure of Accell Group in recent months. The seasonal character of the business means that profit in the second half of the year is generally much lower in the first half year. The outlook for the medium to long term remains positive. Demand for bicycles for mobility, health and active sports purposes is structurally strong. This will continue to boost sales of electric bikes and sports bikes in the higher end of the market in particular. Source: Accell Group 11 WFSGI NEWS ALERT: #113/2014-11-27 ritchey design adopts map policy effective nov. 1 Ritchey Design Inc. has adopted a global Minimum Advertised Price (MAP) policy and said it will only sell to authorized distributors and retailers. The policy will be in effect as of Nov. 1, 2014. “Ritchey’s MAP policy is designed to support our dealers and protect the perception of the brand as a high-end supplier,” said COO John Frechette. “Tom Ritchey spent 40 years building his company with the help of the IBD, and we continue to value that relationship.” Ritchey’s policy establishes Minimum Advertised Prices, which will be provided to dealers. As with other MAP policies, retailers are free to sell products at any price but they cannot advertise or promote Ritchey product at prices below what is stated in the MAP policy. Ritchey’s MAP policy includes sales through Amazon and Ebay and the company stated that it will take an aggressive stance towards enforcing it, including the stoppage of sales to distributors or dealers in violation. Ritchey is a high-end maker of frames, wheels and components based in Northern California and still owned and operated by framebuilding legend, mountain bike pioneer and product designer Tom Ritchey. For questions relating to Ritchey’s MAP policy or to obtain a Ritchey MAP price list contact US Sales Director Eric Brecheen at ebrecheen@ ritcheylogic.com. Source: SportsOneSource dorel announces improved third quarter results Dorel Industries Inc. announced results for the third quarter and nine months ended September 30, 2014. Revenue for the quarter increased 10.8% to US$673.0 million compared to US$607.3 million a year ago. Net income for the period rose 75.4% to US$19.5 million or US$0.60 per diluted share compared to US$11.1 million or US$0.34 per diluted share in 2013. Total revenue for the nine months was up 9.7% to US$1.98 billion compared to US$1.80 billion in the prior year. Net income increased by 27.5% to US$59.5 million or US$1.83 per diluted share, compared to US$46.6 million or US$1.45 per diluted share for the year-to-date a year ago. “Marking the third quarter were a number of positive highlights in all three segments. Results were generally good across most of our juvenile divisions and this was despite the strength of the US dollar relative to last year reducing earnings by around US$4.0 million. Product development was showcased at two major juvenile trade shows and there is a substantial number of new product introductions scheduled for next year. There has been a great deal of activity associated with our newly-acquired facilities in China and Taiwan. We WFSGI – WORLD FEDERATION OF THE SPORTING GOODS INDUSTRY see the Lerado transaction as a game-changer for Dorel and there has been a team in place coordinating the integration changeover for several months,” said Martin Schwartz, Dorel President & CEO. “We continue to be pleased with the sustained progress in our Recreational/Leisure segment. For the third consecutive quarter, segment revenue grew by double digits. The Cannondale Sports Group (CSG) has had a solid nine months and we see a bright future for this business with a dynamic management team in place. Caloi’s operating profit was positive after losses during the first half and we still expect the bulk of Caloi’s earnings during the current fourth quarter. In the mass channel, Pacific Cycle posted healthy increases with quarterly performance exceeding prior year in both revenue and operating profit. We look forward to an excellent racing year in 2015 with our new partners, Slipstream Racing. “As we transition out of the Brixia relationship with our Cannondale Pro Cycling team, we have incurred one-time costs of US$4.5 million in the quarter, as outlined below in the Recreational/Leisure segment. In addition, the segment’s on-going restructuring program resulted in costs of US$0.9 million. The strength of the US dollar also had an unfavourable net impact on the Recreational/Leisure results of approximately US$1.0 million versus last year. Home Furnishings revenues increased with Internet and drop ship vendor sales doing well. Operating profit was down slightly due to declines in domestically produced RTA furniture,” concluded Mr. Schwartz. In total, the appreciation of the US dollar had a net negative impact on the Juvenile and Recreational/Leisure segments of approximately US$5.0 million for the quarter versus the third quarter of 