Walmart announced the launch of a major new casual clothing line for men and women called Free Assembly. Free Assembly was designed by an in-house team led by Dwight Fenton, former chief creative officer at Bonobos with past experience at J. Crew, Vineyard Vines and Old Navy.
Author: SGB Media

Vasa Appoints COO
Vasa Inc., the maker of swim training devices based in Essex Junction, VT, appointed Keith Watson as COO. Watson comes to Vasa after spending 12 years in executive positions at Peaksware Holdings, LLC, (home of TrainingPeaks.com) as well as 10 years with Intuit, Inc.

Hyperice Appointed UFC’s Recovery Partner
UFC, the mixed martial arts organization, named Hyperice its Official Recovery Technology Partner.

Easton Introduces Bat Trade-In Program
Easton Diamond Sports introduced its first Trade In and Trade Up Program for baseball. With this announcement, players can trade in their used USA, USSSA and BBCOR bats to receive a credit toward the purchase of a new Easton USSSA or BBCOR baseball bat on Easton.com.

Report: Nike’s Track & Field Chief Steps Down
John Capriotti, director of athletics at Nike, is stepping down after guiding the brand’s track and field sports marketing group since 1992. He will continue to work with Nike as a consultant, according to The Oregonian.

U.S. Senate Unanimously Passes America’s Conservation Enhancement Act
The U.S. Senate on September 16 passed by unanimous consent S. 3051, America’s Conservation Enhancement (ACE) Act. This major package of natural resource management and conservation provisions now moves to the U.S. House of Representatives, where a vote is expected as soon as this week, according to the American Sportfishing Association (ASA).

Stadium Goods Announces Chicago Store Opening Dates
Stadium Goods, the sneaker and streetwear marketplace, announced plans to open a store in Chicago, its second city after opening its first store in New York City in 2015.

Dunlop Adds Two Tennis Industry Veterans To Sales Team
Dunlop announced the addition of tennis industry veterans Macy Evert Erickson and Anibal Braga to its sales team. Erickson assumes the Territory Manager role for Northern California, while Braga will act as Territory Manager for the Southeast (SC, NC, GA, MS, AL, TN).

Augusta Sportswear Brands Moves North To Service The Canadian Market
Augusta Sportswear Brands said it is expanding its global footprint by opening a Canadian sales office, showroom and website to serve the Canadian market.

Hydro Flask Sponsors USA Surfing
Hydro Flask announced a multi-year sponsorship with USA Surfing supporting its athletes in domestic and international competitions including the USA Surfing Championships and the sport’s debut at the 2021 Olympic Games in Tokyo.

Bollé Brands Appoints President Of Sport And Luxury Division
Bollé Brands hired François Benaben, former VP for Rossignol Group for Europe, Asia and the Southern Hemisphere, as president of its Sport and Luxury business.

Arc’teryx Opens Global Flagship Store In Shanghai
Arc’teryx Equipment opened of its first global flagship store in Shanghai, China. The two-story, 8,000-square-foot store is the brand’s largest store to date.

Nike Develops Coaching Girls Guide
Nike has partnered with We Coach, an organization that embraces recruitment, advancement and retention of women coaches in sports, on a new Made to Play Coaching Girls Guide to “help make sport fun for girls.”

Robert Gore, Inventor of Gore-Tex, Passes Away
Robert W. “Bob” Gore, chairman emeritus of the board of directors of W. L. Gore & Associates and the inventor of Gore-Tex outerwear, passed away on September 17 at the age of 83.

Marriott Partners With National Park Foundation
Marriott Bonvoy, Marriott International’s travel program, announced its marketing partnership with the National Park Foundation (NPF), the official nonprofit partner of the National Park Service.