Rack Room Shoes Locations Rolling Out Jordan Launch in February
EXEC: VF Brand Presidents for “Big 3” Brands Talk Transformation
Under Armour Names Kara Trent Global CMO, Adam Peake President for Americas
EXEC: Fanatics Still Finding Sizable Growth Opportunities in Fan Gear
EXEC: Adidas and Nike Fight for Top Spot in UBS Global Survey
SGB Update
Report: Gyms and Studios Deliver 19 Consecutive Quarters of Foot Traffic Growth
U.S. commercial fitness facilities closed out 2025 with record fourth-quarter foot traffic, extending the industry’s growth streak to 19 consecutive quarters, according to new data from the Health & Fitness Association (HFA).
Rack Room Shoes Locations Rolling Out Jordan Launch in February
The newly curated sneaker lineup is said to focus on “the next generation of greatness,” offering a full family experience for men, women and kids, as well as slides, socks and backpacks.
Otto Sport AI Raises $16.5 Million in Seed Funding
Otto Sport AI, a youth sports management platform, secured $16.5 million seed investment co-led by Mamba Growth Equity and Rally Ventures. The new funding will accelerate development across the Otto Sport AI product suite with additional AI-driven tools, integrations and features rolling out throughout 2026.
Pvolve Inks Seven New Franchise Studio Deals Across High-Demand U.S. Markets
The new studio awards include two studios in Las Vegas, NV (Summerlin and Henderson), and one each in Monterey, CA; Miami, FL; Bel Air, MD; Baltimore, MD; and Columbus, OH (Upper Arlington).
Under Armour Names Kara Trent Global CMO, Adam Peake President for Americas
Kara Trent, currently president, Americas, has been appointed chief merchandising officer. SVP for Strategy Adam Peake has been named the next president, Americas. Chief Product Officer Yassine Saidi will move to a senior advisor role focused on design and creative.
SGB Executive
EXEC: VF Brand Presidents for “Big 3” Brands Talk Transformation
At a keynote session at the NRF Big Show, the global brand presidents of VF Corp’s top brands — Sun Choe, Vans; Nina Flood, Timberland; and Caroline Brown, The North Face — discussed the playbooks they are using to transform their brands to revive or accelerate growth.
EXEC: Fanatics Still Finding Sizable Growth Opportunities in Fan Gear
During a keynote session at the National Retail Federation: Retail’s Big Show, Fanatics’ founder and CEO, Michael Rubin, said the company now controls about one-third of the global market for sports fan merchandise, with significant opportunities to gain a greater share, particularly internationally.
EXEC: Is Varsity Brands Setting Up for a Big Deal?
Varsity Brands, Inc., the parent of BSN Sports and Varsity Spirit, announced a proposed $400 million fungible add-on to its first-lien term loan facility to partly finance a potential undisclosed acquisition of a complementary business to BSN Sports with a heavy presence in soccer. The potential deal was noted in Moody’s and S&P’s debt issuance reports.
EXEC: Adidas and Nike Fight for Top Spot in UBS Global Survey
In the athletic footwear category, Nike was the top brand global consumers planned to purchase within the next 12 months, at 49 percent; followed by Adidas, 41 percent; New Balance, 17 percent; Puma, 14 percent; Air Jordan, 13 percent; Asics, 12 percent; Anta and Skechers, both 10 percent; Li-Ning, 9 percent, and Converse, 8 percent.
EXEC: Tommy Bahama Parent Oxford Industries Expects to Reach Lower End of Revised FY 2025 Guidance
Oxford Industries, Inc. reported at this week’s ICR conference that its performance during the Holiday selling season and Resort selling season to date was on track to meet the low end of its previously issued guidance for the year, which was originally published by the company on December 10, 2025.
