The Top National stories and the Latest headlines across the Active Lifestyle Market for the week of June 14, 2021 covered in the SGB Updates and delivered to your inbox every business day.
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This week’s athlete is 16-year-old Claire Curzan from Cary, NC. Curzan will be one of the youngest competitors in this year’s Olympic games.
This week Claire Curzan, at 16-years-old, made the U.S. Olympic team. Curzan a swimmer on the Cardinal Gibbons High School team in Cary, NC will represent the U.S. in the 2021 Olympic Games in Tokyo. A six-time NC State champion, among other honors, Curzan finished second in the 100-meter butterfly at the U.S. Olympic Trials in Omaha, NE on Monday night, just four months after winning a similar event at the NC High School State Championships representing her high school, Cardinal Gibbons High. Curzan will be one of the youngest competitors in this year’s Olympic games.
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June 18, 2021
»K-Swiss Appoints New President
K-Swiss appointed Dave Grange as international K-Swiss brand president and Americas general manager. Grange, who was most recently VP of sales at K-Swiss, replaces Barney Waters, who had been the brand’s president since 2016. Read more
»Burton Appoints Chief Strategy Officer
Burton announced the promotion of Ali Kenney, formerly SVP, strategy & insights, to chief strategy officer. As Burton’s first chief strategy officer, Kenney will lead key workaround brand purpose, company strategy, consumer-centricity, sustainability, DEI and growth opportunities. Read more
»Genesco Sends Letter To Shareholders Highlighting Strength Of Its Board And Strategy
Genesco Inc., which is facing a proxy fight against an activist investor, sent a letter to shareholders highlighting the “collective strength” of its Board of Directors and encouraging shareholders to vote for all nine of its board nominees. Read more
June 17, 2021
»Anta Expects Sales To Expand 55 Percent In Half
Anta Sports Products Ltd. said it expects sales to expand not less than 55 percent in the six months ended June 30. Read more
»Hoka One One Appoints Global Creative Ad Agency
Hoka One One, a division of Deckers Brands, announced the appointment of FCB, based in San Francisco, CA, as its global creative agency of record. Read more
»Superfeet Sells Majority Stake To Westward Partners
Superfeet said Westward Partners had assumed majority ownership of the insole company to support accelerated growth. Superfeet will transition from being 100 percent employee-owned. Read more
»REI Presents 2020 Vendor Partner Of The Year Awards
REI presented its 2020 Vendor Partner of the Year Awards. Hoka One One received the Co-Op’s overall 2020 Vendor Partner of the Year award. Read more
»USA Cycling Launches 100-Year Anniversary Campaign
USA Cycling announced plans to launch its “We Champion” initiative to kick off its 100-year anniversary. The campaign highlights the organization’s past, current and new commitments to cycling for all as over 33 million riders joined or rejoined the sport in 2020. Read more
»BD-Capital Invests In SportPursuit
SportPursuit, an online private sales club in the UK and Germany focused on active lifestyle and sports products, has secured an investment from BD-Capital, a pan-European, operationally-led private equity firm. Read more
»Smith & Wesson’s Fourth-Quarter Sales Climb 67 Percent
Smith & Wesson Brands Inc. reported sales rose 67.3 percent in the fourth quarter and 100.0 percent in the year. Read more
»The Beachbody Company Leads Investment In Feed Media Group
The Beachbody Company Group, LLC announced it made a strategic minority investment in Feed Media Group, the company behind Feed.fm, the B2B music licensing subscription service. Read more
»Birkenstock Names New Managing Director For Europe
Birkenstock appointed Nico Bouyakhf as managing director for Europe. He will be responsible for the region across all sales channels, including direct-to-consumer. Read more
»MSU Announces Partnership With Simms
Montana State University announced a partnership with Simms on a new line of fishing apparel under the university’s Trout U brand. Read more
»Magpul Industries Plans Junk Bond Debut
Magpul Industries Corp., a maker of high-capacity magazines and other military-style rifle equipment, plans to sell its first junk-bond offering. Read more
June 16, 2021
»Booking Pace Declines For Southeast Resort Destinations; Rates And Revenue Continue To Soar
At the halfway point of the summer season for resort destinations in Florida, coastal Georgia and South Carolina, the year-over-year booking pace has decreased when compared to last year’s robust summer, but overall results remain strong, according to the latest report from DestiMetrics, a division of Inntopia. Read more
»Dynamic Brands Makes Accounting Hires
Dynamic Brands, the golf accessories firm, introduced new hires to its corporate headquarters in Richmond, VA. Read more
»Decathlon To Open First Store In Western Canada
Decathlon, the largest sporting goods chain in the world, is expanding to Western Canada with its first store in Calgary. Read more
»Nike Extends Contract With Air Force
