Retail sales in January increased 0.2 percent seasonally adjusted over December and were up 2.7 percent unadjusted year-over-year, the National Retail Federation said Friday. Read more

Googlesoc, the maker of stretch goggle covers made from recycled plastic bottles for skiers and snowboarders, has joined Envoy B2b as a new client. Read more

Asics Corp.’s sales in the North American region in the fourth quarter slid 5.5 percent to ¥18.8 billion ($171 mm) from ¥19.9 billion a year ago. The operating loss in the region was reduced to ¥2.12 billion ($19 mm) from ¥2.95 billion. Read more

Moody’s Investors Service downgraded Under Armour Inc.‘s senior unsecured rating to Ba1 from Baa3. Read more

Vuori, a performance apparel brand based in Encinitas, CA., hired Catherine Pike as senior director of retail. Read more

Puma signed a multi-year footwear and apparel deal with Grammy-winning artist J. Cole. Read more

Unifi Inc. announced recipients of the third annual Champions of Sustainability Awards, recognizing companies driving sustainability. Read more

Fitness Holdings Northeast LLC, a franchise group in the Crunch Fitness network, announced its acquisition of Crunch Fitness Harrisburg, in southern Pennsylvania. Read more

Rapha, the cycling apparel brand, is relocating its North American operations from Portland, OR, to Bentonville, AR, on March 1. Read more

Authentic Brands Group, a global brand development, marketing and entertainment company, on Thursday, announced a production and distribution partnership with men’s dress shirt purveyor, Versa Group for the Nautica brand. Read more

Designer Brands Inc. plans to partner with Jennifer Lopez to produce a line of footwear and handbags under the JLO Jennifer Lopez name. Read more

Fox Factory Inc., has signed a definitive agreement to acquire SCA Performance Holdings Inc., an OEM authorized specialty vehicle manufacturer (SVM) for light-duty trucks and SUVs with headquarters in Trussville, AL. Read more

Modell’s Sporting Goods has re-hired Berkeley Research Group “for a full-fledged balance sheet restructuring” and Cole Schotz for legal advice with plans “for a potential in-court restructuring,” according to a report from Debtwire. Read more

Catherine “Cassie” Heppner, a marketing executive at Timberland, has been identified as the woman fatally stabbed Sunday at Timberland’s headquarters in Stratham, NH. Timberland said in a statement, “Cassie was truly one-of-a-kind, and her passing leaves a void that will never be filled. We extend our deepest condolences to her family and loved ones.” Read more

Stage Stores is preparing for a financial restructuring that could include a bankruptcy filing, according to The Wall Street Journal. Read more

Hydro Flask, a manufacturer of insulated stainless steel flasks and soft goods and a Helen of Troy Ltd. company, is expanding its global presence with the addition of two distributors in Latin America. Read more

WizWheelz Inc., owner of TerraTrike and distributor of KMX Karts, has acquired Australian trike brand Greenspeed in its bid to bring recumbent trikes into the cycling mainstream. Read more

HBC appointed Paige Thomas as president of Saks Off 5TH, effective immediately. Read more

Kohl’s Corp. is eliminating 250 corporate positions and making executive changes as part of a restructuring. Read more

Vibram has signed a multi-year partnership agreement with Pensole Academy, which starts this year.  Read more

John McArthur, who founded St. Louis-based Johnny Mac’s in 1967, has passed away at the age of 92. Read more

HanesBrands has earned two prestigious awards in Central America and the Caribbean for best practices in corporate social responsibility. Read more

From May 15 to 17, 2020, NYC Bike Expo returns for its 10th annual edition. Read more

Golfballs.com named industry veteran Greg Palmer as its new president. Read more

Skechers signed two-time Olympian and six-time U.S. Champion Anthony Famiglietti to its team of ambassadors. He was with Adidas. Read more

PVH Corp. announced that it is working with local authorities to ensure the health, wellness and safety of its associates and business partners in connection with the coronavirus outbreak in China. Read more

PXG, the maker of golf equipment and apparel, opened its fifth brick & mortar location in the United States.  Read more

Kombi Sports Inc. announced that it has appointed Nathalie Binda as global vice president of marketing and digital. Read more

