The Top National stories and the Latest headlines across the Active Lifestyle Market for the week of January 18, 2021, covered in the SGB Updates and delivered to your inbox every business day.’
January 22, 2021
•Brownells, Crow Shooting Supply Hires Chief Customer Officer
Brownells and its sister wholesale company, Crow Shooting Supply, has hired retail and wholesale business veteran Eddie Andrus as chief customer officer. Read more
•Gunwerks Makes Hires
Gunwerks hired Ryan Chalupsky as product development director and Neal Emery as director of brand experience. Read more
•Bangers LP Adds To Sales Organization
Bangers LP hired John Horner and Louis Reich to serve as account managers within its sales team. Read more
•United Legwear & Apparel Acquires Pro Player Brand
United Legwear & Apparel Co. (ULAC) has acquired the Pro Player brand from Perry Ellis International Inc. ULAC has been the fan apparel brand’s master licensee in recent years. Read more
•Mytheresa Completes IPO
Munich-based online luxury-fashion retailer Mytheresa on Wednesday raised $406.8 million in its U.S. initial public offering (IPO). The offering valued the e-commerce site at a higher than expected $2.2 billion. Read more
•Report: Hudson’s Bay Planning IPO For Saks.com
Hudson’s Bay Co. is exploring a spin-off of Saks.com as a public company, separating the online business from Saks Fifth Avenue’s brick & mortar operation, according to a report from WWD. Read more
•BSN Sports And Under Armour Ink Partnership With Florida Burn
The Florida Burn select baseball organization announced that it has entered into an Elite Partnership Agreement with BSN Sports. The first partnership of its kind for the brand, the uniform and apparel agreement will debut this summer by outfitting the Florida Burn organization in Under Armour gear. Read more
January 21, 2021
•Golf Datatech Reports All-Time Best December For Equipment Sales
Golf Datatech, LLC announced that U.S. golf equipment sales for December 2020 were up 58 percent over the same period in 2019, while exceeding December’s previous all-time high, set in 2006, by 16 percent. Read more
•Cohere Capital Completes Strategic Growth Investment In CCS
Cohere Capital announced that it has made a strategic growth investment in Portland, OR-based CCS, the online retailer of streetwear and skateboard equipment. The investment will allow CCS to continue to invest in technology-enabled products and service offerings and accelerate its brand growth. Read more
•S&S Activewear Announces New Investment To Support Growth
S&S Activewear and Clayton, Dubilier & Rice (CD&R) announced a partnership in which CD&R-managed funds will invest alongside current owners and management to acquire S&S, a North American distributor of imprintable apparel and accessories. S&S works with brands including Adidas, Champion, Columbia, Bella+Canvas, Next Level Apparel, and Gildan. Read more
•Citi Trends Announces Holiday Sales Results And Updates Long-term Strategic Plan
Citi Trends Inc. reported total sales for the nine-week period ended January 2, 2021 increased 12.9 percent to $192.5 million compared with $170.5 million in the same period of 2019 and comparable store sales increased 10.3 percent versus 3.6 percent in the same period last year. Read more
•Fit For Life Enters Distribution Deal For Adidas And Reebok Fitness Gear
Fit for Life has added Adidas and Reebok to its portfolio of brands. The partnership reflects a new distribution deal with RFE Sporting Goods, the manufacturer of Reebok, Adidas and Dynamax home and commercial fitness equipment. Read more
•Athleta Rolls Out Extended Sizing
Athleta announced the expansion of extended sizing (“1X to 3X” or sizes 18 to 26) to 350 styles across its collection. For Spring 2021, 70 percent of the Athleta collection will be available in sizes 1X to 3X. Read more
•GlassesUSA.com Raises $45 Million In Funding
GlassesUSA.com announced the close of $45 million in funding from the Tene Investment Fund. Read more
•Aqua Lung Appoints Director Of Military & Professional, North America
Aqua Lung announced it has appointed Katie Roberts as Director of Military & Professional, North America. Read more
•Bowtech Archery Announces Partnership With BuckVentures
Bowtech Archery announced a new partnership with BuckVentures. BuckVentures is a source of hunting entertainment and education. Read more
•Backcountry To Open New Retail Stores Spring 2021
