BALTIMORE , Dec. 3, 2018 /PRNewswire/ — Under Armour, Inc. (NYSE: UAA, UA) today announced that it will hold an investor meeting on Wednesday, Dec. 12, 2018 . At the event, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer Kevin Plank , President & Chief Operating Officer Patrik Frisk , Chief Financial Officer
Source: Under Armour To Host Investor Day On December 12, 2018 | Under Armour, Inc.
In 2017 Nike hosted an Investor’s Day and completely changed the way the sneaker business works. The company finally gave a name to their DTC strategy and in the process delivered what has been an industry shattering release of technology that completely wiped out gains by other brands over the last two years. The Investor’s Day ended up being the foundation of a completely different approach to business and in my opinion is leading to many brick and mortar stores having to either join forces or die. Before and after Nike’s Investor Day 2017
2017 NIKE, Inc. Investor Meeting | The Scale of Sport Highlights – A Detailed Breakdown
The industry has seen Sports Authority dissolve, Sheikh file for bankruptcy, DTLR and Villa join forces, and most recently Hibbett Sports acquired City Gear. Nike’s powerplay has been absolutely transformative.
Under Armour is taking a card from Nike’s playbook, but the brand will have to do something that I don’t think they are capable of doing, break new ground. While Nike had taken a back seat to adidas as it rebuilt its corporate strategy, Under Armour doesn’t appear to have a strategy. The brand has seen growth in DTC, but they have also lost considerable shelf space and unlike Nike the company doesn’t have the doors to sustain the lack of interest in their products.
What will probably be touted during this Investor’s Day is:
- A investment in the athlete via endorsements
- Reignited interest in the Curry line with the 4 and 5
- The aura around The Rock
- The growth of the women’s division
- Reduction in inventory
- Growth in the international market
- HOVR’s incredible sell through
The issue with these “high” points for the brand is that during the last year Under Armour has rolled out one new cushioning tech in HOVR, but the shoes aren’t released in commercial numbers limiting growth there. Nike introduced ten new tech concepts including production efforts and expansion of manufacturing facilities as well as physical retail locations. What exactly does Under Armour sell investors on?
A racist and sexist environment
A marketing division that seems to be hamstringed by politics
A failure to follow through on the development of product lines and athlete stories
An all over the place brand strategy that has failed to understand ‘athleisure’
This is not meant to kick Under Armour, but it is meant to spark discussion at what will be at the core of this Investors Day. When Nike’s day was completed. I knew the entire industry was in trouble. When Under Armour’s day is completed if certain issues aren’t addressed I will see it as the undoing of the brand which will lead to the eventual sale of Under Armour.
The meeting will be webcast live at http://investor.underarmour.com/events.cfm from approximately 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. (ET). An archived version will be available at the same location approximately three hours after the live event ends.