2013. Offsetting this was the favourable effect of exchange on the revaluation of put option liabilities which resulted in a gain of US$3.1 million in the quarter versus a loss of US$3.5 million in the same period in 2013 (representing a net favourable change of US$6.6 million), recorded in corporate expenses in the segmented information. In addition, third quarter total expenses related to the Cannondale Pro Cycling team one-time costs and the segment’s restructuring costs were US$5.4 million pre-tax. Note that the third quarter of 2013 included a pre-tax expense of US$8.0 million related to an unfavourable ruling in a US car seat product liability case. On November 3, 2014, Dorel completed its acquisition of 100% of the juvenile business of Hong Kong-based Lerado Group, a juvenile product manufacturer in China specializing in the design and manufacture of a wide range of infant and juvenile products. Source: Dorel Industries 12 WFSGI NEWS ALERT: #113/2014-11-27 uvex posts record results for 2013-14 Uvex, the German maker of bike and ski helmets, eyewear and protective equipment, lifted its sales in the financial year 2013-14 by 6.4 percent over the prior period to €365 million. The Uvex Saftey Group, with sales of €260.9 million the by far largest division of the company, increased its turnover by 5.2 percent. Work and professional protective clothing represents 71 percent of Uvex’ revenues. Despite challenging snow conditions, the sports division boosted its sales by 9.6 percent to €111.1 million. The strong growth was mainly due to a good development of the collections for horseback riding and cycling, but also snow sports products were on the rise. There were difficulties in some markets, such as Japan and Russia, which derived mainly from unfavorable currency exchange effects. This was partly offset by a healthy evolution of the Alpina brand with its stronger focus on European markets where it managed to increase sales both of snow and bike products notably in the German-speaking countries. Source: ISPO yue yuen sees 7 percent revenue gain in nine months Yue Yuen reported sales in the nine months rose 6.8 percent to $5.94 billion. Gross profit was up 10.3 percent to $1.3 billion. Recurring operating profit attributed to owners of the company was up 9.5 percent to $318.4 million. Non-recurring operating loss attributable to owners of the company amounted to $110.4 million, which included $90 million of increased contributions to social insurance benefit and housing provident fund for employees China and $18.8 million of losses due to fair value changes of derivative financial instruments. For the same period last year, the group had a non-recurring profit of $38.8 million, which include a $30.2 million one-time gain arising from the disposal of subsidiaries. Total net profit attributable to owners of the company amounted to $209 million, down 36.8 percent compared to $330.5 million. Total sales of shoes manufactured in the period were up 3.9 percent compared to last year, whereas the volume of shoes sold was down by 0.5 percent to 228.8 million pairs for the period. puma commits to 100% pfc removal German sportswear business Puma has laid out an action plan for the elimination of chemicals in its products and set milestones to achieve full transparency in its supply chain. The move, as part of its commitment to the Greenpeace Detox campaign, will see 100% removal of per-and polyfluorinated chemicals (PFCs) in its products no later than the end of 2017. PFCs are used in the manufacturing of clothing and shoes to keep them dirt and water resistant. However, once released, these chemicals are known to be persistent, accumulate in the environment and can impact human health, some of them damaging the immune and reproductive systems, and with links to diseases such as thyroid disease. Launching its Detox Campaign in 2011, environmental pressure group Greenpeace has been calling on clothing brands to remove hazardous chemicals from their supply chains and products by 2020. “Puma’s announcement shows that the company is taking its Detox commitment seriously,” said Manfred Santen, Detox campaigner at Greenpeace Germany. “The detailed action plan for phasing out dangerous chemicals and releasing discharge data is another huge step towards a toxic-free future.” Puma has also committed to publishing discharge data from 80% of its global suppliers by the end of 2014. The Puma pledge, Greenpeace says, exceeds Adidas’ announcement from June this year that 99% of all its products would be PFC-free by 2017. Nike, it adds, is “lagging further”, missing an action plan to clean up its production by 2020. “Puma has once again lived up to their slogan “Forever faster” and are once again frontrunners in the sportswear sector. The ball is now in the court of other laggards such as Nike and LiNing to match Puma’s commitment to its customers,” said