Aisle Talk Week Of September 28, 2020

The Top National stories and the Latest headlines across the Active Lifestyle Market for the week of September 28, 2020, covered in the SGB Updates + delivered to your inbox every business day.

— October 2, 2020 —

›K-Swiss Appoints VP Of Sales For Americas
K-Swiss​ announced the appointment of Dave Grange as the new vice president of sales for the Americas region. (Read More)

›Amer Sports Announces Senior Management Changes
Amer Sports Corp., acquired last year by Anta Sports, said Heikki Takala has decided to resign from his role as president and CEO and will move into a role as a special advisor to the Board. Jie Zheng, Anta’s executive director and group president, has assumed Takala’s responsibilities. Read more

›Hodgdon Acquires Ramshot, Accurate And Blackhorn 209
Hodgdon Powder Company announced the acquisition of the Ramshot and Accurate smokeless powder brands and the Blackhorn 209 muzzleloader brand from Western Powders. Read more

›Winchester Assumes Full Management And Operational Control Of Lake City Army Ammunition Plant
Olin Corporation announced that effective immediately, its ammunition division, Olin Winchester, LLC, assumed full management and operational control of the U.S. Army’s Lake City Army Ammunition Plant in Independence, MO. Winchester said it is now the world’s largest small arms ammunition manufacturer. Read more

›Academy Sports + Outdoors Announces Pricing Of IPO
Academy Sports and Outdoors Inc. announced the pricing of its initial public offering of 15.63 million shares of its common stock at $13.00 per share. Shares were priced below the projected range of $15 and $17 a share. Shares of Academy’s common stock are expected to begin trading Friday under the ticker symbol, “ASO.” Read more

— October 1, 2020 —

›Compass Diversified Declares Third Quarter Distributions
Compass Diversified announced that its Board of Directors has declared a quarterly cash distribution of 36 cents per share on the company’s common shares. The distribution for the three months ended September 30, 2020, and is payable on October 22, 2020, to all holders of record of Common Shares as of October 15, 2020. Read more

›Snow Peak Reschedules Grand Opening Amid Wildfires
Snow Peak has postponed the grand opening of its new U.S. headquarters and retail flagship in Portland, OR due to wildfires burning across the state. The event is rescheduled for the weekend of October 3. Read more

›Cascade Designs Appoints Senior Director Of Sales
Cascade Designs, welcomed Jeremy Hancock as senior director of sales. Read more

›Vasque Announces Leadership And Organizational Transitions
Vasque Footwear, a family-owned outdoor footwear firm based in Red Wing, MN, hired Bryce Wernsman as president. Read more

›Michael Vick Joins Champions + Legends As A Founding Athlete Partner And Investor
Champions + Legends, a sports supplements brand, welcomed Michael Vick as a founding partner. Read more

›Lids Partners With NBA Skills Trainer
Lids has partnered with NBA skills trainer Chris Brickley. This fall, Lids will drop Chris Brickley customizations available at all retail locations with Lids Custom. The duo are also working on a custom hat design with Brickley’s streetwear brand Color Blind and a series of branded content, both scheduled to be released later this year. Read more

›Dick’s SG Announces Grand Opening Of 11 Stores, New Soccer Shops
Dick’s Sporting Goods will expand its national footprint with the opening of six Dick’s Sporting Goods stores, two combination Dick’s and Golf Galaxy locations and three Dick’s Sporting Goods Warehouse Sale locations in October. The retailer will also open a limited number of Soccer Shops, a new, shop-in-shop experience, starting later this month and host its first Loyalty Appreciation Week beginning October 5. Read more

›MarineMax Acquires SkipperBud’s
MarineMax Inc. announced the acquisition of SkipperBud’s and its affiliate, Silver Seas Yachts (collectively SkipperBud’s), growing its presence in the Great Lakes region and on the West Coast. Read more

›REI Co-op Continues #OptOutside Tradition
For the sixth year in a row, REI Co-op will close its 167 locations — stores, activity centers, distribution centers, call centers, and headquarters — and pay its employees to #OptOutside on Black Friday. Read more

›Fanatics Appoints SVP, Business Development & Strategy
Fanatics appointed Ed O’Brien as SVP, business development, professional sports teams. Prior to joining Fanatics, O’Brien was head of sports and entertainment for CLEAR, a biometric identity platform. Read more

›Primary Arms Optics Names Product Marketing Director
Primary Arms Optics, based in Houston, has named Terry Mears as director of product marketing. In this position, Mears will lead Primary Arms Optics’ product strategy and development. Read more

›Roundhill Group Purchases Remington Firearms
Roundhill Group, LLC, an investment company with headquarters in Pennsylvania and Florida, announced that it is purchasing Remington Firearms. The purchase includes all long guns, shotguns, pistols, the firearms manufacturing facilities, museum and giftshop. Read more

›Sturm, Ruger Inc. To Acquire Marlin Firearms Assets
Sturm, Ruger and Company, Inc. announced that its offer to purchase substantially all of the Marlin Firearms assets in bankruptcy proceedings. Once the purchase is completed, the company will begin the process of relocating the Marlin Firearms assets to existing Ruger manufacturing facilities. Read more

