Business
Under Armour Was A Real Threat To Nike. Now It’s Fighting To Stay Relevant
It was previously seen as a viable competitor to Nike. But at the moment, Under Armour, founded by a 23-year-old former collegiate athlete, is struggling to “just do it.”
Instead, the brand championed on the basketball court by Stephen Curry and on the golf course by Jordan Spieth is now struggling — badly — to find its footing in an increasingly competitive and crowded sportswear marketplace for regular people, where younger shoppers are more enamored with newer entrants like Hoka and On running shoes.
Under Armour’s annual sales have been lackluster at best in recent years, and the stock has fallen 88% since its all-time high in 2015. According to industry observers, the company is mired in an uncomfortable mix of challenges, including an identity crisis, many management disputes, neglecting emerging market trends to its harm, and a rapid succession of CEOs.
CNN – VOR News Image
Under Armour Was A Real Threat To Nike. Now It’s Fighting To Stay Relevant
One of them is the company’s creator, Kevin Plank, who has returned as CEO for the second time after being removed in 2019. Like Starbucks founder Howard Schultz and Disney CEO Bob Iger, Plank seeks to right the ship at Under Armour.
“When Under Armour was growing at 20% or higher, people saw it as a legitimate competitor to Nike,” said David Swartz, senior equities analyst at Morningstar, in an interview with CNN.
“It was like On or Hoka a decade ago. The upstart athletic brand was making significant advances against Nike, the industry’s main brand. People regarded it as a firm that could break through and take Nike’s market share among serious athletes,” Swartz explained. “That actually did happen for a while, but then that didn’t last.”
Plank founded Under Armour in 1996 to provide what the name implies: a protective layer of clothing worn by competitive athletes sweating it out in the heat of the game.
The initial product was “The Shorty,” a fitted T-shirt composed of moisture-wicking fabric that professional athletes could wear beneath their uniforms to stay dry. The famous Under Armour “U” and “A” logo was deliberately placed on the neckline to keep it visible.
The T-shirt finally propelled the brand to the masses after gaining popularity among elite sportsmen immediately. Under Armour went public in 2005 due to the startup’s rapid success. Its early tagline was “Protect This House.”
By 2010, the company had surpassed $1 billion in revenue. Five years later, revenues topped $4 billion. But then the impetus began to ebb.
Prolonged period of discomfort.
Under Armour has struggled for the past eight years, and the situation does not look to improve.
The company announced a corporate restructuring on Thursday, following a 10% drop in North American revenues in the most recent quarter. The corporation has issued a bleak prediction for the current fiscal year, expecting sales to fall 15% to 17%. Layoffs would be part of the attempt to right the ship, although officials did not say how many people would lose their jobs.
Under Armour has launched a $500 million share buyback program to reward shareholders.
During the earnings call on Thursday, Plank stated that he will lead a business reset that focuses on selling fewer but more innovative products to meet the needs of athletes, significantly accelerating product development, refocusing on the men’s apparel category, and reducing product discounts
“We’re just doing too much stuff. There are too many items and projects. To rebuild this brand, we must be laser-focused and prioritize what needs to be done so that our staff know exactly what to do and have a clear definition of success for them,” Plank added.
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Under Armour Was A Real Threat To Nike. Now It’s Fighting To Stay Relevant
It cannot be denied that management concerns have plagued the company for years, Swartz stated.
“The company has essentially had five CEOs in the past five years, if you count Kevin Plank twice,” stated Swartz. Plank was announced as CEO again in March, following Stephanie Linnartz’s brief year-long stint.
During the analyst call Thursday, Plank admitted that regular C-suite churn has significantly hindered success.
“With several CEOs and heads of product, marketing in North America over the past half-decade, ongoing turnover of critical leadership has been central to our inability to stay agile and decisive,” he stated.
According to Swartz, “things really started to fall apart” at Under Armour beginning in 2016. A major problem developed when an essential distribution route for the company went bankrupt and closed stores.