The United States Air Force Academy and Nike have agreed to a three-year contract extension through May 31, 2024. Read more
»NMMA Predicts Strong Demand For First-Time Boat Buyers This Summer
According to the National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA), the boating industry is booming with demand at an all-time high as Americans plan for a summer on the water. The outlook comes as the pandemic propelled interest in outdoor recreation activities including boating last year. Read more
»Giro Announces Marketing Hires
Giro Sport Design announced several key hires and promotions in a move to expand their brand and marketing team. Peter Nicholson joins as brand manager, Giro Bike while Eric Richter moves into a new role as Bell, Blackburn & Giro commercialization manager. Read more
»Big Agnes Hires Representation For Southwest
Big Agnes Inc. announced that Sespe Group would represent the brand in the Southwest. Read more
»Life Fitness And Pear Sports Formalize Strategic Partnership
Life Fitness announced a strategic partnership with Pear Sports, a provider of digital coaching technology. Read more
»Dearfoams Appoints President
Dearfoams announced Jocelyn Thornton as its new brand president. The hiring comes as Dearfoams, best known for its slippers, is moving into multi-category segments including home, sleepwear and socks, and is expanding within the comfort shoe category. Read more
»Eliel and Co. Appoints Senior Executives
Eliel and Co., parent company of advanced technical apparel brands Eliel Cycling and endurance brand, Wattie Ink., has hired a third key executive to round out its senior leadership team. Read more
»7mesh Apparel Sets New Representation
7mesh Apparel has appointed two agencies to represent the company and has added a third to expand its territory across the U.S.—Canadian border. Read more
»RYU Apparel Sets Goal To Reach $50M In Annual Revenues In 2025
In a mid-year update to shareholders and investors, Rob Blair, COO, RYU Apparel Inc., said the company had set a $50 million net revenue target by 2025. The Vancouver-baed athletic apparel brand intends to reach an operating ratio of more than 35 percent and more than $15 million in EBITDA. Read more
»Authentic Brands Group Appoints President Of EMEA
Authentic Brands Group (ABG) announced that Henry Stupp, former CEO, Apex Global Brands, had joined the company as president of Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA). Read more
»Off-Price Concept To Open In Former Lord & Taylor Locations
Hilco Global announced that its Hilco Retail Solutions platform, in a joint venture with Gordon Brothers, has been working with HBC to launch Shopper’s Find, a new retailer that is opening in former Lord & Taylor locations. Read more
»May Retail Sales Continue At Near-Record Levels
Retail sales remained at elevated levels in May despite month-to-month fluctuations that masked near-record performance, the National Retail Federation said. Sporting goods stores were down 0.8 percent month-over-month seasonally adjusted but up 40.9 percent unadjusted year-over-year. Read more
»OIA Announces Board Of Director Election Results
The Outdoor Industry Association (OIA) Board of Directors’ annual election ended on May 28, 2021, with the Association’s membership electing two new and three returning Board members. Read more
June 15, 2021
»BCM Appoints Executive Director
Big City Mountaineers (BCM) announced the appointment of David Taus, a lifelong educator and outdoor advocate, as its new executive director. Read more
»Torque Fitness Appoints Vice President Of Sales, Europe
Torque Fitness has named fitness industry veteran Leo Schreuders its vice president of sales for Europe. Read more
»G-III Apparel’s COO To Transition To Senior Strategic Advisor
G-III Apparel Group Ltd. announced that effective July 1 Wayne Miller would step down as chief operating officer and become a senior strategic advisor to the company. Read more
»Sezzle Partners With Gridiron Football
Sezzle Inc. announced a partnership with Gridiron football, a youth football league, represented in 30 U.S. states. Read more
»Mall Owner, Washington Prime, Files For Bankruptcy
Washington Prime Group, a mall owner of more than 100 locations across the United States, filed for bankruptcy to support a debt restructuring. Read more
»Pelican International Acquires Advanced Elements
Pelican International Inc. acquired Advanced Elements Inc. through its wholly-owned subsidiary Confluence Outdoors Inc. The acquisition broadens Pelican’s portfolio in the paddlesports category that includes Pelican, Wilderness Systems, Perception, Dagger, Mad River Canoe, Harmony Gear, and Boardworks. Read more
»Outdoor Prolink Names Chief Marketing Officer
Outdoor Prolink has hired Kenzie Rodriguez as chief marketing officer. Rodriguez was the former head of marketing and membership of Outdoor Prolink. Read more
»Higg Updates Eco-Disclosure Product Module For Apparel And Footwear
The Sustainable Apparel Coalition (SAC) along with its technology partner Higg, launched the first phase of a transparency program for publicly sharing data on a product’s environmental impact, starting with its materials content. Read more
»Slinger Bag Appoints Strategic Advisor
