Latest news with #Dick
Time of India
17 hours ago
- General
- Time of India
Can you forget a language you grew up with?
I never thought multilinguality—this gift, this badge I wore so casually—could turn into something like guilt. Or grief. Or both. I've always floated between English, Hindi, and Marathi. Like air, water, and soil—each one elemental in its own right. I didn't think about it much. These were just languages I knew. That I spoke. That I lived in. Until one day, I started tripping on words I've always known, like stumbling on a flat street you've walked a hundred times. You don't see it coming. And suddenly, you're not walking—you're falling. It's a strange ache, forgetting familiar things. Searching for the right word and finding only static. My mouth moving slower than my thoughts. My thoughts moving slower than memory. It's frustrating. Disheartening. Upsetting in ways I didn't know language could be. Sometimes I envy the monolinguals. I really do. You only need to be excellent at one language. One way to speak. One set of books. One cultural context. One kind of milk packet. Even your coffee bag comes with instructions tailored to you. No switching. No code-mixing. No fumbling. No forgetting. Sometimes I think: maybe it's better to have a language as a barrier than a language that becomes a stutter. Back at Columbia Business School, it was all English all the time. I didn't have a choice, really. Most of my Indian friends weren't from Maharashtra or North India—they didn't speak Marathi or Hindi. They spoke Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada—beautiful languages that felt like distant cousins. And so I stuck to English. Clung to it, even. Like it was the only thing holding me up. There was this one pharmacy store on 125th Street, run by a Telugu family—stocked with snacks, paracetamol, canned beans, cleaning spray, and nostalgia. My friend's relatives owned it. We went there often. Telugu songs playing in the background like a soundtrack I never asked for but eventually grew to love. I picked up words. Phrases. Rhythms. I tried. I gave myself credit for that. But a few lyrical lines aren't fluency. They're just echoes. And speaking of echoes: yes, Columbia. But not the university. Let's be clear. I was at Columbia Business School—the other Columbia. A 15-minute walk from the famed Morningside Heights campus. Which, in the elite ecosystem of Ivy Leagues, might as well be a lifetime away. We weren't the 'real' Columbia, not in the eyes of the undergrads with their tote bags and blue hoodies. But that's the thing, right? This obsession with being the 'real one.' The original. The authentic. It happens everywhere. Even sweet shops in India slap on 'The Real XYZ' because the copycats moved in next door. It's all so performative. This scramble for verification. And yet, none of it matters. Not really. Life doesn't issue blue ticks after you die. Back to English. My English has always been good—until I got bored of it. Or maybe burnt out by it. Or maybe I just woke up one day and realised I didn't want to be speaking like everyone else. Tom, Dick, and Harry have colonised English anyway. Learning Punjabi and German changed everything. Punjabi, especially. It's not just a language anymore. It's how I argue. How I cook. How I love. At home, it's been over a year now—Punjabi is my primary language. And cooking? Don't even get me started. Everyone thought I hated cooking. I didn't. I just never had the right space. Never had the emotional safety to enjoy it. These days I find myself making midnight salads with Mumbai-style twists. I blend spice the way I blend syllables now: with flair. With feeling. And Hindi? It's my go-to when everything else falters. English? Honestly, I could leave it behind. Dump it like an old winter coat that doesn't fit anymore. I don't need to sound like Shashi Tharoor or Sudha Murthy. I just want to sound like myself. And that self is changing. Morphing. Choosing. Now, as I pursue my PhD at the University of Zürich, German is the language of nuance, of lecture notes, of inside jokes I don't always understand. My classmates laugh on WhatsApp, and I smile along, pretending. But Google Translate isn't a real friend. It's a crutch. And you can't dance with a crutch. So yeah—my Hindi is rusty. My English stumbles. My Marathi hides behind curtains. My Punjabi is vibrant. My German is clumsy. My mouth is always catching up to my brain, and my brain is always adjusting. But here's the thing: I would rather explain what chaunk is in Punjabi than try to impress anyone in English. I would rather read Hermann Hesse in his mother tongue than sit through another email chain about 'synergies.' So yes, I'm choosing. Choosing imperfection. Choosing warmth. Choosing complexity. Choosing regional over universal. Spices over syntax. Depth over fluency. And I think that's the most fluent I've ever felt. Facebook Twitter Linkedin Email Disclaimer Views expressed above are the author's own.