Under Armour’s products are mostly offered through athletic goods merchants and department stores, such as Macy’s and Kohl’s, as well as online.
“When Sports Authority declared bankruptcy in 2016, Under Armour suffered greatly. It was a significant customer for the brand, as was Dick’s Sporting Goods,” Schwartz stated.
UCLA sued Under Armour in 2020 after terminating a $280 million sponsorship agreement. The lawsuit claimed that Under Armour was struggling before Covid-19 and used the epidemic as an excuse to withdraw from the agreement.
According to Eric Smallwood, president of Apex Marketing Group, a sports and entertainment organization that examines sponsorships and advertising campaigns, the brand’s long-term celebrity-brand collaborations are performing well.
“Under Armour’s partnership with ‘The Rock’, Dwayne Johnson, has been quite successful. They’ve expanded into the United Football League, which Johnson co-owns,” Smallwood explained. “Their uniforms are Under Armour.”
According to Smallwood, the brand is also making advances in golf, and the Stephen Curry alliance has kept it visible in the basketball world.
CNN – VOR news Image
Under Armour Was A Real Threat To Nike. Now It’s Fighting To Stay Relevant
In 2013, basketball superstar Stephen Curry, probably the finest shooter in history, notably signed for Under Armour over Nike. Meanwhile, Joel Embiid, the brand’s other prominent NBA star, left Under Armour in 2023, just months after being awarded the league’s most valuable player.
Embiid inked a sneaker contract with Skechers last month. Under Armour reportedly bid strongly for WNBA star Caitlin Clark, who is expected to sign with Nike.
“The bottomline for Under Armour is for the brand to be clear about its identity,” he stated. “Are they a shoe company?” Are they an apparel company? Everyone else eventually replicated their moisture-wicking undershirt. Then, perhaps they experienced an identity crisis. It will come down to determining if they want to expand into a lifestyle brand or stick with performance-based products.
SOURCE – (AP)
Telsa second-quarter profit fell more than 40% from the previous year as the electric car business faced more EV competition from established automakers and a slowing in global EV sales growth.
The decline in income is a dramatic contrast to a corporation that developed to become the world’s most valuable automobile based on rising sales and profitability.
The findings highlight how Tesla, a pioneer in introducing electric vehicles to American drivers, is now facing more domestic and international competition. And as the EV market matures, customer interest in EVs has declined.
Tesla | Auto Guide
Tesla Stock Tumbles After Its Profit Plunged
Tesla (TSLA) shares plunged almost 12% on Wednesday morning, pushing down the broader market. Tesla’s stock was down roughly 1% this year through Tuesday’s close after plunging as much as 44% earlier in the year.
Tesla announced adjusted earnings of $1.8 billion in the quarter or 52 cents per share. Analysts expected 61 cents per share earnings, down from 91 cents the previous year. Its crucial profit margin fell substantially as a series of EV price cuts took its toll.
From April to June, the company had its second consecutive quarter of year-over-year sales decreases and its first consecutive quarter of dropping sales volume. Tesla’s only previous quarterly sales decline since going public occurred early in the pandemic when stay-at-home orders caused its plants to close.
Tesla did not provide a new sales target for the full year. However, it stated: “In 2024, our vehicle volume growth rate may be notably lower than the growth rate achieved in 2023.”
On the investor’s call following the announcement, Tesla CEO Elon Musk criticized the quality of EVs produced by other manufacturers, claiming that it was simply a short-term issue for Tesla and not a long-term one. He added that Tesla is still persuaded that the world is going towards fully electric transportation systems, not just for automobiles, planes, and ships.
Musk also stated that the business would provide more information on fully automated robotaxis in October rather than August as initially intended. The business calls its driver assistance feature “Full Self Driving,” but drivers must still be prepared to take control of the vehicle. According to the company’s earnings statement, Tesla still confronts regulatory and technical challenges before offering self-driving cars.
Musk stated that he still believes it is possible to reach by the end of this year and certainly by next year, but cautioned: “My predictions on this have been overly optimistic in the past.”