Slinger Bag Inc. announced that David Grutman is joining the company as a strategic advisor. Grutman, a Miami-based entrepreneur, will offer his expertise in branding within the hospitality, event and lifestyle industries and is a co-owner of the Prince tennis brand. Read more
»NRF Calls On White House To Address Port Congestion Challenges
The National Retail Federation delivered a letter to the White House asking to meet with President Biden and other top administration officials regarding the challenges retailers are facing from continued supply chain disruptions that are leading to congestion at U.S. ports. Read more
June 14, 2021
»PVH’s Debt Ratings Revised To Stable
S&P Global Ratings revised its debt outlook on PVH Corp. to stable from negative as stronger-than-expected consumer demand accelerated PVH’s recovery from the pandemic. Read more
»Vista Outdoor’s Debt Ratings Upgraded
S&P Global Ratings raised its debt ratings on Vista Outdoor as strong demand in both its shooting sports and outdoor products segments caused its operating performance for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2021 to exceed expectations. Read more
»Legendary Headwear Appoints Head Of Green Grass Division
Legendary Headwear has hired John Bonds to accelerate its growth in the green grass market through the direction of sales efforts, rep development and product programs. Read more
»Fit For Life Foundation Appoints Operations And Program Manager
Fit for Life Foundation announced the appointment of Sandor Nagy as operations and program manager. As the Foundation’s first employee, Nagy will help guide FFL’s growth and advance its vision of healthy aging. Read more
»Poshmark Announces CFO Transition
Poshmark announced that CFO Anan Kashyap would step down after five years with the company. Read more
»Happy Socks Appoints U.S. County Manager
Happy Socks hired Kelly Barton as USA country manager. Barton was previously director of marketing and merchandising for BabyBjörn leading its North American business. Read more
»IHRSA Appoints President & CEO
IHRSA (International Health, Racquet and Sportsclub Association) announced the appointment of Elizabeth Clark as the association’s next president and CEO. Clark previously led government relations and advocacy at the National Confectioners Association (NCA). Read more
»CSGA Appoints President & CEO
The CSGA (Canadian Sporting Goods Association) appointed Jon Irwin as the association’s new president and CEO, effective July 1. Read more
»Saks Appoints NBA All-Star To Board
Saks has appointed NBA All-Star, entrepreneur and investor, James Harden, as an independent member of its Board. Harden also made a minority investment in the retailer. Read more
»K2-MDV Holdings Appoints CEO For All K2 Sports And MDV Brands
K2-MDV Holdings announced that John Colonna, current president of K2 Sports, has been named president & CEO of K2-MDV Holdings, with responsibility for the MDV and K2 Sports business. Read more
»Alterra Mountain Company Names President & COO For Mammoth And June Mountain Resorts
Alterra Mountain Company announced that Ron Cohen, Esquire, current president and chief operating officer, Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows, would return to Mammoth Mountain and June Mountain as president and chief operating officer, effective immediately. Read more
»Report: Lululemon Sets Up Portland Footwear Office
Lululemon has leased a 28,000-square-foot office space in Portland, OR to support its planned footwear launch later this year, according to Portland Business Journal. Read more
»Anjar Co. & Becker Associates Ink Deal To License Wham-O
Anjar Co. & Becker Associates, the licensing agency for Wham-O, signed Winning Moves Games USA in a deal to market Wham-O legacy toys. Read more
»Hibbett Sports Opens Second San Francisco Bay Area Store
Hibbett Sports announced the opening of the newest Hibbett Sports in Richmond, CA. Read more
»Dorel Enters Into New US$450 Million Credit Facility
Dorel Industries Inc. announced that it and several of its subsidiaries had entered into a new US$450 million senior secured asset-based revolving financing with institutional lenders led by the Bank of Montreal. Read more
»HanesBrands Appoints Board Member
HanesBrands announced that William Simon has been appointed to the company’s board of directors. Simon was the former president and CEO of Walmart U.S. Read more
»Youngstown State University Signs Deal With Nike and BSN Sports
Youngstown State University entered a five-year contract with BSN Sports to provide all of YSU’s teams with Nike apparel on game days. Read more
»Sea To Summit Accelerates North American Growth; Adds Strategic Hires
Sea to Summit announced the addition of several new strategic hires within its North American team to accelerate the brand’s growth in its largest market. Read more
»Founder Sport Group Appoints VP Business Development And Bookstore Channel
Founder Sport Group announced that Todd Lamb had joined the company as vice president, Business Development and Bookstore Channel. In this newly created role, Lamb will identify and pursue new revenue opportunities, expand existing customer partnerships and direct the bookstore channel for the business. Read more
Photos courtesy NBC
