VAN NUYS, Calif. (BRAIN) — Easton-Bell Sports sales were down nearly 6 percent last year, as the dynamic company wrestled with market changes across its categories.
Sales in Easton-Bell Sports' action sports division, which includes cycling and snow sports, fell $20.2 million, or 5.8 percent, to $346.9 million. The company blamed the decline on last winter's bad weather, quality issues with Easton cycling products and its exit from the fitness products category.
Easton-Bell Sports announced in February that it had agreed to sell off its Easton softball and baseball division, as well as the Easton name itself, to Bauer Sports. The company also said at the time that it was in talks to sell off the Easton hockey business.
The company's financial report released Tuesday is for the year ended Dec. 28, 2013, and does not reference the sale to Bauer. During its 2013 fiscal year Easton-Bell Sports rang up sales of $780.4 million, which was down 5.7 percent from the prior year.
The company pointed to some bright spots, including market share gains with its Bell powersports helmets, strong sales of Giro snow helmets thanks to a good snow year, increased sales of juvenile cycling products under the recently acquired Disney license, and growth in the new Giro clothing and Giro cycling shoe categories.
Easton-Bell Sports executives have told BRAIN that preseason orders for Bell and Giro cycling products were up last fall, and that they are looking for a turnaround for Easton cycling. They said the Easton quality issues are behind them and new Easton products will hit the market in early 2014; the brand has refocused on the aftermarket rather than OE sales.