Tesla | Top Gear Image
Tesla Stock Tumbles After Its Profit Plunged
The company faces government probes into several of Musk’s boasts about Full Self-Driving capabilities. The company has also been the subject of a Department of Justice investigation, though it is unclear what the current situation is.
However, he disclosed that Tesla’s plans to build an assembly factory in Mexico had been placed on hold. The plans were disclosed more than a year ago, but Musk said they have been halted until after the presidential election due to Republican contender Donald Trump’s vow to impose taxes on Mexican-imported vehicles. Musk is a big Trump booster, having endorsed him and reportedly pledged tens of millions of dollars to the former president’s re-election campaign. Trump promised comparable duties on Mexican-made autos in 2019 but has yet to follow through.
SOURCE – CNN
(VOR News) – Over the Bitcoin course of the last twenty-four hours, the sum of money that has been liquidated in short positions for Bitcoin BTC +4.71% has increased to more than $34 million.
This is a significant increase from the previous state of affairs. The fact that Bitcoin, the digital asset with the highest market capitalisation, has broken beyond the barrier of $67,000 is the reason for this new development.
Nashville, Tennessee will host this year’s Bitcoin Conference.
According to the website of the conference, the former president of the United States is set to make an appearance on the Nakamoto Stage on July 27 at 2:00 p.m. Central Time for a session that will last thirty minutes.
This information is indicated on the website. Yesterday, on the final day of the conference, the session is scheduled to take place.
As a direct result of the increase in the price of bitcoin that took place during the course of the previous day, a total of holdings representing a value of 54 million dollars were sold off.
As a consequence of the increased volatility of the market, the cryptocurrency market as a whole went through liquidations that amounted to more than two hundred million dollars within the same time period. This is evidenced by the data that were provided by Coinglass.
The information that is provided by The Block’s Bitcoin Price Page reveals that the current value of Bitcoin is around $67,330 at the time that this article is being written and published.
This information is provided by The Block. Over the course of the past twenty-four hours, there has been an increase that is greater than five percent.
President Trump will invest in bitcoin by 2024.
Because of the keynote presentation that he will deliver at Bitcoin 2024, Donald Trump will create history by becoming the first candidate for the presidency of the United States of America to visit a conference of this kind that is sponsored by the industry.
This will be something that he will accomplish by attending Bitcoin 2024. In spite of the fact that there is a little amount of information available concerning the specifics of his discussion, the organisers have already claimed that it will be “historic.”
Throughout the course of his presidency, President Trump has adopted a variety of perspectives about a wide range of cryptocurrencies, including bitcoin and others from the same category.
He voiced his disapproval of cryptocurrencies on Twitter in July 2019, saying, “I am not a fan of bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, which are not money and whose value is highly volatile and based on thin air.”
He was referring to the fact that certain cryptocurrencies are not money. His hatred for these cryptocurrencies has been made clear in his statements.
Specifically, he expressed his discontent with the bitcoin market.
Which was the subject of his expression. This viewpoint was reiterated by him in 2021, when he gave an interview to Fox Business in which he referred to the digital asset as a hoax and voiced his concern that it may compete with the United States dollar or other currencies. In addition, he expressed his concern that it could be used to compete with other currencies.
Nevertheless, throughout the course of the last six months, Trump has rebuilt himself as the “crypto president.” The fact that he chose Ohio Senator JD Vance, who is an investor in bitcoin, to be his vice presidential candidate lends credence to the notion that a Donald Trump presidency may be advantageous to cryptocurrencies.
This is an extra point of interest that is worth mentioning. Bitcoin is an investment that Vance has made.
During the course of the previous day, the dominance of Bitcoin increased slightly to 52.8%, as indicated by the data that were provided by Coingecko. On the other hand, the dominance of ether decreased slightly to 15.5%.
Indicative of the fact that Bitcoin’s dominance rose, both of these data are indicative of reality. After reaching its highest position, the GM 30 Index, which is comprised of a selection of the top 30 cryptocurrencies, witnessed a climb of 3.08% within the same time period, hitting 133.99.