Santen. Source: just-style Source: SportsOneSource WFSGI – WORLD FEDERATION OF THE SPORTING GOODS INDUSTRY 13 WFSGI NEWS ALERT: #113/2014-11-27 Nike, inc. appoints new president of nike golf and raises quarterly dividend 17% Management change at Nike Golf Nike, Inc. appointed Daric Ashford as president of Nike Golf. Daric is currently VP, GM of Brand Jordan for North America and is a 21-year Nike veteran. Daric has held senior management positions across retail and sales within the Nike brand. While working in Brand Jordan, Daric has elevated the marketplace and brand through innovative merchandising, sales and marketplace strategies that deeply connect with consumers. “Daric’s leadership has helped to deliver strong revenue growth and expand the Jordan brand. His proven track record, along with his experience in global categories, makes him ideally suited to leading the Golf business,” said Jayme Martin, VP, GM Global Categories. Effective immediately, Daric will report to Jayme Martin, VP, GM Global Categories. Financial results Nike, Inc.’s board of directors on Wednesday declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.28 per share on the company’s outstanding Class A and Class B Common Stock, a whopping 17 percent increase over the previous quarterly rate of $0.24. The dividend is payable on Jan. 5, 2015, to shareholders of record at the close of business on Dec. 15, 2014. “Nike has a consistent track record of delivering value to our shareholders and today’s announcement marks the 13th consecutive year we’ve increased our dividend,” said Mark Parker, President and CEO of Nike, Inc. “This increase, together with the four-year $8 billion share repurchase program announced in 2012, reflects the confidence we have in our strategies to generate sustainable, profitable growth and strong cash flows, to invest for the future and return cash to shareholders.”* Source: SportsOneSource li ning: interim ceo steps down Jin-Goon Kim is no longer interim chief executive officer at Li Ning, China’s largest marketer of sports gear. Kim was at the top of the group’s operations for more than two years as executive vice chairman, along with Li Ning as executive chairman of the company he founded. The joint leadership was installed after the resignation of CEO Zhang Zhi Yong on July 4, 2012. In March this year, Kim was appointed additionally as interim chief executive. The company announced that the process of identifying a new permanent CEO is expected to come to a close soon; until then CEO duties will be performed by Li Ning himself. Kim is said to remain vice chairman, but will concentrate on other responsibilities at TPG, the investment firm of which he is a partner. Source: ISPO WFSGI – WORLD FEDERATION OF THE SPORTING GOODS INDUSTRY jost no longer on german intersport’s executive board Effective Nov. 3, Klaus Jost, president of Intersport Germany in charge of purchasing, marketing and distribution since 2001, is no longer a member of the buying group’s executive board. The supervisory board informed that it could not find a common basis with Jost on the future strategy of the company. Additionally, the controlling body felt the move inevitable after it saw no way to work with Jost based on mutual trust. Jost served as Intersport’s co-president along with his colleague Kim Roether who was responsible for operations, logistics, IT and human resources. In October, however the supervisory board decided that the group needed a new operational structure with one chairman of the executive board. The body picked Roether as the man for the new job, overseeing the work of Jost and a new board member yet to be hired. No decision taken on the leadership at IIC It came as no a surprise that Jost would not accept moving from the top job to an executive role subordinate to a new overall chief. Apparently, no decision has been taken regarding Intersport International Corporation (IIC) whose supervisory board is still chaired by Jost. It is widely considered that he will step down in the coming weeks. In theory, he has a mandate until 2017 after he was confirmed for another three-year term just a few weeks ago. Deprived of his power base at Intersport Germany and Austria, it is unlikely that he can continue in a leading international role. Source: ISPO wto publishes annual package of trade and tariff data The WTO released on 28 October 2014 new editions of its key statistical publications: International Trade Statistics, Trade Profiles, World Tariff Profiles and Services Profiles. The four publications provide a detailed breakdown of the latest trade developments. Read the full article here. Source: WTO 14 WFSGI NEWS ALERT: #113/2014-11-27 turkish textile major to benefit from upcoming ethiopia industrial park sony advertises 4k tech on giroud studs The Turkish textile and garment manufacturer Ayka Tekstil has told WTiN.com that construction of its new