The new WFSGI Board has added Anne Larilahti, VP of Sustainability, Amer Sports; Mitchell Tsai, CEO, Apache Footwear; Todd Smith, President and CEO, SFIA; and Stefan Rummel, CEO, Messe Muenchen, the producer of the ISPO and Outdoor Munich Expos.
Author: SGB Media

BikeCo Makes Range of Key Appointments Across Enterprise
The American distributor for bike brands Fuji Bikes, SE Bikes, Breezer Bikes, and Tuesday Cycles, announced three new hires and two promotions to support growth across operations, retail and customer experience.

Hudson’s Bay to Close Balance of Hudson’s Bay and Saks Fifth Avenue Locations
The Hudson’s Bay and Saks Fifth Avenue stores in Canada are expected to operate until no later than June 15, 2025; however, some may close earlier. The company will close 9 Saks Off 5th stores on Sunday, April 27.

SGB Media Relaunches SGB Outdoor Email Newsletter
The publishing company, which has focused on the active lifestyle market since 2003, is now delivering a weekly SGB Outdoor Update email newsletter each Friday morning, except for holidays, to provide a focused view and weekly wrap of the top stories of the week for outdoor market industry professionals heading into the weekend.

Chattanooga Shooting Supplies to Distribute Diamondback Firearms
Diamondback Firearms, a family-owned and operated company, is known for manufacturing performance firearms that are 100 percent Made in the USA, with all production handled in-house.

Skechers Posts Solid Q1; Withdraws Prior 2025 Guide, Pauses Outlook
Due to macroeconomic uncertainty stemming from global trade policies, SKX is not providing financial guidance and is withdrawing its annual 2025 guidance provided in the company’s earnings release reported on February 6, 2025.

Ambercycle and Huilong in New Strategic Cooperation Partnership
The collaboration is expected to focus on scaling textile-to-textile (T2T) closed-loop recycling systems, establishing innovative solutions across the industry’s value chain.

TruGolf to Exchange Outstanding Convertible Notes to Series A Preferred Stock
The company reported that “these actions are part of an effort to improve the capital structure and reduce the debt on its balance sheet to meet the NASDAQ’s continued listing requirements.”

Five Iron Golf to Open Locations in NYC and Cleveland
The Flat Iron site, located a few blocks from where Five Iron originally began at 19th and 5th Avenue, is at 611 6th Avenue. Five Iron in Shaker Heights, OH, will combine Five Iron’s golf simulators with an 18-hole indoor/outdoor miniature golf course and the latest version of Detroit Duckpin, a bowling experience.

EXEC: Osprey Grows, Hydro Flask Falters in Q4; Parent to Pause China Goods
CFO Brian Grass said the company is pausing all China purchases in the short term with a few exceptions and expects over 60 percent of U.S.-bound goods to be sourced outside China by the end of fiscal 2027.

Chaparral and Robalo Boat Brands Parent Sees Moderating Declines in Q1
MPX said comparisons are beginning to ease and field inventories are returning to more acceptable levels after being elevated since late 2023. The company’s field unit inventory at the end of the first quarter was approximately 18 percent below the end of Q1 2024.

Brunswick Corp. Q1 Diluted EPS Sinks 70 Percent as Revenues Decline in Low Teens
The owner of the Boston Whaler, Lund, Sea Ray, Bayliner, Harris Pontoons, Princecraft, and Quicksilver boat brands said its Boat segment posted a 13 percent decrease in Q1 due to cautious wholesale ordering patterns by dealers, partially offset by fmodest model-year price increases.

Sweet Protection Names Brand Marketing Manager for U.S. and Canada
Industry veteran Jon Jay is responsible for increasing Sweet Protection’s brand awareness in North America through marketing and public relations channels and also working with large- and small-scale retailers in the territories.

Sea to Summit Strengthens Canadian Sales Agency Network
Sea to Summit is expanding its presence in Canada through enhanced sales partnerships with Tandem West Sales in the West and Agence Quartier Général in the East.

Grassroots Expects 5.9 Percent Growth in Spring Connect Buyer Attendance
Grassroots indicated that the 148 retail businesses and 147 exhibitors are essentially flat versus last year’s Spring Connect Show, but individual buyers increased 5.9 percent year-over-year to 391 buyers.