Outdoor Product Sales Post Slight Gains in April 2013

Hardgoods the Bright Spot in Preliminary Fiscal April Results; ?Apparel and Footwear Soft Due to Inconsistent Spring Weather.

Hunting Gear

Outdoor Industry Association

Boulder, Colo. --(Ammoland.com)- Outdoor Product sales grew in fiscal April 2013 by 1.2 percent to $673.6 million, slower than the year-to-date trend, according to the latest monthly sales report from OIA VantagePoint.

Growth was driven primarily by Outdoor Hardgoods, while Footwear and Apparel sales slowed due to inconsistent spring weather. The National Accounts Internet and Discount/Mass trade channels continued to provide the strongest growth.

Outdoor Apparel sales declined by 3.2 percent to $142.6 million for the four-week period ended May 4, 2013. After double-digit growth in the first three months of 2013, Apparel sales suffered as seasonal weather finally arrived in much of the United States. Sales slowed in cold-weather categories (such as Outerwear, Headwear and Handwear). Warm-weather categories struggled to improve on inconsistent weather trends throughout the month and due to tough comparisons to last year?s strong sales when spring and summer arrived early.

Following a strong March, Outdoor Footwear sales slid back to negative territory, down 3.0 percent to $192.0 million. While most Footwear categories ? namely Functional Outdoor Footwear, Running Footwear, and Sandals ? were down, Comfort Casual Footwear posted positive growth.

Sales of Outdoor Hardgoods increased 5.8 percent to $339.1 million in fiscal April, a slight improvement over last month?s trend but still below the double-digit growth seen in January and February. Most Hardgoods categories increased over the comparable month last year, with the exception of most camping and climbing/mountaineering equipment, which saw declines as winter held on longer than usual in many parts of the country.

The National Accounts Internet and Discount/Mass channels continued to gain share of Outdoor Product sales in fiscal April. National Accounts Internet accounted for 9.5 percent of all Outdoor Product sales (up from 7.2 percent in April 2012), while Discount/Mass stores accounted for 5.1 percent of sales (up from 2.7 percent in April 2012).

Final results for the month will be published this week in the OIA VantagePoint monthly trend report, available free of charge to Outdoor Industry Association members at outdoorindustry.org/vantagepoint. For more information on becoming an OIA member, visit outdoorindustry.org/membership or contact Ingrid Malmberg and the OIA membership team at 303.444.3353.

OIA VantagePoint is the first and only full market point-of-sale data platform built specifically for the outdoor industry. OIA VantagePoint monthly trend reports provide the broadest and most timely view of outdoor product sales available. Category reports are available at no charge to Outdoor Industry Association members and provide comprehensive visibility into the outdoor marketplace by tracking weekly point-of-sale data from more than 10,000 retail doors and websites that carry outdoor products, including nearly 450 outdoor specialty locations. It is the broadest view of both brick and mortar and Internet sales of outdoor products available in the market. In-depth sales information is available online within four days of the prior-week close ? a competitive advantage for businesses who can shift critical resources and react quickly to ever-changing consumer preferences.

Outdoor Industry Association
Based in Boulder, Colo., with offices in Washington, D.C., Outdoor Industry Association (OIA) is the leading trade association for the outdoor industry and the title sponsor of Outdoor Retailer. OIA supports the growth and success of more than 4,000 manufacturers, distributors, suppliers, sales representatives and retailers of outdoor recreation apparel, footwear, equipment and services. For more information, visit outdoorindustry.org or call 303.444.3353.

The SportsOneSource Group
The SportsOneSource Group is a full service market research company delivering solutions through consumer insight research, retail insight research and retail point-of-sale trending and analysis. The company provides the most reliable, timely and comprehensive sports and outdoor industry information available in the market today. SportScanInfo is a SportsOneSource technology platform developed to compile, aggregate and disseminate aggregated retail point-of-sale information. SportsOneSource also publishes the Sports Executive Weekly and The B.O.S.S. Report executive newsletters, along with the SGB and SGB Performance print publications and their related online, email and digital products. For more information about The SportsOneSource Group call 303.987.3450 or go to SportsOneSource.com.

Source: http://www.ammoland.com/2013/05/outdoor-product-sales-post-slight-gains-in-april-2013/

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Group of conservatives backs action on immigration

WASHINGTON (AP) ? More than two dozen conservative leaders have signed on to a statement supporting action to overhaul the nation's immigration laws and calling legislation pending in the Senate an "important starting point."

In a statement being released Thursday, the officials say: "Simply opposing immigration reform should not be the conservative response to this problem. We believe conservatives should be leading the way on this issue by supporting legislation that upholds conservative principles."

Signers include Fred Malek, chairman of the American Action Forum; Ralph Reed, chairman of the Faith and Freedom Coalition; Paul Wolfowitz, a scholar at the American Enterprise Institute; Mat Staver, president and founder of Liberty Counsel; and Lawson Bader, president of the Competitive Enterprise Institute.

The statement was organized by Al Cardenas, chairman of the American Conservative Union.

"Conservatives are ready to support immigration reform, so long as it is pro-economic growth, strengthens families, fosters assimilation and prevents another wave of illegal immigration from happening again," the statement says.

Many of those signing the declaration took part in a meeting Tuesday with Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., an author of the immigration bill who's trying to sell it to conservatives. Rubio solicited their support in part by assuring them that the bill could change as it moved forward, and in their statement the officials say they don't expect the legislation to pass as-is.

Not all of those who attended the meeting with Rubio signed on to the statement of support. Several tea party-affiliated officials were in the meeting but not on the statement.

Republicans are split on the immigration issue, with many in leadership roles or with ties to the business community coming out in favor of an overhaul, while others more driven by ideology or connected to the grass roots remain opposed.

The Senate Judiciary Committee begins considering amendments to the Senate bill on Thursday. The legislation would dramatically remake the nation's immigration laws, strengthening the border, creating new worker programs and enforcement, and providing a path to citizenship for 11 million already here illegally.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2013-05-09-Immigration-Conservatives/id-24e34e1539124d6ab2bcf02ba900c26f

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