The Top National stories and the Latest headlines across the Active Lifestyle Market for the week of October 11, 2020, covered in the SGB Updates and delivered to your inbox every business day.
— October 16, 2020 —
›VF Corp. Posts Better-Than-Expected Earnings
VF Corp. reported earnings and sales declined in the second quarter ended September 26 as a result of the impact of COVID-19. However, both came in ahead of Wall Street’s consensus estimates and VF officials indicated its year-to-date performance exceeded internal expectations across all brands, driven by digital and China. Read more
— October 15, 2020 —
›Centric Brands Emerges From Bankruptcy
Centric Brands has completed its financial restructuring and emerged from bankruptcy protection after filing in May. Read more
›Five Below To Open Esports Facilities In Three Locations
Five Below in a partnership with Nerd Street Gamers to open esports facilities connected to two Five Below stores in Georgetown, TX and Philadelphia, PA, with an additional location in St. Louis, MO opening later this month. Read more
›REI Opens Two Pop-Ups Selling Used Gear
REI Co-op announced the expansion of its recommerce business by piloting two used-gear pop-up stores and its trade-in program. Read more
›Amazon Breaks $3.5 Billion In Third-Party Prime Day Sales
Amazon said third-party sellers surpassed $3.5 billion in sales on Prime Day, a nearly 60 percent year-over-year increase, growing even more than Amazon’s retail business. Read more
›ICSC Sees 1.9 Percent Rise In Holiday Sales
ICSC forecasts a 1.9 percent year-over-year spending increase this holiday season with total spending to be $862.2 billion. Its annual Holiday Shopping Intentions Survey found that the average adult plans to spend $655 on holiday-related items – surpassing 2019’s actual expenditure. Read more
›Camber Outdoors Announces 2021 Board Co-Presidents
Camber Outdoors Board members Michelle Wardian, President Outdoor Research and Reginald Miller, VP, Global Inclusion and Diversity, VF Corp. will serve as Co-Presidents of Camber Outdoor’s Board of Directors effective January 1, 2021. Read more
›Icon Sues Peloton, Claiming Patent Infringement
Icon Health & Fitness Inc. filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware against Peloton, charging an automatically controlled resistance feature on Peloton’s Bike+, which Peloton calls “Auto Follow,” infringes on NordicTrack’s technology. Read more
›TeamSnap Commits $1 Million For Kids To Have Improved Access To Sports
TeamSnap is committing $1 million over the next three years to improve access to sports for kids in underserved neighborhoods in the U.S. The announced was made by its CEO and Founder Dave DuPont at The Aspen Institute Project Play Summit 2020. Read more
›Western Mountain Destinations Post First Revenue Gains Since February, According To Destimetrics
Despite a tough summer for businesses due to COVID-19, bookings and rates in Western Mountain Resorts in the past few weeks have shown an uptick with revenue gains for October into November. The first revenue gains since last February according to Destimetrics. Read more
›Recall: Peloton Pedals
Peloton issued a recall of its PR70P pedals, which were placed on bikes sold between July 2013 and May 2016, affecting about 27,000 bikes. Read more
›NRF Foundation Introduces COVID-19 Training For Retail Employees
The NRF Foundation launched two new credentials in its RiseUp program in response to COVID-19 focused on Retail Operations and Customer Conflict Prevention. Read more
›Ruby Ribbon Hires COO/CFO + CMO
Ruby Ribbon Inc. hired Michelle Sanft as the company’s new chief operating officer and chief financial officer, and Loly Hlade as its new chief marketing officer. Read more
›Urban Outfitters Announces Management Changes
Urban Outfitters Inc. announced a number of promotions within the organization to meet future growth and strategic initiatives. Read more
›Hara Acquired By Eco-Growth Strategies
Hara has been acquired by Eco-Growth Strategies. Read more
›Delta Apparel’s Q4 Revenues Climb 8 Percent
Delta Apparel Inc. anticipates overall net sales for its fiscal fourth-quarter ending October 3 to be approximately $116 million, up about 8 percent compared to $108 million in the prior-year period, with growth in each of its business units. Read more
›Outdoor Research Adds Midwest Outdoor Sales Agency
Outdoor Research added Midwest Outdoor Sales to represent the brand in the Midwest territory — Missouri, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, and Nebraska. Read more
›Quiksilver Owner Sued Over Rescue Deal
Investors filed a lawsuit against Boardriders Inc., the parent of Quiksilver and Billabong, over a $431 million rescue financing package they said elevated the interests of a select group of lenders and private-equity backer Oaktree Capital Management LP. Read more
›MEC Plans Fewer Layoffs, One Store ClosingMountain Equipment Co-op (MEC), which recently won court approval for a sale to Kingswood Capital Management, a California-based private-equity firm, will lay off fewer employees than previously planned and close only one store following the takeover, according to a report from CTV News. Read more
›Norrøna Hires Sales Rep For Rockies And Intermountain West
Norrøna announced a new sales partnership with Ian Decker at Black Dog Sales Group, who will represent the brand throughout the Rocky Mountain and Intermountain West territories. Read more
›Fiocchi Hires VP Sales
Fiocchi announced the appointment of Michael Halleron as its new vice president of sales. Read more
