Issue link: https://viewer.e-digitaledition.com/i/1076805
4 • Sports Insight January/February 2019 On the Bright Side I STARTED 2019 WITH A HOPEFUL FEELING. THE GOAL NOW IS TO KEEP IT THAT WAY. Based on conversations our editorial team has had with retailers, vendors and other industry leaders in the past few weeks, there seems to be cautious optimism in the air when it comes to the industry outlook. Whatever level of optimism you have as the calendar moves ahead in 2019, we believe that this issue of Sports Insight magazine will provide you with some useful insight to help shape your plans. On page 10 you'll find feedback from several specialty retailers talking about key issues — what they are hopeful about, what challenges they see and which products and categories have them excited. These retailers are optimistic: "We're seeing the consumer come back to specialty." And at the same time they are pragmatic: "The biggest challenge in 2019 will be the growing competition that we see with our own vendors from their websites." In our cover story, beginning on page 18, we bring you some conversations our senior editor Bob McGee had with leaders at the Sports & Fitness Association, the Outdoor Industry Association, the Footwear Distributors and Retailers of America and the Running Industry Association. These conversations dig into issues such as retail-vendor relationships, direct-to-consumer challenges for retailers and the uncertainty manufacturers face when it comes to tariffs and sourcing. Comments from those industry leaders include: "Going into 2019 we're cautiously optimistic. We think that there's a lot of positives." As well as: "2019 is going to be a really interesting year because we've come off a pretty strong year retail-wise, even though brick-and-mortar is still trying to right-size versus e-commerce and online." And: "What we're seeing is a very strong trend towards curating stores with product assortments that really speak to customers, that offer something new and differentiated that they don't and can't find online or can't see online." Turn to page 18 for more. We also devote pages in this issue to coverage of the vibrant and ever-important fusion of sport and style that we call sportstyle. Brands and retailers doing "sportstyle" right have transformed the industry's activewear and footwear offerings in a major way. And they have us more than a little optimistic about the enduring power of the active lifestyle industry as a leading influencer of trends. Bring on 2019. We're excited to see what's next. Cara Griffin Editorial Director cgriffin@formula4media.com TIME OUT sportsinsightmag.com Editorial Director Cara Griffin cgriffin@formula4media.com Senior Editors Bob McGee Jennifer Ernst Beaudry Art Director Francis Klaess Associate Art Director Mary McGann Contributors Emily Walzer Suzanne Blecher Michael Jacobsen Tim Sitek Publisher Jeff Gruenhut jgruenhut@formula4media.com 404-467-9980 Business Manager Marianna Rukhvarger 516-305-4709 mrukhvarger@formula4media.com Production Brandon Christie 516-305-4712 bchristie@formula4media.com Advertising Jeff Nott jnott@formula4media.com 516-305-4711 Katie O'Donohue kodonohue@formula4media.com 828-244-3043 Sam Selvaggio sselvaggio@formula4media.com 212-398-5021 Subscriptions: store.formula4media.com Formula4 Media Publications Sports Insight Sports Insigt Extra Outdoor Insight Footwear Insight Footwear Insight Extra Team Insight Textile Insight Textile Insight Extra Trend Insight sportstyle Sports Insight ® is a registered trademark of Formula4 Media, LLC. ©2019 All rights reserved. The opinions expressed by authors and contributors to Sports Insight are not necessarily those of the editors or publishers. Sports Insight is not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts, photographs or artwork. Articles appearing in Sports Insight may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the express permission of the publisher. Sports Insight is published bi-monthly: Jan/Feb; Mar/Apr; May/Jun; Jul/Aug; Sep/Oct; and Nov/Dec. Postmaster: Send address changes to Sports Insight, P.O. Box 23-1318, Great Neck, NY 11023 PO Box 23-1318, Great Neck, NY 11023 Phone: 516-305-4710 / Fax: 516-305-4712 formula4media.com