Backcountry announced plans to open brick & mortar retail locations beginning May 2021. The retailer currently has one store adjacent to its fulfillment center in Salt Lake City, UT, and will expand its retail footprint this year with two new stores, the first of which will open in Park City, UT, followed by a location in Boulder, CO. Read more
•HanesBrands Names Group President, Global Innerwear
HanesBrands announced that Joe Cavaliere has been named to the newly created role of group president, global innerwear, effective February 8, 2021. Howard Upchurch, group president, innerwear Americas, has announced his retirement. Read more
•The 2021 NRF Big Show Chapter Two Goes Virtual
The National Retail Federation (NRF) has moved Chapter Two of its 2021 Big Show from an in-person to a virtual event. Read more
•Nike Exits 280,000 Square Feet Of Office Space
Nike is leaving its 280,000-square-foot office space in Sunset Corridor at the Tektronix campus in Beaverton, OR according to a report from the real estate firm JLL Capital Markets. Read more
January 20, 2021
•Stio Announces Key Hires To Support Continued Growth
Stio announced new hires to broaden its corporate team and support its growth. Read more
•Academy Sports And Outdoors Eliminates COO Position
Academy Sports and Outdoors said in a regulatory filing that it has eliminated its COO position, resulting in the layoff of current COO and EVP Kenneth Attaway. Read more
•Belk Seeking Out-Of-Court Financial Restructuring
Belk, its major lenders and the private equity firm Sycamore Partners are nearing a deal to restructure the department store’s debt outside of bankruptcy proceedings, according to a Wall Street Journal report. Read more
•Glassdoor’s Best Places To Work List List
Lululemon Athletica was the only company in the active lifestyle space to land in the Top 10 of Glassdoor’s Annual Ranking of the 100 Best Places To Work in the U.S., coming in at No. 8. Other companies in the industry landing on the list include Vans, 36; REI, 48; and Nike, 49. Read more
•Planet Fitness Adds Two Board Members
Planet Fitness Inc. announced that it has appointed Bernard Acoca, chief executive officer and president for El Pollo Loco, and Christopher Tanco, executive vice president and chief operating officer for 7–Eleven, to its Board of Directors, effective immediately. Read more
•Zwift Appoints Chief Product Officer
Zwift announced the appointment of YuChiang Cheng as chief product officer. He previously was president, Topgolf Media. Read more
•Running USA Survey Finds Runners Eager To Return To Live Events
According to Running USA’s 2020 Global Runner Survey, 66 percent of runners in North America plan to be back out racing as soon as an event is available in their area or within traveling distance. An additional 20 percent wanted a vaccine to be available before they raced again. Read more
•Fitness Machine Technicians Opens First Location In Minnesota
Fitness Machine Technicians opened locations in the Minneapolis and St. Paul areas. Read more
•ReCircled Acquires Circlarity
ReCircled, LLC announced the acquisition of Circlarity, LLC, a digital sustainability intelligence technology company. Read more
•Hari Mari Appoints New President
Hari Mari appointed Jake Szczepanski its new president. Szczepanski previously co-founded and served as CEO of menswear and womenswear label Billy Reid for 13 years. Read more
•Pentland Brands Appoints Its First Positive Business Director
Pentland Brands Limited announced the appointment of Sara Brennan as its first positive business director. Read more
•Licensing Expo To Be Held In August 2021
The Global Licensing Group has scheduled its in-person Licensing Expo for August 10-12, at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas, NV. Accompanying the tradeshow is a virtual event, which will be held on August 24-25. Read more
•Chattanooga Shooting Supplies Expands Sales Team
Chattanooga Shooting Supplies said Casey Cochran and Ed Macaya have recently joined its sales team. Read more
•Blackbird Products Group Acquires American Buffalo Knife And Tool
Blackbird Products Group, LLC, parent company of Mammoth Coolers and Mammoth PPE Products, announced it has acquired American Buffalo Knife and Tool (ABKT). Read more
•Ebay Appoints VP Of Fashion
Ebay has appointed Charis Márquez, formerly VP for sales effectiveness at Levi Strauss & Co., to the newly created role of vice president of fashion. Read more
•RECALL: Rapala Rechargeable Fillet Knives
About 128,000 Rapala Rechargeable Fillet Knives are being recalled. Read more
January 19, 2021
