Johnson Outdoors Inc. is a leading global manufacturer and marketer of branded seasonal, outdoor recreation products used primarily for fishing from a boat, diving, paddling, hiking, and camping. The Company’s portfolio of well-known consumer brands has attained leading market positions due to innovation, marketing excellence, product performance and quality.
Segments
The company operates through four segments: Fishing, Camping, Watercraft Recreation, and Diving.
Fishing
The Fishing segments...
Johnson Outdoors Inc. is a leading global manufacturer and marketer of branded seasonal, outdoor recreation products used primarily for fishing from a boat, diving, paddling, hiking, and camping. The Company’s portfolio of well-known consumer brands has attained leading market positions due to innovation, marketing excellence, product performance and quality.
Segments
The company operates through four segments: Fishing, Camping, Watercraft Recreation, and Diving.
Fishing
The Fishing segments key brands are Minn Kota electric motors for quiet trolling or primary propulsion, marine battery chargers, and shallow water anchors; Humminbird sonar and GPS equipment for fish finding, navigation and marine cartography; and Cannon downriggers for controlled-depth fishing.
Minn Kota trolling motors and shallow water anchors and Cannon downriggers are designed and manufactured primarily at the Company's Mankato, Minnesota facility. Humminbird sonar and GPS equipment are designed and manufactured primarily in Eufaula, Alabama, and Alpharetta, Georgia.
Fishing brands and related accessories are sold across the globe, with the majority of sales coming from North America through large outdoor specialty retailers, such as Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s; large retail store chains; distributors that service independent marine, sporting goods, and internet dealers; and original equipment manufacturers (OEM) of boat brands, such as Tracker, Skeeter, and Ranger. The company also sells direct to consumers via its Minn Kota, Humminbird, and Cannon websites. Markets outside of North America are accessed through a network of independent international distributors. The company markets its Fishing brands through several media channels, and is focused on innovation leadership, reliable technology, and quality products.
Camping
The Camping segments key brands are Jetboil portable outdoor cooking systems and Eureka! camping products and accessories.
During fiscal 2023, the company sold the Military and Commercial Tent product lines of Eureka!, and approved plans to fully exit the Eureka! brand, which includes the sale of all remaining consumer inventory of Eureka! branded products and winding down operations by the end of calendar 2024. Going forward, the company expects to focus its resources in the Camping segment on marketing and further developing the Jetboil product line.
Jetboil portable outdoor cooking systems, single burner and two burner stoves, and accessories are sold in the U.S. and Canada, primarily to camping and backpacking specialty stores, sporting goods stores, internet retailers, and direct to consumer via the Jetboil brand website. Markets outside of North America are accessed through a network of independent international distributors. Marketing of Jetboil systems is focused on building brand awareness and leadership in product features and innovation, primarily through digital marketing and social media. Jetboil products are designed at the company’s operating locations in Old Town, Maine, and manufactured by third party sources in Asia.
Watercraft Recreation
The Watercraft Recreation segment designs and markets canoes, kayaks, and advanced personal watercraft equipment and products under the Old Town brand name for family recreation, touring, and angling. Old Town products are manufactured at the company’s facility in Old Town, Maine.
Watercraft Recreation accessory brands, including Carlisle branded paddles, are produced primarily by third party sources located in North America and Asia. The company's personal flotation devices are manufactured by third party sources located in Asia and are sold under the Old Town brand.
The company’s kayaks, canoes, and accessories are sold through multiple channels primarily in the U.S. and Canada with an emphasis on independent specialty dealers and outdoor specialty chain retailers. The company also sells products direct to consumers via the Old Town website, and internet retailer sites.
Marketing of brands is focused on building brand awareness and leadership in product features and innovation, primarily through digital marketing and social media.
Diving
The Diving segment manufactures and markets underwater diving products for recreational divers, which it sells and distributes under the SCUBAPRO brand name.
The company markets a complete line of underwater diving and snorkeling equipment, including regulators, buoyancy compensators, dive computers and gauges, wetsuits, masks, fins, snorkels, and accessories.
The company manufactures and assembles buoyancy compensators, regulators, dive computers, gauges, and instruments at its Italian and Indonesian facilities, and for certain makes or models, from other third-party manufacturers. The company designs and develops diving and snorkeling soft goods, proprietary materials, and other components from third party contract manufacturers.
SCUBAPRO diving equipment is marketed to the premium recreational segment and high-performance technical diving market. Products are sold via select distribution to independent specialty dive stores worldwide. These specialty dive stores generally provide a wide range of services to divers, including regular maintenance, product repair, diving education, and travel programs. The company also sells diving gear direct to consumers via the SCUBAPRO website and to dive training centers, resorts and public safety units.
The company markets its equipment via websites, through social media, through information and displays in dive specialty stores, and in diving magazines.
International Operations
The company conducts its worldwide operations through separate business segments, each of which represent major product lines. Operations are conducted in the U.S. and various foreign countries, primarily in Europe, Canada, and the Pacific Basin.
Seasonality
The company's products in each of its business segments are primarily warm-weather, outdoor recreation-related, which has historically resulted in seasonal variations in sales and profitability for it. This seasonal variability was traditionally due to customers' increasing their inventories in the quarters ending March and June, which is the typical primary selling season for the company's outdoor recreation products, with lower inventory volumes during the quarters ending September and December. The company mitigates the seasonality of its businesses somewhat by encouraging customers to purchase and take delivery of products more evenly through the year (year ended September 27, 2024).
Competitors
Fishing: Minn Kota’s primary competitor in the electric trolling motors business is Lowrance, owned by Brunswick Corporation, Garmin and Power-Pole. In addition, Power-Pole is Minn Kota's main competitor in the shallow water anchor business. Humminbird’s main competitors in the market for on-boat electronics are Garmin and Lowrance. Cannon’s main competitors in the downrigger market are Big Jon Sports, Walker and Scotty.
Camping: The company’s primary competitor in portable outdoor cooking systems is MSR.
Watercraft Recreation: The company’s main competitors in this market are Hobie, Pelican International Inc., Wenonah Canoe, Jackson Kayak and Legacy Paddlesports, each of which competes on the basis of their product’s design, performance, quality, and price.
Diving: The main competitors in the Diving segment include Aqua Lung, Suunto, Atomic Aquatics, Oceanic, Cressi and Mares.
Government Regulations
The company is subject to supranational, federal, state, local and foreign laws, and other legal requirements related to the generation, storage, transport, treatment, and disposal of materials as a result of its manufacturing and assembly operations. These laws include the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (as amended), the Clean Air Act (as amended), and the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (as amended), as well as similar laws in foreign jurisdictions.
The company is also subject to the requirement of Section 1502 of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act and SEC rules related thereto to conduct due diligence and disclose and report on whether certain minerals and metals, known as ‘conflict minerals’, are contained in the company’s products and whether they originate from the Democratic Republic of Congo (‘DRC’) and adjoining countries.
History
Johnson Outdoors Inc. was founded in 1970. The company was incorporated in Wisconsin in 1987.