Kering, the parent of Gucci and Balenciaga, is in exploratory talks to acquire the Italian skiwear brand Moncler, according to a report from Bloomberg. Read more
Neil Cole, Iconix Brand Group’s founder and former CEO, has been charged with accounting fraud while Seth Horowitz, Iconix’s former COO, pled guilty to related charges. Read more
Fresno State Athletics announced that Adidas will replace Nike as its official athletic footwear, apparel and accessory brand in a 6-year partnership through the 2026 season. The agreement is effective June 1, 2020. Read more
True Sports, the parent of True Temper, Project X and ACCRA, has acquired Aerotech Golf, a designer and distributor of high-end composite golf shafts. Read more
Vail Resorts Inc. on Thursday announced that Nadia Rawlinson has been appointed to the company’s board of directors. Read more
Picture Organic Clothing, makers of recycled, organic, and bio-sourced products for board sports, announced Thursday it has earned B Corp certification. Read more
The Buckle Inc. announced Thursday that comparable store net sales, for stores open at least one year, for the 4-week period ended November 30, 2019 decreased 1.6 percent from comparable store net sales for the 4-week period ended December 1, 2018. Read more
Yakima, a maker of recreational cargo management solutions and outdoor specialty products, announced Thursday that it has completed an asset acquisition of Road Shower, the on-vehicle outdoor recreation water transport system. Read more
VF Corp. on Thursday published the latest iteration of its Made for Change Sustainability & Responsibility report, including the announcement of industry-leading science-based targets (SBTs) and its vision for sustainable materials. Read more
Macy’s Inc. on Thursday announced that Hal Lawton, president of the Macy’s brand business, has resigned, effective December 6. Read more
Astral, manufacturer of PFDs and footwear, appointed Mark Cohen to cover the Southern Rockies. Read more
Marker Dalbello Völkl announced the promotion of Greg Grip to president of its U.S. subsidiary, following the recent retirement of long-time president Mike Noonan. Read more
Grassroots Connect, the twice-annual retail buying show of Grassroots Outdoor Alliance, is moving its fall event to the Kansas City Convention Center beginning in November 2020. Read more
Rent The Runway (RTR), a clothing rental startup, is now offering athleisure and ski apparel to customers. Read more
Boss Manufacturing Co. announced Wednesday that it has closed on the sale of assets of its glove, boots, and rainwear business to Protective Industrial Products Inc. of Latham, NY. Read more
The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), the firearms industry trade association, released the 2017 Firearms Production Report to members. Click through for key findings. Read more
Franklin Sports has partnered with Spartan, the obstacle course race (OCR) and endurance brand, to become the Official Performance Glove of Spartan in a multi-year partnership. Read more
American-made, eco-friendly adventure brands Nalgene Outdoor, maker of reusable water bottles, and Corbeaux Clothing, maker of eco-conscious adventure apparel, on Wednesday announced a partnership to support safe domestic drinking water. Read more
Canada Goose on Wednesday announced The Journey, an innovative new retail concept located in CF Sherway Gardens, in Toronto, Ontario. Read more
LifeSaver, a UK-based manufacturer of portable and reusable water filtration systems, on Wednesday announced its partnership with Eartheasy Distribution. Read more
Freemotion Fitness has appointed John Harris as director of business development to help accelerate business growth at this pivotal time in the company’s evolution. Read more
Sturm, Ruger & Co. Inc. on Wednesday announced the addition of MGE Wholesale (MGE) as an independent distributor of Ruger firearms in the U.S. Read more
Outerknown, co-founded by professional surfer Kelly Slater, announced the opening of its first brick-and-mortar store in the South Bay surf community in Manhattan Beach, CA. Read more
Firearms background checks, as adjusted by the NSSF, reached 1,342,155 in November against 1,314,193. in November 2018, a gain of 2.1 percent. Read more
Nike Inc.’s “Sport Changes Everything” ad campaign was halted by a North Carolina federal court based on likely confusion with Fleet Feet Inc.‘s “Sports Change Everything” and “Running Changes Everything” trademarks. Read more
Cyber Monday saw a record $9.4 billion sold online, up 19.7 percent against the same day a year ago, according to Adobe Analytics. Read more
Vans commemorated the inaugural #VansCheckerboardDay held on November 21 and its more than $1 million donations to Imagination.org and announced the creation of the Vans Checkerboard Fund. Read more