•Gainful Secures $7.5M In Funding
Personalized sports nutrition company Gainful has raised a $7.5 million Series A funding after seeing its revenues more than double over the past year. Read more
•KBM Adds Mid-Atlantic Manager
Kelly Brand Management (KBM) hired Matthew Bratton as its Mid-Atlantic territory manager. Read more
•Blackbird Products Group Appoints VP Sales, Marketing And Business Development
Blackbird Products Group, LLC announced the promotion of Bob George to the position of VP of sales, marketing & business development. Read more
•GSM Announces Acquisition Of Truglo
GSM Outdoors announced its most recent acquisition of Truglo, a provider of a broad range of accessory items for archery, crossbow, and firearms. Read more
•Li Ning Acquires Majority Stake In Clarks
Viva China Holdings has acquired control of the U.K.-based footwear brand, Clarks for £51 million ($62 million). Read more
•Goat Group Secures Investment From Groupe Artemis
Goat Group has secured a strategic investment from Groupe Artemis, the controlling shareholder of Kering, the owner of Gucci, Saint Laurent, Bottega Veneta, and other luxury brands. Read more
•Olin Announces Facility Closures
Olin Corporation announced that it had decided to cease operations of its Trichloroethylene (Tric) and Anhydrous Hydrogen Chloride (AnHCl) liquefaction facilities in Freeport, TX, before the end of 2021. These actions are expected to be cash flow accretive. Read more
•Report: Birkenstock Exploring Sale To CVC Capital
Birkenstock is in discussions to be acquired by CVC Capital Partners, according to a report from Bloomberg, The sale reportedly could value the nearly 250-year-old brand at $4.8 billion, including debt. Read more
•Southampton Exits Under Armour For Hummel
Southampton announced a new partnership with Hummel after mutually parting ways with Under Armour two years before its contract was due to expire. Read more
January 18, 2021
•VF Corp. Launches Enhanced Product Traceability Mapping Data
VF Corp. enhanced its traceability mapping program by disclosing Tier 1 through Tier 4 suppliers. The company said offering supply chain visibility through Tier 4 suppliers demonstrates its commitment to continuous improvement and increased transparency outlined in its corporate sustainability and responsibility strategy, Made for Change. Read more
•Brand Machine Group Acquires Penfield
Brand Machine Group (BMG) has acquired U.S. outdoor brand Penfield. Read more
•G-Form Announces New Canadian Sports Distributor
G-Form introduced A.S.K. Sports Inc as its exclusive distributor for baseball, soccer and team sports products in Canada. Read more
•Product Preview And Launch Day To Kick Off Virtual PGA Merchandise Show Week
The 2021 Virtual PGA Merchandise Show Week will begin on January 26 with a Product Preview & Launch Day of more than 200 participating golf manufacturers. Read more
•Organizational Development Continues Within The Ironman Group
The Ironman Group announced senior-level promotions within the company, including Thomas Siebert, senior vice president, head of finance, EMEA and Matt Wikstrom to senior vice president, global partnerships. Read more
•American Pacific Group Completes Acquisition Of Eu Natural
American Pacific Group announced that together with Joe Falsetti of Dana Holdings LLC, it has formed Yukon Wellness Holdings LLC a company that will serve as a platform to acquire and grow consumer wellness brands. Yukon Wellness acquired Eu Natural, a provider of vitamin and mineral nutritional supplement products. Read more
•US Sports Camps Announces Launch Of Nike Pickleball Camps
US Sports Camps announced the launch of Nike Pickleball Camps, joining a line-up of 21 other sports camp disciplines. Read more
•Retail Sales Drop In December For Third Straight Month
Retail sales, excluding automobiles and gas, slid 0.7 percent in December compared to November, according to the Commerce Department, as a surge in coronavirus cases kept consumers away from stores during the critical holiday shopping season. Read more
•NRF Said 2020 Holiday Sales Grew 8.3 Percent Despite Pandemic
Retail sales during the 2020’s November/December holiday season grew an unexpectedly high 8.3 percent over the same period in 2019 to $789.4 billion, exceeding the National Retail Federation’s (NRF) holiday forecast despite the economic challenges of the coronavirus pandemic, NRF said. The numbers include online and other non-stores sales, which were up 23.9 percent at $209 billion. Read more
Photo courtesy Etsy
