
Fjallraven North America’s Nathan Dopp Shares Brand Outlook
Nathan Dopp, deputy CEO and president of the Americas for Fjallraven North America, spoke with SGB at last month’s Outdoor Retailer Winter Market in Denver, CO, where he shared what’s on tap for the brand in 2019 and beyond.

Nike Names Heidi O’Neill To Expanded Role As President of Nike Direct
Nike Inc. on Tuesday announced that Heidi O’Neill, president, Nike Direct, will expand her current role as leader of Nike physical retail stores and Nike.com to now include all Nike digital products, services and member experiences, effective immediately. O’Neill will report to Elliott Hill, president, Consumer and Marketplace.

J.P. Morgan Turns Bullish On Nike’s North American Momentum
J.P. Morgan raised its price target on Nike Inc. to $85 from $81 as the investment firm has grown more convinced that Nike’s momentum in North America is accelerating. Based on its own recent fieldwork, J.P. Morgan raised its North America revenue estimate to 9 percent growth for Nike’s second quarter ended November 30.

Tilly’s Announces Revised Fiscal 2018 Q3 Results
Tilly’s Inc. on Tuesday announced revised financial results for the fiscal 2018 third quarter and year-to-date period ended November 3 in order to correct certain accounting entries relating to inventory under the retail method, which had accumulated over several fiscal periods, including the third quarter of fiscal 2018.
Ascent360 Heads into 2019 With An Investment Boost
Ascent360, a Golden-CO based software company with a focus outdoor-related companies, announced it has secured a Series A venture capital investment totaling $4.1 million.
Icebreaker Opens New Bellevue Touch Lab And Re-Opens Portland Flagship
New Zealand-based Icebreaker opened a new Touch Lab in Bellevue, WA and re-open their Portland, OR flagship store.
BibRave 100’s Winning Races Announced
The Missoula Marathon was again voted The Best Marathon in America, according to the 2018 edition of The BibRave 100. The OneAmerica 500 Festival Mini-Marathon won the Half Marathon category, AJC Peachtree Road Race again won the 10K, and the Allstate Hot Chocolate Chicago 5K won the 5K category.
Little League Establishes New Executive Leadership Structure
A new executive leadership structure of Little League International was established following the annual fall meeting of the Little League International Board of Directors.

Big 5 Again Faces Activist Investors
Another activist group, led by former senior executives at Wal-Mart and Vans, have launched a website, www.SaveBig5.com, and sent out a press release urging shareholders to vote for them to fill two vacant seats on the board.

Performance Bicycle To Liquidate All Doors
Performance Bicycle in an amended bankruptcy filing said Gordon Brothers, which was initially to liquidate 40 Performance Bicycle stores, has been retained to liquidate the chain’s remaining 62 stores. The chain’s owner indicated stores may be reopening as part of the restructuring.

Tariff War Far From Over
President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed Saturday to a temporary trade cease-fire to allow time for more negotiations but trade experts are doubtful that 90 days will be enough time to resolve the thorny and complicated issues that divide the two countries.

November M&A Roundup: Big Outdoor Deals Bookend Busy Month
Two large acquisitions in the outdoor space bookended November—Canada Goose bought Baffin to kick off the month and Callaway bought Jack Wolfskin to close it—while a flurry of M&A activity occurred in the days between.
Fanatics Partners With Esports League
Fanatics announced an official retail and licensing partnership with Overwatch League. The multi-year deal is the first ever esports partnership for Fanatics, and is believed to be the first official merchandising deal between a major retailer and an official esports league

Report: Lululemon Founder Close To Joining Anta’s Bid For Amer Sports
Chip Wilson, Lululemon’s founder, is in talks to join Anta’s investment consortium in its bid for Amer Sports, according to a report from Bloomberg. Wilson, whose net value is reportedly worth $3.5 billion, is exploring taking a 20 percent stake in the consortium.

SFIA Seminar: Industry Playing It Safe
On a webinar last week providing an update on the state of the sporting goods industry, Tom Cove, SFIA’s president and CEO, said that many of the industry’s players appear to be fixated on protecting their market share somewhat at the expense of pursuing growth opportunities. While this reflects an industry recovering from a string of bankruptcies, he lamented that the cautious stance may be holding back the industry’s overall growth.