›Archery Trade Association Pulls the Plug On ATA 2021
The Archery Trade Association has canceled its in-person 2021 ATA Trade Show, scheduled to take place January 7-9, 2021, in Indianapolis, IN. Read more
— October 14, 2020 —
›Coa Brings Emotional Wellness Into Fitness; Raises $3MCoa announced a $3 million seed round. The round was led by Crosslink Ventures with RedSea Ventures and Alpaca VC participating alongside Neil Parikh, founder of Casper, several angel investors, and professional basketball player and mental health advocate Kevin Love. Read more
›Mindbody Appoints VP Of Customer Experience
Mindbody hired Kristin Carrico as SVP of customer experience. Read more
›Lodging In Southeast Destinations Post Big Rate And Revenue Gains
Momentum continues to grow for resort destinations in Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina as they launched the six-month winter season in September with strong results in both occupancy and rate. The results for a dramatic September booking pace were released by DestiMetrics. Read more
›Play It Again Sports’ Q3 Profits Improve Slightly
Winmark Corp., the parent of Play It Again Sports, reported earnings in the third quarter ended September 26 reached $9.36 million, or $2.43 per share, compared to net income of $9.1 million, or $2.24, a year ago. Read more
›Winmark Announces Special Dividend
Winmark Corporation, the parent of Play It Again Sports, announced that its Board of Directors has approved the payment of a special dividend to shareholders of $3.00 per share. Read more
›Nautilus Announces Sale Of Octane Fitness
Nautilus Inc. announced that the company has completed the sale of its commercially focused Octane Fitness business to True Fitness Technology Inc. for $25.0 million. Read more
›Outdoor + Snow Show Shifts To Virtual Event
Outdoor Retailer announced the upcoming launch of Outdoor Retailer Winter Online, which will replace the Outdoor + Snow Show in-person show, originally scheduled for January 27-29, 2021, at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver. Read more
›USTA Appoints Industry Exec To Lead Engagement & Services
The United States Tennis Association (USTA) has announced the appointment of Mickey Maule as the Association’s managing director of engagement & services. Maule most recently worked at Wilson Sporting Goods as commercial director, North America, racquet sports. Read more
›Walmart Extending Black Friday Deals
Walmart said it plans to spread its Black Friday deals from one day to three events in November. Read more
›Hydrow Appoints Creative Director
Hydrow announced that stand-up comedian and actor, Kevin Hart, is joining the connected-rowing brand as creative director. Read more
›SquadLocker Appoints Enterprise Brand Advocate
SquadLocker, based in Warwick, RI, signed Dan Koppen to its team as enterprise brand advocate. Read more
›Macy’s Appoints CFO
Macy’s, Inc. announced that Adrian V. Mitchell has been appointed CFO effective November 2, 2020 replacing interim CFO Felicia Williams who is leaving to join CEO Action for Racial Equity as a Macy’s, Inc. Fellow. Read more
›Feradyne Outdoors Announces Retirement Of International Sales Manager
FeraDyne Outdoors announced the retirement of international sales manager, Lennie Rezmer, and the resulting transition of international field representation to Outdoor Marketing International (OMI). (Read More)
›Sig Sauer Announces Expansion Of New Hampshire Operations To Rochester
Sig Sauer Inc. announced an expansion of its New Hampshire operations to the city of Rochester, NH. (Read More)
— October 13, 2020 —
›VF Appoints New President, The North Face
VF Corp. appointed Steve Murray, global brand president, The North Face. Previously VF’s president of the Americas Region, Murray replaces Arne Arens, who has stepped down to pursue other opportunities outside of VF. Read more
›Ben Hogan Partners With Fairway Jockey
Ben Hogan Golf Equipment Company announced an alliance with the online club fitter, Fairway Jockey. Fairway Jockey becomes the latest partner to join Ben Hogan Golf’s 2020 Club Fitters and Builders Program. Read more
›Academy Sports To Sponsor SIAC and SWAC
Academy Sports + Outdoors has signed on as the Official Sporting Goods and Outdoor Retailer of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (the SIAC). Read more
›Jaxjox Raises $10M In Series A Funding
Jaxjox announced a $10 million Series A round of funding with investors including Dowgate Capital Ltd. and entrepreneur Nigel Wray, bringing total funding raised to date $17 million. Read more
›Vista Outdoor Closes Acquisition Of Remington’s Ammunition And Accessories Assets
Vista Outdoor Inc. announced the closing of the acquisition of certain assets related to Remington Outdoor Company’s ammunition and accessories businesses, and related intellectual property for a gross purchase price of $81.4 million. Read more
›JackRabbit Parent Completes Acquisition Of Shoes.com
CriticalPoint Capital, the Los Angeles-based private investment firm and owner of JackRabbit and Olympia Sports, has completed the acquisition of Shoes.com from Walmart, Inc. Read more
›Slinger Bag Partners With Team Headquarters
Slinger Bag Inc. announced a partnership with Team Headquarters (TeamHQS), the portal for professional athletes and teaching pros. Read more
›Pentland Brand Appoints Global Brand Director For Canterbury And Mitre
Pentland Brands Limited has announced the appointment of Jodie Soussan as global brand director for its Canterbury and Mitre brands. Read more
— October 12, 2020 —
›eBay To Authenticate Sneakers $100+ In U.S.
