
CriticalPoint Capital Confirms JackRabbit Acquisition
In partnership with management, CriticalPoint will support JackRabbit’s continued organic growth strategy, as well as provide the company with additional capital to pursue future acquisitions, which is expected to result in market share gains in the years ahead.
Salt Lake City Wants Outdoor Retailer Back
The Salt Lake City Council passed a resolution Tuesday night calling on show and industry leaders to reconsider its decision to move, according to the Salt Lake Tribune.

Under Armour Announces UA Mountain Running Series
The running series reaches Oregon’s Mt. Bachelor, Killington in Vermont and Copper Mountain in Colorado.
Fanatics Partners With America’s Cup
Fanatics announced a partnership with the America’s Cup as the exclusive supplier of global e-commerce for this year’s event.
Skechers Performance Extends Partnership with Pro-Golfer Billy Andrade
Billy Andrade has been a part of the GO Golf pro team since the global footwear company debuted its line of performance Golf footwear and apparel.

AND1 And Avia Expand To Brazil
Sequential Brands Group Inc. entered into a long-term license agreement with SPR Indústria de Confecção Ltda., a leading sports manufacturer and distributor to bring its basketball brand AND1, active lifestyle brand AVIA, and skate brand DVS to Brazil.

Adidas Ramps Up Growth Goals
In his second quarterly conference call since taking over as CEO of Adidas AG, Kasper Rorsted strongly bumped up the company’s long-term growth outlook while announcing several new initiatives to support its five-year ‘Creating the New’ business plan.

Quiksilver Inc. Renamed Boardriders Inc.
The new name is intended to represent the company’s full range of action sports brands — Quiksilver, Roxy and DC Shoes — unified by the boardriding culture and heritage.

Adidas Brand Stars In Q4
Adidas Brand’s gain of 18 percent on a currency-neutral basis was driven by double-digit growth in the running category as well as at Adidas Originals and Adidas Neo. In addition, high-single-digit growth in the training category contributed to the top-line improvement.

Grassroots Follows Outdoor Retailer Out Of Utah
Grassroots’ Spring Connect and Fall Connect shows were scheduled to be held in Sandy, UT in 2018, but will now move due in part to a desire to stand together as an industry.

New Mexico Expresses Interest In Outdoor Retailer
Senator Martin Heinrich wrote a letter that stated: “As you solicit proposals for a new venue to host the Outdoor Retailer trade show, I would urge you to give strong consideration to the state of New Mexico.”

Black Diamond Returns To Core Focus For 2017
“The recurring take-away was retailers’ perception that Black Diamond had been distracted over the past four to five years by various strategic initiatives,” said John Walbrecht, president, about his discussions with retailers since joining the company five months ago.
SFIA Reports Modest Growth In U.S. Wholesale Shipments
Results of the 2017 SFIA Manufacturers’ Sales by Category Report detail a 2 percent increase overall in the combined categories of sporting goods and fitness equipment, sports apparel, athletic footwear and licensed products.

Adidas Bangs Out 14 Percent Growth In Q4
Adidas reported fourth-quarter sales increased 14 percent on a currency-neutral basis, led by an 18 percent. Combined currency-neutral sales for the Adidas and Reebok brands grew at double-digit rates in key market segments such as North America (29 percent), Greater China (25 percent), Latin America (22 percent) and and Western Europe (12 percent)

Adidas Expands 2020 Growth Targets
Adidas now expects currency-neutral sales to increase at a rate between 10 percent and 12 percent on average per year between 2015 and 2020, up from high-single-digit growth previously. The company also added five more pillars – Corporate Culture, Digital, One Adidas, North America and Portfolio – to drive growth.