textile and garment industrial zone in Ethiopia, which it is developing in partnership with the Ethiopian government, is likely to begin within the next two or three months. Sony has partnered with Arsenal and France international footballer Olivier Giroud for its ‘Microtising’ campaign to highlight the detail of 4K TV technology. Ayka Tekstil, which is based in Istanbul, shifted virtually all its production to Addis Ababa in 2006, establishing an Ethiopian subsidiary, Ayka Addis Textile, which now accounts for around half of Ethiopia’s total textile and garment exports, according to the company. Kemal Oznoyan, who works for Ayka Tekstil as a co-ordinator linking the Turkish and Ethiopian arms of the company, said that the new industrial zone, which is to be located around 10km outside Addis Ababa, is expected to be operating by the middle of 2015. The site is to be jointly owned by Ayka Addis Textile and the Ethiopian government, with construction of the site to be overseen by Ayka Addis Textile. Oznoyan said that the site will be used by Ayka Addis for garment production, but will also be open to investment from other textile and garment companies from Turkey, with seven other Turkish companies set to invest. There is also the potential of there being investments from companies in other countries, including China and India. The site is expected to produce around 10,000 garments per day, and create more than 2,000 new jobs. According to Oznoyan, around 75% of the fabrics that will be used for garment production at the new site will be manufactured by Ayka Addis. He said that the company’s fabric mill in Ethiopia is currently running at around 40-50% of its capacity, and that as a result of the additional demand from the new industrial zone it will reach 75% of its capacity, with the aim of reaching full capacity in the next few years. He said that Ayka Addis is currently producing around 25-27 tonnes of fabrics per day, but hopes to increase this to 40 tonnes per day. The company produces fabrics in cotton and synthetics, including blends such as cotton/viscose. Oznoyan said that textile and garment companies in Turkey are increasingly seeing Ethiopia as an attractive destination in which either to re-locate or invest in additional manufacturing facilities. “We originally tried to invest in India and China, but when we visited those countries we realised that we would just be one among many companies there,” he said. “However, in Ethiopia we have been better positioned to stand out.” Oznoyan said that the country’s political stability, cheap labour and location are all key advantages. He noted that Turkey is especially well-connected to Ethiopia, with Turkish Airlines now running direct flights from Istanbul to Addis Ababa every day. He added that Ayka Addis has also benefited from government support in Ethiopia. “When we have experienced any problems the government has always helped,” he said. He explained that when Ayka Tekstil first invested in its operations in Ethiopia, a letter of credit would typically take around 40 days to be issued, but that now it would normally take just three days. He added that the company has also found a number of developments in Ethiopia’s foreign trade policy to be to its benefit, such as reductions in import duties, with capital goods and construction materials, for example, now exempt from customs duty. In a first for football, Microtising - a hybrid of microscopic and advertising - will see the Sony and 4K logo branded onto the studs of Giroud’s boots, representing a new opportunity for advertisers. Giroud, who made his long-awaited comeback from injury against Manchester United on Saturday, said of the campaign: ‘Football is my passion, and I want everyone who watches it to feel what I feel when I run out onto the pitch, and 4K television is the nearest thing you can get to actually being on the pitch yourself.’ ‘Detail is so important when you are playing and it’s just as important when you are watching, Sony 4K provides that detail like no other.’ The partnership builds on the success of Sony’s first ‘microtising’ campaign at Wimbledon in 2013 where British tennis star Anne Keothavong sported microscopic advertising on her fingernails, shoelaces and sporting equipment. Motoi Kawamura, Head of TV Marketing and Product Planning for Europe explained: ‘Our 4K Ultra HD TV’s really lend themselves to sport as you can catch every minute detail of speed and skill that justifies football’s moniker as the beautiful game.’ ‘Giroud is one of the best strikers in Europe and a master of his craft, ‘Microtising’ on his studs will showcase the beauty and clarity of the 4K picture through the beauty of his sublime skill. He brings a quality that lights up every game he plays and with 4K technology we bring a quality to light up every game you watch; Giroud was a perfect fit for this campaign.’ ‘Not content with just working with a player though, we’ll also be ‘Microtising’ on blades of grass as what’s a football player without a football pitch? The marriage of player and pitch is as perfect as Sony 4K and football – we hope viewers will feel like they are turning out themselves.’ Source: SportIndustry Source: Wtin WFSGI – WORLD FEDERATION OF THE SPORTING GOODS INDUSTRY 15 WFSGI NEWS ALERT: #113/2014-11-27 stoll fuses fashion with technology H. Stoll, international flat-knitting-machinery manufacturer, has tasked its Stoll Fashion & Technology department with creating many different trend-setting applications for both fashion designers and patterning technicians. Combining fashion and technique, the ideas are developed in response to fashion and market trends and then produced using Stoll’s patented knitting technology, the company explained. The employees of the Fashion & Technology Department are in touch with the global knitting network which enables them to create new patterning and fashion trends, Stoll said. These designs are intended to also inspire fashion companies and designers for their own trend collection. The Fashion & Technology Department is also responsible for developing innovative knitting technology equipment and processes which would then be applied to Stoll flat knitting machines. The creation of new knitted articles in the company results from a combination of the latest fabric and patterning trends and Stoll’s knitting technology. Stoll offers several resources of fashion inspiration for members of the industry. The Stoll Trend Collection is produced several times a year and shows the current pattern and knitting innovations that Stoll is promoting. These brochures are distributed at international exhibitions and are available in the showrooms of numerous marketing organisations. Stoll maintains an extensive pattern archive which consists of patterning samples ranging from the latest trends to samples that are several decades old. The company’s engineered tools, such as the Stoll Knit ABC and the Stoll Pattern Library, are other sources of information for fashion designers and agencies. The many activities of Fashion and Technology are performed in the studios and showrooms based in Reutlingen, Germany, and Manhattan, New York, USA. This is also where support is offered to knitwear designers, fashion companies and patterning technicians if they have any questions about the realisation of knitting ideas. As a result, it is very common to see fashion concepts become knitted reality. Source: Wtin eu and usa boost china textile and apparel exports WFSGI – WORLD FEDERATION OF THE SPORTING GOODS INDUSTRY According to China Customs, textile and garment shipments to the Europe Union during September were up 8.3% y-o-y, to US$ 4.9 billion. The sales to the US market reached US$ 4.44 billion, displaying an annual growth rate of 6.8%. However, exports to the Association of South Eastern Asian Nation (ASEAN) and Japan shrank by 0.35% and 6.81%, respectively, compared with the same month of 2013. Cumulative shipments to the EU from January to September totalled US$ 45.07 billion, 16.61% higher than the corresponding timeframe of last year. During the period under review, exports to the USA increased steadily and shipments to ASEAN were lacklustre. And the revenue from the Japanese market remains a drag on the general performance of exports. Source: WTIn alibaba sells $2 billion worth of goods in just one hour Alibaba says that it sold $2 billion of merchandise in just one hour during ‘Singles’ Day’, a Chinese initiative comparable to Cyber Monday in the U.S. It is estimated that some 200 million packages will be shipped containing purchases made that day. Last year, sales totaled $3.1 billion during the first half of the same day. Singles’ Day on Nov. 11 is now the world’s largest online shopping event on one day. BBC reports that Alibaba, the big Chinese online retailer and sales platform, began to promote sales on Singles’ Day in 2009. The initiative was invented, back in 1993, by a group of students at Nanjing University. The idea behind the event is that participants do not buy gifts for family or friends, but for themselves. This is why it is called Singles’ Day or, in Mandarin, Guanggun Jie. AliPay to go public Meanwhile, Alibaba’s co-owner and CEO, Jack Ma, said that he has plans to trade AliPay publicly. AliPay provides operations for financial services and, to some extent, is the Chinese version of PayPal. There is no defined schedule for going public. Most recently, Alibaba considered a possible strategic alliance with Apple Pay, Apple’s new payment system. AliPay is not a part of the Alibaba Group, which went public in September as the largest initial public offering of all time. The IPO generated some $2.5 billion. Source: ISPO 16 WFSGI NEWS ALERT: #113/2014-11-27 china’s government committed to sports industry