eBay announced the expansion of its Authenticity Guarantee service for sneaker sales on its platform. Through this program, all new and pre-owned collectible sneakers sold on eBay for over $100 in the U.S. will be fully vetted and verified by an independent team of industry experts. Read more
›Five L.L. Bean Fulfillment Workers Test Positive For COVID-19
L.L. Bean said five workers at its fulfillment center in Freeport, ME have tested positive for COVID-19. The company disclosed the positive test results Friday, according to WABI. Read more
›Lakers Become Top-Selling NBA Finals Champion In Fanatics History
Fanatics said the Los Angeles Lakers have become the top-selling NBA Finals Champion in company history, topping the 2016 NBA Champion, the Cleveland Cavaliers. Read more
›Sportsman’s Warehouse To Open Store In Brentwood
Sportsman’s Warehouse Holdings Inc. is opening a new location at Brentwood, CA this month. Read more
›Leslie’s To Go Public
Leslie’s Inc. the pool supplies retailer with 934 retail locations as of June 27, filed for an initial public offering. Read more
›2XU Partners With FlexIt
2XUpartnered with FlexIt, a mobile app that supports virtual personal training for health club operators. 2XU customers and FlexIt users will benefit directly from this partnership. Read more
›Boathouse Sports Appoints New CEO
Boathouse Sports announced that Cindy DiPietrantonio has been appointed president and chief executive officer assuming the day-to-day leadership of the company. Read more
›Survey: YouTube Overtakes Facebook As Most Popular For Sports Video Highlights
YouTube is the most popular social app for 75 million U.S. sports fans viewing sports highlights, according to Ring Digital’s Fall 2020 #FutureOfTV Survey. The survey shows 53 percent of respondents used YouTube on a regular basis versus 45 percent who used Facebook, a dramatic shift from a 2017 survey. Read more
›Headspace Announces CEO Transition
Headspace announced that CeCe Morken has been appointed CEO, effective January 1, 2021. At that time, current CEO and Co-founder Rich Pierson and Co-founder Andy Puddicombe will transition to the new roles of Co-executive Chairmen of the Board. Read more
›Dick’s SG’s President Joins Yum! Brands’ Board
Yum! Brands Inc., the parent of FC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell, announced the appointment of Lauren R. Hobart, president of Dick’s Sporting Goods, Inc., to its Board of Directors. Read more
›Prime Days + Black Friday, Head-To-Head For Holiday Consumer Dollars, According To NPD
Before Amazon officially announced its 2020 Prime Days, 57 percent of consumers told The NPD Group that they plan to do some, if not all, of their holiday shopping online during Prime Day events this year. Read more
›Adidas Originals Flagship Opens In Carnaby Street
Adidas has opened an Adidas Originals flagship in Carnaby Street in London. Read more
›Nike Cuts Off Frank’s Sport Shop
Nike has stopped selling to Frank’s Sport Shop, the family-owned sporting goods store operating in the Bronx since 1922, according to a report in the Daily News. Read more
— October 11, 2020 —
›International Sports Sciences Association Acquires NCCPT
The International Sports Sciences Association (ISSA) recently acquired the National Council of Certified Personal Trainers (NCCPT) to broaden its scope of educational fitness training courses. Read more
›Source For Sports Details Store Safety Protocols As Hockey Season Starts Up
Source for Sports, with over 150 stores selling hockey gear across Canada and the U.S., issued a statement detailing consumer behavior changes and in-store changes that have resulted from the pandemic as hockey season starts up. Read more
›Topgolf Swing Suites To Open in Canton
A Topgolf Swing Suites will open in the fourth quarter of 2021 at the Hall of Fame Village in Canton, OH. Read more
›Blain’s Farm & Fleet Opens In Standale, MI
Located in the Standale Shopping District next to Meijer at the corner of Wilson Ave and Lake Michigan Ave, the 106,000-square-foot store marks the fifth Blain’s Farm & Fleet location in Michigan. Read more
›Howard Clothing and Sporting Goods To Close
Howard Clothing and Sporting Goods in Shenandoah, IA is closing as the store’s owners are retiring. Read more
›Imports Set New Record As Retailers Replenish Inventories And Stock Up For Holidays
Imports reached an all-time high this summer as retail sales bounced back from the pandemic and merchants replenished inventories and stocked up early for the holiday season, according to the monthly Global Port Tracker report released by the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates. Read more
›FSSC Hires U.S. Rockies Sales Lead
Faction Skis and FW Apparel parent Full Stack Supply Co. (FSSC) appointed Halsey Landon as U.S. Rockies sales lead effective immediately. Read more
