Mountain Gear in Spokane, WA, will close after 37 years in operation. Owner Paul Fish, pictured above, said business continued to do worse citing online competition. Read more

Vicis Inc.,  the high-tech football helmet startup, announced that its board of directors voted to place the company into receivership. Read more

Adidas and former Louisville basketball coach Rick Pitino reached a settlement sixteen months after a federal judge dismissed his lawsuit against Adidas. Terms were not disclosed. Read more

Jordan Brand added Luka Dončić, the 2018/19 NBA Rookie of the Year, as its latest brand ambassador. His initial deal with Nike expired earlier in the year. Read more

Moody’s downgraded the debt ratings of 24 Hour Fitness following the report of weaker than expected EBITDA forecasts for the full year 2019 and 2020 as a result of a decrease in new member sales conversion and higher attrition rates. These factors contributed to a sizable decline in membership count and an acceleration in comparable club revenue declines in the third quarter. Read more

Celebrity attorney Michael Avenatti was over $15 million in debt when he tried to extort up to $25 million from Nike, Manhattan federal prosecutors charged in new court documents. Read more

Holiday retail sales increased 3.4 percent with online sales growing 18.8 percent compared to 2018, according to Mastercard SpendingPulse. Digital’s 14.6 percent share of total sales was at an all-time high. Read more

Super Saturday on December 21 reached a record $34.4 billion in sales, marking the largest single-day in U.S. retail history according to Customer Growth Partners. Read more

Amazon announced that it saw “record-breaking” sales this holiday season. The best-selling sports items in the U.S. this holiday season included Spalding NBA Street Outdoor Basketball, AmazonBasics Neoprene Dumbbell Pairs and Sets, AmazonBasics High-Density Round Foam Roller, LifeStraw Personal Water Filter, and Razor A Kick Scooter. Carhartt, Champion, Adidas and Columbia Sportswear ranked among top-selling apparel brands. Read more

Dick’s Sporting Goods is closing its store in Elk Grove, CA. The location was converted from a Sports Authority in 2017. Read More

AstroTurf said that to manage AstroTurf’s considerable growth in the western United States, its current PacWest region will be realigned into the Northwest and Southwest regions. Read more

The NFL Players Association and the Dallas Cowboys Merchandising Companies have been sued over asserted false counterfeit complaints against Jersey World, a small business that sells sports products on Amazon.com.  Read more

The Big Gear Show, a new outdoor industry trade show focused on hardgoods with an emphasis on paddling, cycling, climbing, and camping gear, announced the appointment of Lance Camisasca to be its bike show director. Read more

Weav Music, the audio innovation lab helmed by Google Maps co-founder Lars Rasmussen and marketing expert Elomida Visviki, announced a $5 million Series A financing round. The round was led by King River Capital. Peloton also participated along with previous investors Passion Capital and Rivet Ventures. Read more

The Oberalp Group, which owns Salewa, Dynafit, Pomoca, Wild Country, and Evolv, hired William Bill Sinoff as general manager of Evolv. Read more

Shred announced that it has partnered with Lanctôt for the distribution of its action sports eyewear and protection products in Canada. Read more

Retailers and shippers this holiday season will handle more returns than ever of goods bought online, illustrating a costly drawback to e-commerce’s growth that the industry is working to contain, according to a new report from CBRE. Read more

Amazon is expanding its free returns policy to include electronics, pet supplies, household items, kitchen appliances, and more. Previously only apparel, footwear and bedding were eligible. Read more

With the opportunity for public comment on changes to the Roadless Area Conservation Rule proposed by the Trump administration coming to an end, REI Co-op submitted a letter endorsing Alternative #1 no action on the proposed changes. Read more

Photo courtesy Dan Pelle/The Spokesman-Review