To say that 2023 was a challenging year for the active lifestyle retail market would be an understatement as brands, reps and retailers dealt with a variety of challenges and very few notable instances of positive news.
Author: SGB Media
SFIA Re-Elects Ram as Chair; Adds Three New Board Members
SFIA re-elected Jonathan Ram, CEO of Clarks, Inc., as chairman of the Board of Directors for the 2024 term. Isabel Coscia, SVP of marketing at Technogym, Ryan Cruthirds, chief digital commerce and brand development officer at Implus LLC and Koichiro Kodama, president and CEO for Asics North America, were newly elected to the SFIA Board,
Riton Optics Appoints Marketing Director
Riton Optics hired Trent Marsh as marketing director. Marsh has almost 15 years of experience as a marketer in the shooting sports industry, having worked in the UTV, trail camera and optics categories.
Dead Air Silencers Promotes Tarantino to Head of Channel Development
Dead Air Silencers promoted Tony Tarantino to the newly created position of senior director of channel development, responsible for executing strategies and programs at the dealer and consumer levels to increase brand exposure.
Hornady Names Director of Manufacturing
Hornady Manufacturing Company hired Scott McKelvey as director of manufacturing, oversee manufacturing processes throughout all production divisions.
Iron Valley Supply Co. Welcomes New CEO
Iron Valley Supply Co., the distributor of firearms and accessories, appointed Clay Halla president and chief executive officer.
Camping World to Acquire Two Locations in Louisiana
Camping World Holdings, Inc. announced plans to acquire Bent’s RV, with two locations in Boutte and Albany, LA. The company expects to close the transaction in the second quarter of 2024 and increase its Louisiana location count to four.
The Buckle’s Comps Decline 6 Percent In December
The Buckle, Inc. announced that comparable store net sales for the 5-week period ended December 30 decreased 5.8 percent versus the year-ago period. Net sales decreased 5.0 percent to $203.8 million from $214.5 million a year ago.
EXEC: JD Sports Sees YTD Comp Sales Growth Fall Short, Impacting Full-Year View
Company shares plummeted 23 percent on the London Sock Exchange Thursday as the parent of the JD, Finish Line, DTLR, and Shoe Palace retail brands in the U.S. and JD and others worldwide, reported that comp store sales growth was just 1.8 percent for the 22-week yeat-to-date period through December 30.
Colt CZ Acquires Grenade Launcher Technology
Colt CZ Group SE, through its subsidiary Colt, acquired the intellectual property rights for the Mk 47 Automatic Grenade Launcher, including the Fire Control, from General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems.
Academy Sports’ Former President Lands at Groundworks
Groundworks, the foundation and water management solutions company, hired Michael Mullican as CFO. Last October, Mullican stepped down from Academy Sports as president and CFO to pursue personal and professional opportunities.
Digital Brands Group Lays Out Initial 2024 Guidance
In a release, the company said it expects first-quarter 2024 revenues to approximate $6 million, based on $4.5 million in confirmed wholesale bookings.
EXEC: 2024 Look Ahead – Retailers and Brands Define Issues and Opportunities
In this latest installment of the 2024 Look Ahead series, SGB Executive talked with brand leaders and marketers about how their companies plan to address the challenges and opportunities in the market in 2024 and beyond.
Chums Expands Marketing Team
Chums hired Grace Overby as its new marketing coordinator, enabling Maddy Morton to transition to the newly created role of creative brand manager.
UK’s SportsShoes.com Inks Global Marketing Partnership with Parkrun
The UK-based online running shoe, clothing and outdoor gear retailer said in a release it is now exclusively Parkrun’s official retail partner in the UK, while also supporting the global Parkrun community with procurement and distribution of its range of merchandise.