›Wilderness Education Association Names Executive Director
The Board of Directors of the Wilderness Education Association announced Ryan Carlson will serve as the organization’s new executive director. Read more

›DPS Hires Phatom Sales And Tech Rep
DPS recently added ski industry veteran Shaun Spacht to its team in the newly created position of sales and technical representative. Read more

›Point6 Partners With Ed Viesturs
Point6 has signed with mountaineer Ed Viesturs in the newly created role of sales and technical representative. Read more

›Recall: Petzl Low-Stretch Kernmantle Ropes
About 14,850 Low-Stretch Kernmantle Ropes sold in the U.S. are being recalled. Read more

— September 30, 2020 —

›MLF/FLW Unify As One Brand
To further elevate the sport of tournament bass fishing and align multiple circuits as one company, Major League Fishing (MLF) announced its unification with Fishing League Worldwide (FLW) as one brand, transitioning all FLW brand assets to MLF. Read more

›Outdoor Foundation Appoints Managing Director
The Outdoor Foundation announced that Stephanie Maez, a strategic policy advocate, nonprofit executive and a former state legislator from New Mexico (House District 21), has been appointed managing director. Read more

›Wanda Sports Receives Share Acquisition Offer From Owner
Wanda Sports Group said it has received a preliminary non-binding proposal letter from Wanda Sports & Media (Hong Kong) Holding, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Dalian Wanda Group, to acquire the shares it doesn’t own. Read more

›Hughes Ballistics Appoints President
Hughes Ballistics appointed Phil Spivey as the company’s president, effective immediately. Spivey is an eighteen-year veteran of Motorola. Read more

›Reebok Appoints VP, Creative Direction
Reebok announced the appointment of Kerby Jean-Raymond to VP, Creative Direction across all design disciplines for Reebok. Read more

›Adidas Places First Sustainability Bond
Adidas successfully placed its first sustainability bond as the company continues to execute on its long-term sustainability plan while optimizing its capital structure and financing costs. Read more

›Nordstrom To Ban Fur, Exotic Skins
Nordstrom, Inc. announced the company will stop selling products made using animal fur or exotic animal skin by the end of 2021, becoming the first major U.S. retailer to make the commitment. Read more

›PVH Appoints New CEO
PVH Corp. announced that Stefan Larsson, president, will be named CEO effective February 1, 2021. Larsson will succeed Manny Chirico, the company’s CEO since 2006. Chirico will continue in his role as chairman. Read more

›Former Cobra-Puma Golf Sales Leader Joins Motocaddy
Motocaddy has appointed Roger Teat, former director of sales operations at Cobra-Puma Golf, as President based in Carlsbad, CA. Read more

— September 29, 2020 —

›Walmart, Target To Hold Sales Events Timed With Amazon Prime Day
Walmart and Target announced plans to offer their own deals on the same days as 2020’s Amazon Prime Day. On Monday, Amazon revealed its Prime Day would happen on October 13 and 14 and on Tuesday, Target said it’s bringing back its Deal Days from October 13 through 14. Read more

›Fruit of the Loom, Inc. Releases 2019 Sustainability Report
Fruit of the Loom, Inc. released its first annual global sustainability report and announced Fruitful Futures, the company’s new global sustainability plan. Read more

›Johnston & Murphy Returns To Golf Footwear
Johnston & Murphy, once a sponsor of Arnold Palmer, has launched its first new golf shoe in nearly 20 years. Read more

›Dick’s SG To Eliminate Single-Use Plastic Bags By 2025
Dick’s Sporting Goods announced two major actions to help create a future free of single-use plastic bags: a commitment to remove all single-use point-of-sale plastic bags from its stores by 2025 and a partnership with Closed Loop Partners’ Center for the Circular Economy. Read more

›Google Adds Concessions To Support EU Approval Of Fitbit Deal
Google has added more concessions on data use that’s expected to be enough to win EU antitrust approval for its $2.1 billion acquisition of Fitbit, according to reports. Read more

›Moody’s Assigns A2 Rating To Adidas’ Sustainability Bond Issuance
Moody’s Investors Service has assigned an A2 rating to Adidas AG’s proposed €500 million senior unsecured bond due 2028. Read more

— September 28, 2020 —

›Topgolf’s Debt Ratings Upgraded By Moody’s
Moody’s upgraded Topgolf’s debt ratings to reflect the recent improvement in liquidity due to $100 million of additional preferred equity with a commitment for another $80 million in preferred equity by the end of 2020. Additionally, the company received an amendment to obtain covenant relief from its lenders and a small shareholder loan was converted to preferred equity. Read more

›Alpargatas Transfers Mizuno License In Brazil To Vulcabras
Vulcabras Azaleia has agreed to take over the Mizuno license for Brazil from Alpargatas. The deal ends Alpargatas’ 23-year partnership with the Japanese company. Read more

›Obit: Huf Founder Keith Hufnagel
Keith Hufnagel, the founder of Huf Worldwide and a skateboarding legend, has passed away at the age of 46 after battling cancer. Read more