Fashion United
2 days ago
- Business
- Fashion United
Foot Locker closes 56 stores as it swings to loss in Q1
Foot Locker enacted a series of global store closures in the first quarter ended May 3, 2025, as it swung into a loss amid declining sales. The company, which earlier this month announced it was to be acquired by US sports retailer Dick's Sporting Goods, said that it closed 56 stores over the reported period. These included locations in South Korea, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Greece and Romania. Notably, for the latter two regions, Foot Locker sold its licensed operations to its licensing partner in April 2025. The closures fell alongside the opening of nine new stores, as well as the remodel and relocation of 11 stores, with a further 69 locations receiving the brand's updated design standards. This reflected the continued roll out of Foot Locker's 'Reimagined and Refresh' programmes, designed to 'elevate our in-store experience', CEO Mary Dillon said in a release. Ahead of Dick's acquisition, Foot Locker tackles falling sales With this, Foot Locker reaffirmed its Q1 results, already outlined on a preliminary basis earlier this month, which Dillon had said fell 'below our expectations as we experienced softer traffic trends globally'. Total sales were down 4.6 percent to 1.79 billion dollars, while comparable sales decreased 2.6 percent. This drop was particularly impacted by an 8.5 percent decrease in comparable sales for Foot Locker's international business, compared to a more marginal 0.5 percent drop in North American sales. Most notably, Foot Locker swung to a loss during Q1. The company fell from a net income of eight million dollars in the same period of the year prior to a net loss of 363 million dollars. On a non-GAAP basis, net loss came to six million dollars. First quarter net loss per share amounted to 3.81 dollars, compared with earnings per share of 0.09 dollars in the first quarter of 2024.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Dick's CEO Lauren Hobart Says Nike Is a ‘Very Important' Strategic Partner Following Q1 Results
As Dick's Sporting Goods wraps up a strong first quarter, analysts are eager to hear more about the retailer's position on Nike Inc. as the company brings Foot Locker into the fold later this year. According to Randal Konik, equity analyst at Jefferies, Nike stands to benefit from Dick's momentum, as the Swoosh focuses even more on its wholesale distribution. More from WWD 'Ensuring a Safe and Secure Shopping Environment Is Key for Retailers,' NRF Says Jalen Brunson Will Get His First Nike Kobe Sneaker Release Later This Year The Best Nike Sneakers Releasing in June 'Dick's management emphasized that its relationship with Nike remains 'strategic,' expressing continued satisfaction with the partnership,' Konik wrote in a research note on Wednesday. 'This signals frequent collaboration and alignment between the two companies, reinforcing Nike's importance within Dick's merchandising strategy.' Konik added that the sporting goods retailer 'remains bullish' on Nike's innovation pipeline, particularly in running and lifestyle categories. Dick's cited strength in Nike's running pipeline, where the Pegasus Premium and Vomero 18 sneaker styles have been selling out online. This momentum supports Nike's product-led recovery strategy, the analyst wrote. This echoes the sentiment shared by Dick's Sporting Goods president and chief executive officer Lauren Hobart, who affirmed on Wednesday's first-quarter earnings call with analysts that Nike is 'a very important' strategic partner for the company. 'Nike continues to perform really, really well for us,' Hobart said. 'As we look to the future, we've heard about some distribution changes. [But] one thing that you can say about Nike time in, and time out, is that they are very good at segmenting their products. So, we expect minimal overlap with some of the new distribution. There's a lot of great stuff going on.' Looking ahead, footwear remains a 'very strong business' for Dick's Sporting Goods, according to its CEO. Konik added that this is a 'positive signal 'for Nike, which is a key brand in Dick's footwear assortment. Moreover, a better-run Foot Locker under Dick's leadership would be a net benefit for Nike by reinforcing its distribution strategy and solidifying its position in athletic retail, Konik said in a note following the announcement earlier this month that Dick's would scoop up Foot Locker in a $2.4 billion deal. Konik said earlier this month that as Nike CEO Elliott Hill strengthens an already robust relationship with Dick's, the consolidation of the two retailers 