American physical activity rates tick up according to SFIA’s Annual Topline Participation Report. Read more

Mizuno Corp. reported revenues in the nine months ended December 31 declined 3.9 percent. Sales in the Americas grew 8.6 percent. Read more

Gainline Capital Partners announced that it has made an investment in Core Health & Fitness, the manufacturer of commercial fitness equipment manufacturing. Read more

Genesco Inc., the parent of Journeys, announced plans for its new corporate headquarters in Nashville, TN. Read more

Nike Inc. released its latest Impact Report covering its fiscal year 2019. The report details the progress the company is making to reach its diversity & inclusion, community and sustainability targets for 2020. Read more

Garmin International Inc. has secured exclusive naming rights and title sponsorship of The Kansas City Marathon. Read more

Brooks Sports Inc. filed a lawsuit against Brooks Brothers Group Inc. in federal court for breach of contract, unfair competition and trademark infringement. Read more

CamelBak, the manufacturer of personal hydration products, welcomes Natasha Schroth as the brand’s director of marketing. Read more

Peak Design, crowdfunding and manufacturer of everyday carry solutions, achieved Certified B Corporation (B Corp) status. Read more

Safilo Group announced the acquisition of a 61.34 percent equity interest in the Miami-based company Privé Revaux. Read more

The Tennis Industry Association (TIA) announced that as of February 8, 2020, Bostrom has been named TIA’s management company. Read more

Michael Avenatti chose Monday not to take the stand in his own defense as the New York trial over his alleged extortion of Nike comes to a close. Read more

Equinox Holdings Inc., the majority owner of SoulCycle, has secured new funding from tech-focused private equity firm Silver Lake. The funds will be used to build Equinox’s digital platform and add as many as 50 locations annually. Read more

Yeti has signed on to become the Official Jersey Partner and newest Founding Partner of Austin FC, the 27th club in Major League Soccer. Read more

Asics Corp. has been named to the Supplier Engagement Leaderboard by global environmental impact non-profit CDP in recognition of its efforts to engage with its suppliers on climate change. Read more

Astral, a manufacturer of PFDs and footwear, announced the addition of Daniel Miller and Joe Giordano of Specialty Sport Reps to its sales team. Read more

T-H Marine Supplies LLC of Huntsville, AL, announced that it has acquired First Source, a marine accessory division of Maurice Sporting Goods, one of the largest sporting goods distributors in the U.S. Read more

Allbirds, the footwear start-up, announced that it has appointed Nancy Green, president and chief creative officer of Old Navy, to its board of directors. Read more

Riddell announced the divestiture and sale of certain assets associated with Kollege Town Sports, a division of the company’s apparel business, to BSN Sports. Read more

With coronavirus causing longer Lunar New Year shutdowns of factories in China, imports at major U.S. retail container ports are expected to see a sharper-than-usual drop this month, according to the Global Port Tracker report released Monday by the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates. Read more

VF Corp. on Monday announced key leadership appointments within the VF Americas region. Read more

Implus Corp., a provider of athletic, fitness and outdoor accessories, appointed Michael B. Polk as interim CEO. Seth Richards, Implus CEO and Todd Vore, president, are transitioning their leadership roles and will be leaving the company to pursue other opportunities. Read more

KT Tape announced its continued partnership with the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee serving as the official kinesiology tape licensee of Team USA through the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020. Read more

Kara Goucher, Brandon Hough, Michael Nishi and Alan Brookes were among those honored at the Running USA Industry Conference’s Annual Awards presentation. Read more

AstroTurf Corp. announced the addition of Rocky Mountain Turf Solutions Inc., an installation specialist from Pueblo, CO, to its nationwide network of synthetic turf distributors and installers. Read more

For the second consecutive year, customers ranked Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s as two of the most reputable retailers in the world for overall customer experience, according to the 2019 Retail Reputation Report compiled by Reputation.com. Read more

Reebok and Array, the media and arts collective Founded by filmmaker Ava DuVernay, hosted a day-long event on February 8 in Los Angeles celebrating women in film. Read more

Photo courtesy National Retail Federation