This was after the index had reached its highest peak.
SOURCE: TBN
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(VOR News) – Sanstar shares made a quiet Dalal Street debut on Friday, which was less than market participants had anticipated as a consequence of their expectations.
However, the number of buyers rose significantly following the stock’s listing, suggesting that investors are interested in purchasing the company at reduced prices.
At Rs 109 per share, Sanstar shares were offered on the National Stock Exchange (NSE) at a premium of approximately 15%. The stock was listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) at a premium of 12 percent over the issue price of Rs 95 per share.
Nevertheless, the stock attained a price of Rs 127.68, achieving a 20% upper circuit and bringing the cumulative profits to 34.4 percent over the price at which it was initially issued.
The majority of analysts continue to maintain a positive outlook on the company and suggest that investors remain invested in the stock for a period of time that varies from medium to long term.
On the other hand, there are some experts who suggest that investors record profits after achieving a respectable profit during the initial trading session.
A successful initial public offering (IPO) was achieved by Sanstar
The company’s shares are currently trading at Rs 109 per share, an increase of 15% from their issue price of Rs 95.
This performance is positive, according to Shivani Nyati, Head of Wealth at Swastika Investmart; however, it fails to satisfy the expectations that were established prior to the listing. The broader market volatility that ensued subsequent to the budget’s announcement was a contributing factor.
Sanstar has been listed, which is a fantastic development, despite the fact that it did not meet the initial hype.
The company’s future expansion is supported by the interest of investors and the company’s robust foundations. Investors have the option to maintain their stake at the issue price, according to her.
Sanstar’s initial public offering (IPO) had the potential to be subscribed between July 19 and July 23, as the business issued its shares at a price range of Rs 90-95 per share, with a lot size of 150 shares.
Sanstar’s follow-on offering yielded a total of Rs 510.15 crore in revenue. This offering comprises a wholly new share sale of up to 397.10 equity shares and an offer-for-sale of up to 1.19 crore equity shares.
Sanstar got a 15% premium because of demand.
Which contributed to the company’s successful launch on the bourses today. According to Prathamesh Masdekar, Research Analyst at StoxBox, Sanstar has established enduring relationships with its consumers and currently serves more than 525 customers, with 162 new customers joining during fiscal year 24.
“The company is committed to expanding its customer base by leveraging the relationships it has established with customers in India and around the world, while simultaneously actively seeking out opportunities to establish new relationships.
“”Because of this, we recommend to the market participants that they keep the shares for a period of time ranging from the medium to the long term,” according to him.
A total of 82.99 subscriptions were received from consumers worldwide for the Sanstar issue. The quota for qualified institutional vendors (QIBs) was satisfied 145.68 times during the auction.
A remarkable 136.50 percent of the quota that was designated for non-institutional investors was subscribed to. The portions that were specified for retail investors were only subject to requests for bids 24.23 times during the three-day bidding procedure.
Sanstar’s listing was lower than anticipated, despite the fact that markets were trending upward. Prashanth Tapse, Senior Vice President of Research at Mehta Equities, maintains that designated investors should record profits on the day of listing, despite the market’s optimistic outlook.
Compared to other listed peers, Sanstar’s valuations are a little higher.
Sanstar is a manufacturer in India that specialises in the manufacturing of plant-based products and ingredient solutions for industrial products, pet food, and food.
Pantomath Capital Advisors served as the exclusive book-running lead manager for Sanstar’s initial public offering (IPO), while Link Intime India served as the registrar.
According to Amit Goel, Co-Founder and Chief Global Strategist at Pace 360, the market volatility in the Indian markets resulted in Sanstar shares failing to meet pre-listing expectations. Sanstar shares were listed on the National Stock Exchange (NSE) at a price of Rs 109.
We strongly recommend that investors take profits in the near term following the completion of the listing. He continues, “It is advised that long-term investors maintain their positions in the company due to its strong fundamentals.”
SOURCE: BTN
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