Survey: Pickleball On the Rise in Community Associations
According to a recent Snap survey by the Community Associations Institute Foundation for Community Association Research, 77 percent of respondents said that the pickleball courts in their communities were in “Moderate” or “High” demand.
REI Co-op Hires VP of Merchandise Planning and Inventory Management
REI Co-op hired Jackie Major as vice president of merchandise planning and inventory management, leading its merchandising team, overseeing planning and inventory management strategy and sales and operations planning.
Intersport International Corp. Appoints First Chief Commercial Officer
Pierre Irelli will assume the lead of the IIC’s Commercial Division. Irelli has been chief product officer at Intersport France since 2019. He first joined Intersport in 2013 as a category manager for Team Business.
Under Armour Names Chief Design Officer
Under Armour announced that fashion industry veteran John Varvatos will join the company as chief design officer, leading the design direction for the company and overseeing its design studios in New York, Baltimore and Portland, OR.
Tommy Bahama Parent Gets Q2 Lift from Johnny Was Acquisition
Oxford Industries, Inc. reported consolidated second quarter net sales increased 16 percent year-over-year to $420 million in the quarter ended July 29, compared to $363 million in the second quarter of fiscal 2022.
SGB Media Releases August 2023 Most Read Articles, Key Metrics
SGB Media published a quick review of the top stories from August 2023 that drove pageviews up 14 percent month-over-month to almost 184,000, while total users grew 10 percent and time spent on the site by each user rose 19 percent for the period.
Active Lifestyle Stocks Move in S&P 500, S&P MidCap 400 Indices
Newell Brands and Foot Locker are moving to the SmallCap 600 from their former positions in the S&P 500 and S&P MidCap 400, respectively, and Vail Resorts, Inc. enters the S&P MidCap 400 index.
Study: American Malls Making a Comeback Post-Pandemic
A study conducted by Coresight Research found that traffic at U.S. shopping malls has recovered and surpassed pre-COVID levels, supported by the “halo effect” created by a brand’s online and offline presence in a mall, brand synergy in malls and omnichannel retail investments.
Sportsman’s Warehouse Opens First Storefront In Arkansas
Sportsman’s Warehouse opened a store in Hot Springs, marking its first retail location in Arkansas.
Report: HS Sports Participation Continues Post-COVID Rebound
Participation in high school sports eclipsed 7.8 million in the 2022/23 school year, reflecting a sharp increase from the previous year as the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) completed its High School Athletics Participation Survey for a second time after the pandemic interrupted its data collection.
Authentic Closes on Acquisition of Boardriders
Authentic issued a quick statement late Friday morning that it had closed on the acquisition of street- and actions sports-lifestyle brands Quiksilver, Billabong, Roxy, RVCA, DC Shoes, Element, VonZipper, Honolua, and Boardriders.
EXEC: Tilly’s Execs Remain Cautious Despite Improving Q3 Trends
Comparable net sales, including both physical stores and e-commerce, decreased by 8.5 percent on top of the 16.5 percent decrease posted in the prior-year Q2 period. The retailer saw early Q3 comps down in the low- to mid-single digits.
REI to Open in Ithaca, NY
REI Co-op plans to open a store in Ithaca, NY in the summer of 2024 and hire approximately 50 employees.
JCPenney Sets $1 Billion Modernization Program
Furthering turnaround efforts, JCPenney announced it will reinvest more than $1 billion into the business by fiscal year 2025 to “elevate the customer experience and gain operating efficiencies.”
EXEC: Lululemon Claims North America Market Share Gain Despite Slower Q2 Growth
While its outsized growth in China continues to get much of the media attention, Lululemon Athletica, Inc. churned out sales gains of 11 percent in the second quarter in North America, slowing from the 17 percent growth in the first quarter.
