The Top National stories and the Latest headlines across the Active Lifestyle Market for the week of January 11, 2021 covered in the SGB Updates and delivered to your inbox every business day.
January 15, 2021
•UFC Names Zappos.com Official U.S. Licensing Partner
UFC, the mixed martial arts organization, announced a multi-year partnership in which Zappos.com will become the exclusive wholesale manufacturer and distributor of officially licensed UFC merchandise sold at retail in the U.S. Read More
•Joint Statement From AAFA, NRF, RILA, USFIA In Response To Ban On Cotton Imports From XUAR
The American Apparel & Footwear Association, National Retail Federation, Retail Industry Leaders Association, and The United States Fashion Industry Association responded to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) blanket Withhold Release Order (WRO) impacting all cotton and cotton products from the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR). Read more
•Buffalo Groupe Acquires Longitudes Group
Buffalo Groupe, LLC has expanded its research capabilities with the acquisition of Longitudes Group. Read more
•Christensen Arms Promotes David Farrell To VP Sales
Christensen Arms promoted David Farrell to the position of vice president of sales. Read more
•Poshmark’s Stock Price More Than Doubles In IPO Debut
Poshmark Inc.’s shares more than doubled in its initial public offering debut Thursday. Read more
•Vail Resorts Sees 17 Percent Drop In Season-To-Date Skier Visits
Vail Resorts reported season-to-date total skier visits were down 16.6 percent compared to the prior year season-to-date period. Season-to-date total lift ticket revenue, including an allocated portion of season pass revenue for each applicable period, was down 20.9 percent. Read more
January 14, 2021
Stock+Field Closing All Locations
Stock+Field, the farm supply and outdoor department store has filed for bankruptcy and is closing all 25 of its locations. Read more
•Anta Sports’ Q4 Sales Gains Led by Fila, Other Brands
Anta Sports reported modest retail sales gains for its flagship Anta brand in the fourth quarter while strong double-digit gains were seen by Fila and its other brands including Descente, Kolon Sport, Sprandi, and Kingkow. Read more
•Bern Helmets Announces Expanded Team, New Headquarters
Bern Helmets announced an expanded leadership team and a growth plan leveraging the burgeoning outdoor and micro-mobility trends. Founder Dennis Leedom, with Adam Godwin, chief financial officer, will lead a team of veteran action sports professionals from its new headquarters in Cordage Commerce Center, a renovated industrial park. Read more
•U.S. Bans Cotton From Xinjiang Region
The U.S. has banned imports of cotton products and tomatoes produced in China’s Xinjiang region over the Chinese government’s continued atrocities against its Uighur Muslim population U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said on Wednesday. Read more
•Adidas Partners With G2 Esports
Adidas announced a multi-year partnership to become the official sports apparel provider for G2 Esports, a leading esports brand. Read more
•Google Completes Fitbit Acquisition
Google said it had completed its acquisition of Fitbit after securing regulatory approvals. Fitbit’s CEO James Park and Rick Osterloh, Google’s SVP, Devices & Services, issued separate statements committing to data privacy and security protections. Read more
•Nike Sues Nearly 600 Websites For Selling Counterfeit Sneakers
Nike filed a lawsuit against 589 websites allegedly selling counterfeit versions of its Nike and Converse shoes online. Read more
•ShotTracker Secures $11M In Financing
DDSports Inc., the parent of ShotTracker, announced an $11 million funding round led by Evertz Technologies Limited and Verizon Ventures. Read more
•Nelson Nutraceutical Appoints CEO
Nellson Nutraceutical LLC promoted Jean Filion to chief executive officer. He succeeds Jamie Better. Read more
•Tactical Solutions Hires Director Of Product Development
Tactical Solutions (TacSol) hired Steven Boelter to direct its product development. Boelter comes to Tactical Solutions after working for Anschutz North America over the past several years. Read more
•Sellmark Corporation Acquires BulletSafe