Powdr Corp. on Tuesday announced it has acquired SilverStar Mountain Resort in British Columbia, giving the Park City, UT-based company its first mountain resort in Canada. Read more
Origin USA, an American-made maker of lifestyle athletic wear, apparel, footwear and nutrition based in Farmington, ME, appointed Don Miller as chief financial officer. Read more
New Balance Athletics Inc. announced it is adopting Gap Inc.’s P.A.C.E. (Personal Advancement & Career Enhancement) program, an innovative education and training initiative, to help improve the lives of women workers in its global supply chain. Read more
The Arbor Collective and Shiner Ltd. on Tuesday announced that Shiner has been named the new exclusive global distributor for the Arbor Skateboards Program. Read more
Lew’s Holdings Corp. on Tuesday announced the addition of Connie Parker to its board of directors. Parker was most recently the director of stewardship and corporate sustainability for Pure Fishing Inc. Read more
Pure Fishing, a platform company that’s owned by the private equity firm Sycamore Partners, has acquired fishing brands Fin-Nor and Van Staal from W.C. Bradley/Zebco Holdings Inc. Read more
A record 189.6 million U.S. consumers shopped from Thanksgiving Day through Cyber Monday this year, an increase of 14 percent over last year’s 165.8 million, the National Retail Federation and Prosper Insights & Analytics said Tuesday. Read more
J. C. Penney Company Inc. on Tuesday announced Karl Walsh, an executive with more than 18 years of e-commerce expertise, has been appointed senior vice president, chief digital officer. Read more
Dick’s Sporting Goods and The Dick’s Sporting Goods Foundation announced Tuesday they will give $1.4 million to support youth sports teams in need beginning this holiday season through community events, grant programs and a donation multiplier on DonorsChoose. Read more
Goldwin, a Japanese technical outdoor apparel brand, on Tuesday announced the opening of its second retail flagship store—the brand’s first outside of Japan—with a new retail location in San Francisco, CA. Read more
Vail Resorts Inc. on Tuesday announced a significant expansion of its current youth access efforts, with plans to launch new programs at more than a dozen resorts that serve major metropolitan areas. Read more
RV wholesale shipments are expected to surpass 400,000 units by the end of 2019 and then see a minimal drop in 2020, according to the latest issue of RV RoadSigns, the quarterly forecast commissioned by the RV Industry Association and authored by independent RV industry analyst Richard Curtin. Read more
Altra, which is owned by VF Corp., welcomed Chuck Ponthier as senior director of sales. Read more
L.L.Bean announced its newest retail location will be located at Tuscan Village, a premier lifestyle destination in Salem, NH. Read more
Al’s Sporting Goods, based in Logan, UT, is opening a location in a former Toys R Us in Idaho Falls, ID. Read more
Slinger Bag, the startup tennis ball launcher manufacturer that began in Israel, has gone public in the U.S. through the reverse acquisition process. The company acquired the publicly traded Lazex Inc., changed the name to Slinger Bag and adopted the ticker symbol of “SLBG.” Read more
Chris Abbruzzese has been named Vice President of Trade Marketing for Bollé Brands, North America, the company announced Monday. Read More
Wish for Wheels, a national nonprofit organization that gives brand new bikes and helmets to second graders in low-income schools, on Monday announced the addition of Lance Armstrong to the board of directors Read more
Gant has named Patrik Söderström chief executive officer, effective February 2020. He will take over for Brian Grevy, who, as reported, is re-joining Adidas to lead Global Brands. Read more
According to Reuters, VF Corp. is among the companies looking to acquire Golden Goose. Read more
Christy Sports LLC announced that it has received a significant strategic investment from TZP Capital Partners III L.P. TZP, a private equity firm based in New York City, acquired Norwest Equity Partners‘ equity stake in the winter sports retailer. Read more
The Federal Bureau of Investigation reported its National Instant Criminal Background Check System processed 202,465 firearms checks on Black Friday, as reported by USA Today. Read more
Overall online sales on Black Friday jumped 19.4 percent to $7.4 billion, the second-largest Internet shopping day ever, according to data compiled by Adobe Analytics. Read more
Black Friday shopping at physical stores saw a 4.2 percent increase in sales compared to 2018, according to First Data Insights. Read more
Photo courtesy Moncler
