Legendary Mountaineer and First REI Hire Jim Whittaker Passes at 97
EXEC: Ed Stack and Lauren Hobart Talk Foot Locker Remodels, Dick’s House of Sport’s Fine-Tuned Expansion
Sporting Goods Industry Hall of Famer Connie Klimenko Passes Away
The Tech Stack Problem Costing Team Dealers Time and Money — and How the Industry Is Solving It
EXEC: Levi Strauss CEO Talks Beyond Yoga’s Complement to Denim Lifestyle Portfolio
SGB Update
EoS Fitness Completes 14 Acquisitions and $10 Million in Reinvestment in Q1
The High Value / Low Price gym operator, with over 225 locations open or on the way nationwide, said it opened 2026 with strong momentum as the brand continued to scale across core markets.
REI, Walmart Back Unspun’s Domestic Hubs for Automated Apparel Manufacturing
Unspun, a San Francisco, CA-based start-up led by former North Face and Boardriders executive Arne Arens, announced that Walmart, REI and other major supply chain partners signed letters of support to build domestic manufacturing capacity in the U.S. using Unspun’s AI-enabled 3D weaving technology. The technology is designed to bring apparel manufacturing closer to consumers at a commercial scale.
Oberalp NA Bolsters Marketing Team with Two Strategic Hires
Oberalp. North America has hired Laurel Walker as marketing manager and has promoted Alex Pasmann to marketing specialist after three years working on the company’s service team. Walker’s career began in specialty run retail before advancing to work with leading brands, including Altra Running and Vibram.
Survey: Consumers Favor Multi-Brand Retailing for Sporting Goods Purchases
A new survey published by the National Sporting Goods Association (NSGA) finds 79 percent of consumers favor shopping at multi-brand stores for sporting goods equipment, while nearly 70 percent prefer multi-brand stores for apparel and footwear.
Baseball Lifestyle 101 Opens Second Store in Texas, 7th Overall
Baseball Lifestyle 101, the baseball apparel and lifestyle brand, opened a store at Grapevine Mills in Grapevine, TX, its second store in the state and seventh in the U.S.
SGB Executive
EXEC: Academy Sports Scores Stock Price Target Upgrades Following Analyst Day
A number of analysts raised their price targets on Academy Sports + Outdoors Inc. following the company’s release of a five-year growth plan at an Analyst Day event, with many more convinced the chain will inflect back to growth this year.
Fashion Resale Platform Vinted’s Revenues Climb 38 Percent in 2025
Vinted, the second-hand fashion platform based in Vilnius, Lithuania, reported sales of €1.1 billion ($1.28 billion) in 2025, a 38 percent year-over-year surge. The platform’s gross merchandise value (GMV) totaled €10.8 billion, up 47 percent year-over-year.
EXEC: Canada’s Roots Corporation Swings to Q4 Profit as Sales Grow in Mid Singles
The Canada-based premium outdoor-lifestyle brand reported total sales of CAD$115.5 million in Q4, up 4.2 percent from CAD$110.8 million in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2024.
EXEC: Skechers Opens First Flagship Store in Copenhagen, Denmark
Located in the heart of Amagertorv, the roughly 7500-square-foot store offers consumers an extensive selection of Skechers products, including its Skechers Hands Free Slip-ins.
EXEC: Ed Stack and Lauren Hobart Talk Foot Locker Remodels, Dick’s House of Sport’s Fine-Tuned Expansion
Speaking on Wednesday, April 8, at J.P. Morgan’s 12th Annual Retail Round Up, Dick’s Sporting Goods’ management team provided a deep dive into the success the Foot Locker business is seeing with its Fast Break remodels and why Dick’s is taking a more measured approach in the rollout of House of Sport locations.