Sellmark Corporation announced the acquisition of BulletSafe, a provider of body armor to civilians and law enforcement. Read more
•North Face Sued By Graffiti Artist Over ‘Atom’ Design
The North Face has been sued by the graffiti artist Futura for allegedly knocking off his signature atom-like motif in a recent line of apparel. Read more
•Canada Goose Appoints Asia-Pacific President
Canada Goose announced the appointment of Scott Cameron as president, Asia-Pacific (APAC), effective April 1, as well as the appointment of Michael D. Armstrong, executive vice president, ViacomCBS, to its Board of Directors as an independent director, effective immediately. Read more
•Fanatics Extends Partnership With Atlético De Madrid
Fanatics announced a long-term extension of its e-commerce and manufacturing deal with Atlético de Madrid. Read more
•Aqua-Leisure Secures Equity Partner
Blackford Capital announced an investment in Aqua-Leisure Industries, known for its water sport leisure products. Read more
•SIMA Appoints PresidentThe Surf Industry Manufacturers Association (SIMA) announced the results of its Board of Directors Elections for the term beginning January 2021 and ending December 2022, including Paul Naudé being reelected to serve as Board president. Read more
January 13, 2021
•Carbitex Announces New Hires
Carbitex announced the hiring of Erika Canfield as VP of global marketing and Clark Morgan as director of global footwear business development. Read more
•RECALL: Sea To Summit Alpha And Sigma Camp Pots
Sea to Summit has issued a voluntary recall of its Alpha and Sigma camp pots and will provide a field replacement latch to remedy all affected products. Read more
•Merchandiser From Urban Outfitters Joins NTWRK
NTWRK, the youth culture e-commerce and content platform announced the appointment of Colby Black, former executive director of buying and marketplace at Urban Outfitters, as chief merchandising officer. Read more
•Surfline Hires Marketing Executive From Apple
Surfline\Wavetrak Inc., the company behind ocean forecasting service Surfline, announced the appointment of Kim Centeno head of marketing. Centeno joins Surfline from Apple, where she most recently led marketing for subscription services, including Apple Arcade. Read more
•StockX Sees Record Growth in 2020
StockX said it recorded $1.8 billion in gross merchandise value (GMV) in 2020 and closed more than 7.5 million trades during the year. Read more
•Nordstrom’s Holiday Sales Slump 22 Percent
Nordstrom Inc. announced a net sales decline of approximately 22 percent for the nine-week holiday period ended January 2, 2021, compared with the nine weeks ended January 4, 2020. Digital sales grew 23 percent. Sequential sales improved, in-line with company expectations, adjusting for the Anniversary shift. Read more
•Orva Secures Investment
Trilantic North America closed on an investment in Orva, a 3P authorized retail partner for footwear, apparel and equipment brands selling on Amazon, Walmart and other direct-to-consumer channels. Read more
•Rawlings Partners With Blast Motion
Rawlings recently entered a new business partnership with performance insights company Blast Motion. This partnership will be centered around Rawlings’ non-wood bat category and enable the brand to engineer its Mantra softball bat to exclusively feature Blast Motion’s sensor technology. Read more
•SylvanSport Appoints Finance Director
SylvanSport is expanding its team, most recently with the hire of Finance Director Lisa Drake. Drake previously worked as Finance Director in the manufacturing and hospitality industries. Read more
•Target’s Holiday Same-Store Sales Climb 17 Percent
Target Corporation announced that comparable sales in the combined November/December period grew 17.2 percent, driven by a 4.3 percent increase in traffic and a 12.3 percent increase in average ticket sales. Store-originated comparable sales grew 4.2 percent, while comparable digital sales grew 102 percent. Read more
•Big 5 Raises Q4 Guidance On Robust Holiday Sales
Big 5 Sporting Goods Corp. raised its earnings guidance for the fourth quarter ended January 3 as same-store sales grew 10.5 percent in the period on improving merchandise margins. Said Steven Miller, president and CEO, “As we enter a new year, we are confident that our product offerings will continue to attract customers who are looking to stay healthy and active.” Read more