›Timberland Hosts 23rd Annual Serv-a-Palooza
Timberland plans to host its 23rd annual Serv-a-Palooza, a company-wide community service event at which employee volunteers dedicate their time to address critical needs in their communities. This year’s Serv-a-palooza will be considerably different from last year’s as the brand has adapted the event to maximize employee safety during the COVID-19 pandemic. Read more

›Thor Industries’ Q4 Revenues Flat
Thor Industries Inc.reported earnings rose 29.4 percent in the fourth quarter ended July 31 on essentially flat sales. Bob Martin, CEO, said sales increased significantly in the fourth quarter “as we emerged from the COVID-19 induced production furlough that started in our third fiscal quarter.” Read more

›Le Bent Restructures U.S. Sales Organization
Le Bent announced a new U.S. sales structure. Denver-based Erika Gurnett will lead the effort as its newly appointed U.S. sales manager. Read more

›Dunham’s Sports To Open At Markland Mall In Kokomo, IN
Dunham’s Sports opened a new location in a former Elder Beerman department store at Markland Mall in Kokomo, IN. The store represents a relocation within the Kokomo area. Read more

›Remington Outdoor Furloughs Factory Workers In Upstate New York
Nearly 600 workers at the Remington Arms gun factory in Ilion, NY have been furloughed, according to reports. The furloughs were announced last Thursday, a day before news arrived that Remington would be broken apart and sold to seven different companies as part of bankruptcy proceedings. Read more

›Digital Agency Instrument Appoints Nike Lead
Instrument promoted Rocky Clarke-Puntney to oversee its Nike business as Nike group executive director. Read more

›Nike Nets Tax Break For Distribution Center in Ontario, CA
Nike will earn a tax break as part of a deal to open a large e-commerce warehouse in Ontario, CA, according to a report in the San Gabriel Valley Tribune. Read more

›Neiman Marcus Completes Chapter 11 Process
Neiman Marcus Holding Company, Inc. announced it has emerged from voluntary Chapter 11 protection, successfully completing its restructuring process. Read more

›Poshmark Prepares For IPO
Poshmark has confidentially filed to go public. Read more

›Implus Appoints New Chief Information Officer
Implus LLC appointed Gwen Moilanen-Kollar as chief information officer. She was at Bed Bath & Beyond. Read more

›AI-Powered Fitness App Freeletics Secures $25 Million In Funding
Freeletics announced the closing of its $25M Series B funding round. Read more

›Worldwide Wearables Market Forecast To Maintain Double-Digit Growth In 2020
Global shipments of wearable devices are expected to total 396.0 million units in 2020 according to new data from the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Wearable Device Tracker. Read more

›Allbirds Raises $100 Million In Funding
Allbirds raised $100 million in financing in a funding round that valued the company at $1.7 billion, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal. Read more

›Primary Arms Hires Soft-Lines Merchandising Manager
Primary Arms Online has hired Beth Singletary as its soft-lines merchandising manager. This position covers all apparel and gear categories within its assortment. Read more

›Boating Community Applauds Legislation To Protect Small Businesses
The National Marine Manufacturers Association applauded the introduction of the Resources for Emergency Preparedness and Resilient Enterprises (PREPARE) Act. Read more

›Amazon Prime Day Set For October 13 And 14
Amazon said Monday that it will host its annual Prime Day sales event on October 13 and 14. Prime Day, which traditionally takes place in mid-July, had been postponed due to COVID-19. Read more

›Survey Finds Landlords And Retail Tenants Compromise To Emerge Stronger Post-COVID-19
With close to zero revenue coming in the doors for many brick & mortar retailers during COVID-19 stay-at-home orders, retailers and their landlords are working to address outstanding rent obligations, the National Retail Federation, and PJ Solomon said. Read more

›Academy Sports’ Debt Ratings Upgraded By S&P
The debt ratings of Academy Sports + Outdoors Inc. were raised by S&P Global Ratings as the retailer recently announced continued growth in the second quarter ended July and filed for a potential IPO. Read more

›Vista Outdoor Named Successful Bidder In Remington Ammunition Acquisition
Vista Outdoor Inc. announced that it has been named a successful bidder in the auction process conducted in connection with Remington Outdoor Company, Inc.’s (ROC’s) Chapter 11 bankruptcy cases pending in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Alabama. Read more

›Clarus Raises $11.5 Million From Existing Investors
Clarus Corporation announced that it has entered into an agreement with three of its top 10 investors for the sale of 900,000 registered shares of the company’s common stock at $12.75 for total proceeds of approximately $11.5 million. Read more

›Sierra Bullets To Acquire Assets Of Barnes Bullets
Clarus Corporation’s subsidiary, Sierra Bullets, LLC, will acquire certain assets relating to the Barnes Bullets brand of specialty hunting bullets in a Chapter 11 bankruptcy auction conducted by Remington Outdoor Company, Inc. and certain of its subsidiaries. Read more

›Fanatics Partners With Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters
Fanatics Partners and three-time Japanese Series winners the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters announced a ten-year retail deal in one of the largest sports merchandising partnerships in Japan. Read more

Photo courtesy Dallas Morning News