Vermont Organic Fiber Names Ed Kiniry CEO
Vermont Organic Fiber Co., based in Middlebury, VT, has hired veteran outdoor industry entrepreneur Edward ('Ed') Kiniry as CEO. Formerly, he was president of Winterquest, LLC, the parent company of Tubbs and Atlas snowshoes, selling the company
OIA: Nov. Outdoor Sales Slide
Outdoor Industry Association reported that retail sales for all core outdoor stores fell 11% in November. It marked the first month of overall dollar sales decline since the recession started in December 2007. All three store channels and all four major p
NSGA Confirms Key Speakers for Conference
Best Buy President & Chief Operating Officer Brian Dunn is among the featured speakers who have been confirmed for the 45th Annual NSGA Management Conference & 11th Annual Team Dealer Summit, which will be held May 3-6, 2009, at the Westin La Cantera Reso
Johnson Health Tech Sues Icon
Johnson Health Tech, parent company of Horizon Fitness, has sued Icon Health & Fitness, claiming that the company has produced products infringing on Johnson’s patent no. 7,316,633 of which pertains to an “exercise elliptical machine” patented in January
Study: Obese Now Outweigh the Overweight
A new study by the National Center for Health Statistics finds that the number of obese American adults outweighs the number of those who are considered merely overweight for the first time. The study shows that more than 34% of Americans are obese, compa
Sporting Goods Retailers Sued Over Switchblades
A class action claims that Wal-Mart, Cabela's, Dicks Sporting Goods and others are selling switchblade knives that they know are illegal in Texas…
Avia Partners with Troy Lee Designs
Avia announced a new partnership deal with Troy Lee Designs (TLD), the southern California-based company that produces custom graphic designs for the “world’s fastest racers.” TLD will co-create a collection of AVIA racing shoes with a limited release per
The Finish Line Shrinks Loss, Inventory in Third Quarter
Strong inventory and cost controls combines with a decent performance in footwear to help The Finish Line slightly trim its loss from continuing operations in the third quarter ended November 29. These improvements helped offset continued weakness in appa
More Vendors Restructure Under Economic Pressures
Head N.V. Group plans to close its tennis ball factory in Phoenix, AZ in March of this year. In 2007, the company began manufacturing tennis balls in a new factory in China, and has now made the decision to shut the U.S. facility and manufacture its worl
Zumiez December Comps Fall 12%
Zumiez, Inc. reported a 12.3% decline in same-store sales after a 3.9% increase in comps for the year ago period. Management said the decrease in comps was driven by a decrease in store transactions and a decrease in average unit retail…
RECALL: RockShox Domain Bicycle Forks
About 175 bicycles with RockShox Domain 302 and 318 bicycle forks, manufactured in Taiwan and imported by SRAM, have been recalled because the forks can detach from the bicycle frames…
Mountain High Sees Record
Mountain High Resort in Wrightwood, CA reported a record-breaking holiday season with skier visits up more than 40% over last year for the two-week Christmas period…
New Balance Appoints EVP, North American Sales
Boston-based New Balance announces the appointment of Chris Quinn as Executive Vice President, North American Sales. Quinn was most recently with Folgers Coffee as Sr. Vice President Sales and Chief Customer Office…
Suunto Names Director of Marketing
As of Jan. 19, Suunto North America will name Nate Randle as their Director of Marketing. Randle comes to Suunto North America with 10 years of marketing and sales experience most recently with Callaway Golf Company…
Pipeline Teams Up with Hawaii Intercontinental Corp.
Pipeline International said for Spring/ Summer 2009 it has joined into exclusive distributor partnership with Hawaii Intercontinental Corporation (HIC). The company said the agreement covers all soft and hard good categories. Products will be sold to depa
