
Royal Robbins Adds New Indie Sales Agencies in Three Key Territories
Venture West Sales is the new agency for the West Coast territory, while Round Lake Sales covers the Western Great Lakes territory and Kevin Brew Sales lead sales efforts in the Mid-Atlantic.

Sports Endeavors Acquires NJ-Based Soccer Specialty Retailer
The parent of Soccer.com completed the acquisition of regional soccer specialty retailer Ewing Sports based in New Jersey.

Kizik Opens Two New Retail Locations
Hands-free footwear brand opens new store in Mall of America and King of Prussia as part of its brick-and-mortar retail expansion strategy.

Rally House Opens Second Storefront in Wisconsin
Rally House expands its presence in Wisconsin to two storefronts after opening Rally House Outlets at The Dells in Baraboo on May 17. Last October, Rally House opened its House Mayfair Collection in Wauwatosa, WI.

REI Chicago Union Workers Disrupt Anniversary Sale, Walk Off Job
REI Union Chicago workers walked off the job this on Saturday May 18, during the retailer’s annual Anniversary Sale, demanding the retailer reach a “fair contract” by the end of 2024.

EXEC: Tom Cove to Retire from SFIA Leadership Post in October
Always the gentleman, always understated and always a class act, Tom Cove let slip this week that he will retire from his leadership role at the SFIA, the Sports & Fitness Industry Association, formerly SGMA, in the fall.

Patagonia Prevails in Nordstrom Lawsuit
The suit alleged that Nordstrom sold “thousands of counterfeit Patagonia sweatshirts and t-shirts” through its Nordstrom Rack stores, in the complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.

Snipes Appoints Martin Badour as President of Snipes USA
He succeeds Jim Bojko, who has left Snipes. In his new role, Badour will be responsible for managing the company in the United States, according to a press release from the company..

Vineyard Vines Opens Store at Walt Disney World Resort
The new store in Disney Springs offers the brand’s signature collections of clothing and accessories for men, women and kids, including Vineyard Vines e t-shirts and swimwear.
Ex-Nike DEI Boss Sentenced to 5 Years for Fraud
Barbara Furlow-Smiles stole over $5 million from Nike and Facebook as a DEI manager. Her greed got her a sentence of five years and three months in Federal prison this week.

Gildan Lawsuits Against Investors are Dismissed in Canadian Courts
Browning West, LP, a long-term shareholder of Gildan Activewear Inc. and beneficially owns approximately 5.0 percent of Gildan’s outstanding shares, said the two lawsuits brought by Gildan’s Board against Browning West have been dismissed.

EXEC: CEO Kevin Plank Outlines Dramatic Turnaround Plan for Under Armour
With some apparent aggravation on what the brand has become, Plank noted that Under Armour has become a brand that competes primarily on price versus what should be its core competency—performance and technical innovation.

Classic Football Shirts Secures $38.5M Funding Round for Expansion; Appoints Exec Chair
The Chernin Group invested $38.5M of growth equity capital into the company. Cormac Barry, a senior executive with over 25 years’ experience in online B2C, online B2B and retail across multiple sectors has joined the company as executive chairman.

Pnuma Outdoors and Heated Core Appoint Brand Manager
Amber Liljestrand previously worked at Bass Pro Shops, where she was the assistant merchant for Hunting and Tactical Apparel, overseeing design, development and promotion of proprietary brands while collaborating with major national brands.

Dillard’s, Inc. Sees Fiscal Q1 Comps Dip 2 Percent; Net Income Sinks 11 Percent
Total retail sales, which excludes the company’s construction business, CDI Contractors, LLC, for the fiscal first quarter were $1.49 billion, down 1 percent from $1.52 billion in the year-ago Q1 period.