Hendrik Meijer, a local barber in Greenville, MI, started the food store to service customers who visited his barbershop. in 1934. Today, the family-owned retailer has with over 500 Meijer supercenters, grocery stores, neighborhood markets, express locations, and distribution and manufacturing facilities throughout six Midwest states operated by over 70,000 employees.
Author: SGB Media

EXEC: Delta Apparel Files for Chapter 11 BK Protection; Names Salt Life Stalking-Horse Bidder
The parent of the Soffe, Salt Life and Delta brands has posted losses for seven straight quarters as elevated inventory levels at the mass channel and related destocking efforts have impacted its Delta Direct vertical blank tee platform.

OrthoLite Expands European Market Presence
OrthoLite Europa’s expansion reportedly “bolsters capacity, innovation, and local-for-local insole production solutions” for OrthoLite’s European brand partners.

Leki USA Taps Ascension Sales for Mountain West
Founded in 2013 by industry veterans Brad Barlage, Eric Johnson and Brian Stevenson, Ascension Sales covers the trekking and outdoor retail territory for Leki in the Rockies and several states in the Midwest.

Sports Authority Founder Jack Smith Passes Away
Smith was the visionary who turned Sports Authority into one of the largest sporting goods retail brands worldwide. Smith also served as chairman of the board of the National Sporting Goods Association (NSGA) and was inducted into the Sporting Goods Industry Hall of Fame in 2016.

MNC Capital Delivers Merger Agreement and Financing Commitments to Vista Outdoor
The investment firm said it has delivered a Merger Agreement it is prepared to sign for its $42 per share all cash proposal, as well as commitment letters with respect to the proposed debt and equity financing for such proposal totaling approximately $3.2 billion needed to finance the transaction.

EXEC: Gym King Founder and CEO Buys Out JD Sports Stake in UK Athleisure Retailer
Founder and CEO Jay Parker, via an entity GKH Ventures Ltd. completed the buyout of JD Sports’ stake in The Gym King (Holdings) Ltd., with Parker regaining 100 percent ownership in the business.

Adidas Drops the Velostan Smith
“The Stan Smith sneaker journey started in 1978, and it has been a joy to watch Adidas evolve and reimagine it ever since, with this latest version imagined especially for cyclists – being no different.” —Stan Smith

PGA Tour Hires Chief Marketing & Communications Officer
Former Aon CMO Andy Weitz is responsible for positioning the PGA Tour brand for investment while communicating its global strategy and performance to the Tour’s stakeholders and beyond. He will formally begin working with the PGA Tour in mid-August.

PGA of America CEO Exits, Shifts to Advisory Role
Accomplishments include leadership during the pandemic, delivering deferred compensation retirement plan for members, completing PGA Frisco partnership agreements, and growth of the PGA of America Reach Foundation

Life Time Closes on $90 Million Sale-Leaseback
The sale-leaseback transactions will support the company’s progress in reducing its net debt-to-adjusted EBITDA leverage ratio to under three times sooner than forecasted.

EXEC: Assessing the Financial Impact of the OIA and Outdoor Retailer Break Up
The separation, or divorce, was always expected to be a tough move for OIA to absorb, as the loss of royalties from the OR show would cut millions from the trade association’s budget each year. But a funny thing happened on the way to this eventual agreement, OIA shifted its reliance on trade show royalties.

Revo Joins US Sailing’s Growing Roster of Official Partners
The partnership, which is in effect throughout 2024, has Revo outfitting the US Sailing Team with eyewear to compete internationally, marking a global representation between the organizations.

Scott USA Hires Industry Vet as President
Alongside teams based in Salt Lake City and Ogden, UT, Hap Seliga will work to drive growth in the U.S. market and solidify the company’s position in outdoor verticals.

The Conservation Alliance Expands Focus into Fishing and Fly Fishing
While TCA and its new members have shared conservation values for decades, this new partnership is expected to open a realm of opportunity. As TCA continues to expand its program work, collaborating with the fly-fishing community will support additional efforts to protect North America’s waterways.