•Pro:Direct Sport Extends Contract With Unipart Logistics
Pro:Direct Sport has extended its contract for five years with Unipart Logistics to support warehouse and distribution services for end customers across its U.S. market. Read more
•Artilect Appoints Director Of Technical Design And Development
Artilect, a new action/outdoor brand, announced that Sonia Lunardon has joined its team in the role of director of technical design and development. She was at The North Face. Read more
•CLMBR Expands Executive Team
CLMBR announced the expansion of its executive team with the appointment of Paul LaFontaine to the position of chief operations officer and Matt Culig to the position of chief financial officer. Read more
•Urban Outfitters Announces Leadership Changes
Urban Outfitters Inc. reporting a challenging holiday quarter and a planned exit for the CEO of its namesake brand. Read more
January 12, 2021
•Life Time’s Debt Ratings Lowered
Moody’s downgraded the debt ratings of Life Time Inc. due to continued disruptions to fitness centers due to the coronavirus. Read more
•Grundéns Appoints VP, Marketing
Grundéns announced the hiring of Ashley Williams as vice president of marketing. Williams most recently served as senior director global marketing for Keen and vice president of marketing for Amer Sports Americas. Read more
•Lululemon Hires Nike Veteran As Head Merchant
Lululemon appointed Blanca Gonzalez as SVP, global merchandising, effective February 1. Gonzalez had been at Nike for nearly 20 years and was, most recently, VP and GM of Nike North America’s Los Angeles/West territory. Read more
•LA Gear Appoints Creative Director
LA Gear announced the appointment of artist and designer Alexander-John as its creative director. Read more
•Allied Cycle Works Hires CEO
Allied Cycle Works announced Drew Medlock as CEO. He replaces Brendan Quirk, who served in an interim CEO capacity since September 2019. Read more
•Lodging In Southeast Destinations Seeing Mixed Performance This Winter Season
Although the Southeast region has weathered much of the pandemic better than other parts of the U.S., including posting a strong December, indicators are pointing to a slowdown in lodging occupancy in the months ahead according to data released yesterday by DestiMetrics. Read more
•Double-Digit Retail Sales Close 2020 and Start 2021, Reports NPD
The final holiday push during the last two weeks of 2020, inching into 2021, each brought 13 percent year-over-year dollar sales growth, resulting in combined holiday 2020 season-to-date retail growth of 2 percent compared to the same 13 weeks a year ago, reports The NPD Group. Read more
•Dick’s SG To Open Destination Stores In New York And Tennessee
Dick’s Sporting Goods plans to open its first experiential store at Eastview Mall in Victor, NY in March and another in West Town Hall in Knoxville, TN in May. The store in Victor will include a 17,000-square-foot outside turf field to accommodate practices, community events, and other sports-related outdoor offerings. Read more
•Yamaha U.S. Marine Business Unit Makes Management Appointments
The Yamaha U.S. Marine Business Unit begins 2021 with several new management team appointments. The appointments include Jonathon Burns as general manager, Yamaha U.S. Marine Development and Business Planning Division; Ben Mallett as general manager, Bennett Marine, Inc., and Scott Higgins as division manager, Yamaha Marine Supply Chain Management. Read more
•Club Champion Adds Five New Locations
Club Champion said it plans to add five new custom club fitting services in Memphis, TN; Jupiter, FL; Bradenton, FL; Tacoma, WA; and Des Moines, IA. Read more
•Delta Apparel Announces Stronger Than Expected First Quarter Sales
Delta Apparel Inc. announced preliminary sales results for its 2021 fiscal first quarter ended January 2, 2021. (Read More)
•Native Shoes Appoints CEO
Native Shoes promoted Kyle Housman from president to CEO. He succeeds Co-owner and CEO Scott Hawthorn, who has become executive chairman. Read more
January 11, 2021
•Barnes Bullets Selects Outtech For Sales & Marketing Partnership