'could enhance Nike's retail presence and brand consistency.' He noted that Nike leads footwear sales at Dick's, a key growth category that accounts for 28 percent of the sporting goods retailer's business, while the Swoosh represents half of Foot Locker's sales, 'underscoring the strategic importance of both channels to Nike's wholesale strategy.' This comes as Dick's Sporting Goods saw net sales increase 5.2 percent to $3.18 billion in the first quarter of 2025, up from $3.02 billion in the same year-ago period. Net income in the quarter ended May 3 was down 4 percent to $264 million, or $3.24 per diluted share, compared with $275 million, or $3.30 per diluted share, a year earlier. Excluding one-time items related to its acquisition of Foot Locker, Dick's posted earnings per share of $3.37. Looking ahead, the company expects net sales for the full fiscal year 2025 to be between $13.6 billion and $13.9 billion, with earnings per diluted share in the range of $13.80 to $14.40. For now, Dick's outlook doesn't include acquisition-related costs or results from the Foot Locker merger, but does take into account any current tariff-related expenses. Best of WWD All the Retailers That Nike Left and Then Went Back Mikey Madison's Elegant Red Carpet Shoe Style [PHOTOS] Julia Fox's Sleekest and Boldest Shoe Looks Over the Years [Photos] Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
DKS Q1 Earnings Call: Acquisition Strategy and Category Growth Dominate Focus
Sporting goods retailer Dick's Sporting Goods (NYSE:DKS) fell short of the market's revenue expectations in Q1 CY2025, but sales rose 5.2% year on year to $3.17 billion. Its GAAP profit of $3.24 per share decreased from $3.30 in the same quarter last year. Is now the time to buy DKS? Find out in our full research report (it's free). Revenue: $3.17 billion (5.2% year-on-year growth) Adjusted Operating Income: $360.4 million vs analyst estimates of $343.4 million (11.4% margin, 5% beat) EPS (GAAP) guidance for the full year is $14.10 at the midpoint, missing analyst estimates by 2.2% Operating Margin: 11.5%, in line with the same quarter last year Locations: 885 at quarter end, up from 857 in the same quarter last year Same-Store Sales rose 4.5% year on year, in line with the same quarter last year Market Capitalization: $13.95 billion Dick's Sporting Goods' Q1 results showed continued momentum from key product categories and omni-channel investments. Management cited transaction growth and higher average ticket for positive comparable sales, noting the company saw growth across all income demographics and in segments like footwear, apparel, and team sports. CEO Lauren Hobart emphasized Dick's differentiated product assortment and upgraded in-store experiences as central to these outcomes. She highlighted that 'more athletes purchased from us, they purchased more frequently, and they spent more each trip,' marking five consecutive quarters of over 4% comp growth. Strong sell-through on launches and performance from vertical brands DSG, CALIA, and VRST also contributed. Looking ahead, Dick's leadership maintains a cautious stance amid macroeconomic uncertainty but reaffirmed their full-year outlook. Hobart signaled guidance incorporates all known tariffs, explaining, 'We are able to affirm our guidance... and 75 basis points of gross margin improvement.' Key growth priorities include repositioning real estate, focusing on key categories, and accelerating e-commerce. Investments in technology and marketing will bolster their digital business, with long-term potential seen in Game Changer and Dick's Media Network. CFO Navdeep Gupta stated the company is prepared for volatility: 'We have navigated similar environments before, and we are confident we have the team, tools, and relationships to manage through this.' Management attributed the quarter's performance to differentiated inventory, continued market share gains, and targeted investments in store and digital experiences, while also highlighting the proposed Foot Locker acquisition as a long-term strategic move. Foot Locker acquisition announced: Executive Chairman Ed Stack detailed the rationale for acquiring Foot Locker, citing the creation of a global sports retail leader and operational synergies. The deal is expected to be accretive to Dick's EPS in the first full fiscal year post-close, expanding combined reach to over 3,200 stores. Category strength and product launches: CEO Lauren Hobart credited growth in footwear, apparel, and team sports, with 'strong sell-through on launches' and premium experiences. Vertical brands (DSG, CALIA, VRST) outperformed, boosting merchandise