Quote of the Week

“I would say that as the K2 management team, if we were going to pick two businesses that we thought would be perfect fits for us in the retail channel and give us the kind of leverage we'd want to have in that channel, they were Coleman and Pure Fishing and we tried to buy them both and just didn't have the capital structure to do it,” said K2 Chairman, Dick Heckman. “Because they were such good fits with us and such good fits with what the retailers really want. The retailers want bigger, stronger, fewer vendors and they want quality branded vendors, and the conversations that I had yesterday were very positive.”

That's not all folks...

Timberland Acquires Ipath

Looks like they found something to replace the Yellow Boot's lagging urban sales...

I didn't see this one coming...

I knew Jarden (currently owns Coleman) was on the prowl for a big acquisition, but I never thought it would be K2...

Jarden to Acquire K2 for $1.2 Billion

Outdoor Business April/May

The magazine should be in everyone's mailboxes by now. We certainly worked hard on this one, but the final edit/ship process went smoother than ever. As always, I am interested in any constructive criticism out there. We are working hard to make this THE trade magazine for outdoor retailers.

I'd also like to thank Jay Young (many of you know him as j_ung at Rockclimbing.com) for all of his help with the photos in this issue. His art really made the stories come to life.

This Week in The B.O.S.S. Report

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THE B.O.S.S. REPORT. KNOW MORE. NOW.

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TOP STORIES:
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o OIA's Capitol Summit charges ahead.
o Wolverine Worldwide gets another solid quarter from
Outdoor Group; lifts guidance.
o Orange 21 sees net loss double on double digit sales
increase.
o Oakley starts 2007 with strong first quarter.
o LiquidLogic-Legacy merger complete.
o New Executives appointed at several outdoor and
snowsports companies...
o New Participation Study will come out of four-way partnership.
o Other Stories include Life is Good, Rock Creek Outfitters,
IMBA, Eastern Mountain Sports, Kellwood, ATTA, and many more...

LINK

Quote of the week...

"At the heart of our (explanation) why this all happened is really simply - and I hate to sound offensive - but we just made the wrong product and lots of it."

Mark Simo, Orange 21 Co-Chairman, CEO

Crocs Banned...

Swedish health officials at the Blekinge Hospital in Karlkrona have banned staff from wearing Crocs slippers after it was discovered the footwear can produce so much static electricity, it can interfere with medical equipment.

The footwear was the culprit of two respiratory machines turning off for no apparent reason. The machines were assisting two premature babies breathe. The Crocs slippers are popular across Sweden, and worn by most health workers.

It was found that the slippers could charge a maximum of 25,000 volts. Hospital spokesperson Bjorn Lofqvist, said: "Everybody generates static electricity. But it usually loses its charge, either by disappearing through one's shoes or elsewhere."

LINK

Noise Reducing Headphones

Considering the new neighbors, this is the best $14.99 I've ever spent...

Pro Global Warming?

Our local NPR station, WFAE, just interviewed a politician who claims to be pro global warming. Apparently, he has some tight ties to some power companies that are heavily invested in coal. His argument was that global warming would be a net benefit to the human race. I believe his exact words were, "Yes, millions of people would be displaced in the Asia-Pacific region, but think of all of the new farm-land we would have in northern Russia..."

Tough times for cycling...

It looks like the cycling world is having a hard time coping with the post-Lance era and the recent drug scandals. According to Carlton over at Bike Biz, Nike is dropping its cycling program entirely
LINK.

At the same time, the Tour of Utah will be postponed due to lack of sponsorship support and the Executive Director of the tour resigned.
LINK

There are also rumors of other U.S. stage races having funding difficulties. Makes me wonder how much longer VS will carry their full schedule of races every Sunday...