Barnes Bullets hired Outtech Inc. as its exclusive sales representation partner for their full line of ammunition across multiple channels nationwide. Read more
•Arcus Hunting Expands Relationship With H&G Marketing
Arcus Hunting, based in Covington, GA, announced the expansion of its relationship with H&G Marketing, Inc. as its sole sales agency of record for Arcus’ brands including Tink’s, Dead Down Wind, Ramcat Broadheads, Trophy Taker, and Rack One. Read more
•TYR Sport Appoints EVP Of Sales
TYR Sport Inc appointed Charlie Siracusa as executive vice president of sales. He previously worked for Timberland Pro and Carhartt. Read more
•Giro Appoints Snow Brand Manager
Giro Sport Design announced that Josh Reid has joined the team as its snow brand manager. Reid will oversee all aspects of snowsports marketing communications, advertising and public relations. Read more
•Columbia Sportswear Appoints SVP Of U.S. Sales For Columbia Brand
Columbia Sportswear Company announced the appointment of Tim Sheerin as senior vice president of U.S. sales for the Columbia brand. He was most recently Nike’s vice president of North America sales. Read more
•Dr. Martens Exploring London IPO
Dr. Martens is considering a listing on the London Stock Exchange. Read more
•Zumiez Sees 1.7 Percent Holiday Comp Gain
Zumiez Inc. reported comparable sales increased 1.7 percent for the 10-week period ended January 9, 2021, compared to the 10-week period ended January 11, 2020. Read more
•JD Sports Raises Outlook On Online Strength
JD Sports Fashion Plc reported total same-store sales for the twenty-two week period to January 2 were up more than 5 percent ahead of the prior year as consumers switched between physical and digital channels. Earnings are expected to be “significantly” ahead of analyst targets. Read more
•Adobe Sees 32 Percent Online Growth Over Holiday Season
Adobe said based on Adobe Analytics data, U.S. online spend totaled $188.2 billion over November and December, which represents 32.2 percent growth year-over-year. Read more
•2020 Retail Imports May Break Record Despite Pandemic
Imports seen during 2020 appear to be headed toward a new record despite the coronavirus pandemic, and remain at high levels as 2021 begins, according to the monthly Global Port Tracker report released by the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates. Read more
•BSN Sports Acquires Arkansas’ Best Sports
BSN Sports acquired Best Sports Inc., based in Rogers, AR. Read more
•Crocs Guides Accelerated 2021 Revenue Growth of 20 percent to 25 percent
Crocs Inc. raised its 2020 revenue guidance and expects accelerated full year 2021 revenue growth of 20 percent to 25 percent. Read more
•VF Corp. Names Shanghai As New APAC Headquarters
VF Corp. announced a transformation plan for its Asia Pacific operations focused on evolving the region’s organizational design and footprint and building new capabilities for the growth of its brands. Accordingly, VF will move the center of its brand operations from Hong Kong to Shanghai. Read More
•Tilly’s Sees Modest Comp Gain Over Holiday Period
Tilly’s Inc. reported same-store sales grew 2.7 percent for the nine-week period ended January 2. Comparable net sales in physical stores decreased by 12.4 percent while e-commerce net sales jumped 65.2 percent. Read more
•Lululemon Sees Q4 Earnings At Upper End Of Guidance
Lululemon Athletica Inc. announced the company now expects revenue and earnings to be at the high end of its prior range of expectations for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2020 ending January 31. Read more
•Boot Barn Sees Q3 Comps Climbing 4.6 Percent
Boot Barn Holdings Inc. said it expects both earnings and sales to top Wall Street’s consensus estimates in the third quarter ended December 26. Same-store sales returned to positive territory despite ongoing headwinds from COVID-19, and the chain’s e-commerce business remained strong. Read more
•Genesco Sees Comps Dip 3 Percent Over November And December
Genesco Inc. announced that comparable sales, including stores and direct sales, decreased 3 percent for the quarter-to-date period ended December 26, 2020. Same-store sales decreased 14 percent and sales for the company’s e-commerce businesses jumped 49 percent on a comparable basis. Read more
Photo courtesy Lululemon/Mirror