margin. Omni-channel and e-commerce focus: E-commerce growth outpaced total company growth, driven by tech and marketing investments improving online engagement. Hobart highlighted in-app capabilities and digital launches, especially in 'diamond sport.' Game Changer and Media Network scaling: Game Changer saw a 28% YoY increase in unique active users. Management views this and Dick's Media Network as key long-term growth drivers for customer engagement and advertising. Tariff management and pricing strategy: All known tariffs are factored into guidance. Management described advanced, real-time pricing capabilities. CFO Navdeep Gupta confirmed 'no impact from tariffs in Q1,' with ongoing partner collaboration to mitigate future pressures. Dick's outlook for the rest of the year hinges on category momentum, real estate expansion, ongoing investments, and the integration of recent acquisitions amid tariff and consumer headwinds. Store network and real estate: Expansion of House of Sport and Fieldhouse concepts continues with new openings planned for 2025 and 2026, supporting modest square footage growth and enhanced athlete experiences. Digital and platform investments: Dick's is accelerating investments in technology, marketing, and proprietary platforms (Game Changer, Dick's Media Network) to drive online sales, boost customer engagement, and capture advertising revenue, countering potential macroeconomic uncertainty. Tariffs and cost management: All effective tariffs are included in the outlook. Management focuses on pricing flexibility and direct sourcing diversification for cost pressures. Strategic SG&A investments will moderate in H2 as prior high investment levels are lapped. Key areas to monitor in upcoming quarters include: (1) the pace of new House of Sport and Fieldhouse openings and their impact on traffic and sales, (2) the rollout and adoption of digital initiatives like Game Changer and the Dick's Media Network, and (3) initial progress toward realizing synergies from the Foot Locker acquisition. Execution on cost control and inventory management will also be important markers of success. Dick's currently trades at a forward P/E ratio of 11.9×. Is the company at an inflection point that warrants a buy or sell? Find out in our full research report (it's free). 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Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Dick's is buying Foot Locker for 'a very fair price': Analyst
Amid its $2.4 billion deal to acquire shoe retailer Foot Locker (FL), Dick's Sporting Goods (DKS) is maintaining its full-year profit forecast. Morningstar senior equity analyst David Swartz comes on The Morning Brief to weigh in on Dick's recent stock activity and share his thoughts on the retailer's acquisition of Foot Locker. Also catch David Swartz weigh in on department store Macy's (M) progress in its turnaround plan. To watch more expert insights and analysis on the latest market action, check out more Morning Brief here. In your notes, you mention and given your star rating on the firm, I can tell that you have questions about the valuation. How does the Foot Locker acquisition impact how you're thinking about the valuation of Dicks going forward? Yeah, it's hard to say because it's still early. The Foot Locker deal was just announced last week and people are still trying to assess how it's going to impact Dicks in the short term and the long term. Uh, I was probably one of the few that actually thought that Dicks was quite overvalued when it was over $200 a share. I thought it was worth closer to $160. Um, so when the stock fell after the Foot Locker deal, to me that was partly because Dick's stock was overvalued to begin with. I understand why Dick's stock was at such a high level because Dicks has been performing extremely well in the last few years. Uh, the business has really transformed and it's been outperforming everybody, certainly including Foot Locker. And so a lot of people are very unhappy that Dicks is combining with Foot Locker, which realistically is an inferior business, but I think that Dicks is buying it for a very fair price at about two and a half billion dollars for Foot Locker. The Foot Locker stock price has been weighed down. And so, even though Dicks is paying a premium over where the stock had been trading, uh, they're still, I think, buying it at a fair price, at only about six times depressed EBITDA. And I think from Dick's management's perspective, they're able to buy Foot Locker here for a very attractive valuation. All right. We are going to be watching closely as that deal looks to close. David, thanks so much. Appreciate it.
