Fleet Feet Rockford Joins Fleet Feet Chicago
Specialty running store franchise DLZIMCO.Inc, owner-operators of Fleet Feet Chicago, has acquired Fleet Feet Rockford, expanding the Fleet Feet brand across northern Illinois.
SVSU Athletics partners with Nike, BSN
The Saginaw Valley State University’s (SVSU) Department of Athletics announced a partnership with Nike through BSN Sports beginning in the 2022/23 academic year.

Lululemon Launches In Spain
Lululemon Athletica, Inc. announced plans to open its first two stores and a local e-commerce site in Spain. Spain is a new European market for the brand since 2019.

Sustainable Apparel Coalition Pauses Transparency Program
The Sustainable Apparel Coalition (SAC) has put its consumer-facing transparency program on pause after a report found that some of its tools to be misleading about eco-marketing claims.
Adidas UK Finance Chief Retires
Andrew Hackett, Adidas’ U.K. finance chief, has retired after 25 years with the company.
Rally House Introduces First Store In Branson, MO
Rally House opened its first store in Missouri with a new location in Branson.

Lids Expands Global Brick & Mortar Footprint With First Stores In Germany
Lids is expanding its retail presence internationally by opening its first standalone stores in Berlin, Germany.

NBA Invests In Kids’ Social Network
The National Basketball Association (NBA) was part of a $17 million fundraising round for Zigazoo, a social media platform similar to TikTok that caters to kids between the ages of three and twelve with over one million subscribers.
SportsPursuit Merges With Private Sport Shop
UK-based SportsPursuit, the online discount retailer and part of Baker’s bd-capital portfolio, announced it has merged with France-based Private Sport Shop.

Kohl’s Sale To Franchise Group Is Terminated
Kohl’s terminated acquisition talks with Franchise Group, owner of The Vitamin Shoppe. The company also cut its sales outlook for the second quarter.
Anta Sports Adds Board Member
Anta Sports Products Limited appointed Xia Lian, currently the general manager of Beijing Qingkongdaokou Investment Management Co., Ltd, as an independent non-executive director of the company.
L.L. Bean’s New Headquarters To Open Next Spring
L.L.Bean’s $110 million headquarters redevelopment will be completed two years ahead of schedule as the flexible work-from-home culture during the pandemic enabled construction to speed up, according to Mainebiz.com.
AlgiKnit Raises $13 million In Series A Funding
AlgiKnit, a sustainable kelp yarn producer based in North Carolina, has received $13 million in a Series A financing round led by Collaborative Fund with participation from H&M CO:LAB and SOSV.
The Lycra Company Announces New Equity Ownership
The Lycra Company announced that a group of financial institutions, comprising Lindeman Asia, Lindeman Partners Asset Management, Tor Investment Management, and China Everbright Limited (“New Shareholders”), have gained complete equity control of the company.

Mitchell & Ness Partners With NHL
The NHL, Fanatics and Mitchell & Ness announced an agreement giving Mitchell & Ness official rights to create apparel and accessories for the NHL and its 32 teams.