development China’s government sees the need to boost foreign investment in sports. In the picture, the entrance area of ISPO BEIJING and the country’s best-known sports venue, the Bird’s Nest. The State Council of the People’s Republic of China expressed its commitment to the sports industry, the growing trend for more health and fitness in society and to the need to encourage foreign companies to invest more in the Chinese sports business. The South China Morning Post writes that the State Council aims to lift the share of the sports industry to 1 percent of the country’s gross domestic product by 2025, given that GDP will have reached 5 trillion yuan renminbi (€653.4 billion) by then. Currently, sports account for some 0.6 percent of China’s GDP. In this context the government has presented a plan to develop the industry and to encourage foreign investment. As of now, a number of foreign companies have a share of 23 percent in the sports sector. The public authorities see great opportunities for foreign companies, notably thanks to their know-how in sports events, related tourism and venue management. The government is determined to take steps to increase sports participation in public life, notably at schools, to ensure that Chinese do sports on a daily basis. It also intends to promote competitive sports and the development of new sports arenas. The announcement calls for expanding the sports goods industry, promoting the development of competitive sports and accelerating the construction of new sports arenas. The government, therefore, wants to lower bureaucratic hurdles to organize related events, to encourage private investment and to facilitate the public listing at the stock exchange for sports-related companies. Source: ISPO expand into growing markets in southeast asia with the taipei international sporting goods show (taispo) Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA), the organizer of both Taipei Int’l Sporting Goods Show (TaiSPO) and Taipei Int’l Cycle Show (TAIPEI CYCLE), was on the road in Manila, Singapore, and Bangkok late October, presenting “Taiwan Cycle and Sporting Goods Business Seminars” to growing markets for sporting & cycling goods in Southeast Asia. The seminars attracted over 130 business representatives in total, and many started to plan for the visit to the upcoming TaiSPO and TAIPEI CYCLE, to be held concurrently March 1821 in 2015, at Taipei World Trade Center (TWTC) Exhibition Halls 1 and 3 and Nangang Exhibition Hall. WFSGI – WORLD FEDERATION OF THE SPORTING GOODS INDUSTRY According to research by MarketLine, the market size of the fitness club industry in Asia is estimated to reach USD 31 billion in 2017, with annual growth reaching 12.8%. In 2014, TaiSPO unveiled the first-ever “Asian Fitness Industry and Club Management Forum”, attracting 300 fitness trainers, fitness equipment manufacturers, dealers and agents from Taiwan and overseas. In 2015, TaiSPO plans to expand the forum into a two-day event, with “Fitness Club Management Zone” offering opportunities to source under one roof products and services for managing fitness clubs. Mr. Wilson Yap, Director of Southern Backpack Pte Ltd (Singapore), plans to visit TaiSPO 2015 for outdoor products, as Taiwan supplies 70% of functional textile used for sportswear and accessories worldwide. Mr. Toots Chua, the President of LIFE CYCLE BICYCLE SHOP (the Philippines), has visited TAIPEI CYCLE for 15 consecutive years. He is particularly impressed with the transformation of Taiwan cycling industry into global supplier of high end bicycles, accounting for over 50 percent of the market share locally. TaiSPO and TAIPEI CYCLE together offer the only Asian platform for sourcing all things sports in one stop, from complete bicycles, e-bicycles and bicycle components, to fitness equipment, water sports and diving gears, to outdoor sports products. For more information, please visit TaiSPO: www.taispo.com.tw TAIPEI CYCLE: www.taipeicycle.com.tw Source: TAITRA ispo brandnew award winners For more than 14 years, ISPO BRANDNEW has been the world’s largest platform for young entrepreneurs in the sporting goods business. During ISPO MUNICH, the newcomers have the opportunity to gain access to essential contacts in the ISPO BRANDNEW Village. The Village is a strong center of attraction and a hub for retailers and media searching for attractive young companies. It’s the place where many contacts for the future are made – the foundation for successful market entry. In addition, ISPO conveys important sports business know-how with the ISPO BRANDNEW Academy, available to all winners. Experts on location reveal helpful tips and tricks for retail, marketing or PR. The numerous benefits pave the newcomers’ path to become big players. Former winners like Nixon, Maloja, POC, Naish Kites or On Running are proof of this. See all award winners here. Source: ISPO 17