Dominic Jordan, the former CEO of Hobbycraft, assumes the top seat held by outgoing CEO Lee Bagnall for the past 12 years. Bagnall has agreed to stay on for a transition period.
Author: SGB Executive

EXEC: Titleist and Footjoy Parent Moving to S&P SmallCap 600 Index
Acushnet Holdings Corp. (NYSE: GOLF), parent of the Titleist and Footjoy golf brands, will replace Retail Opportunity Investments Corp. in the S&P SmallCap 600.

EXEC: Asian FW Factories See Weaker January Trends; Pou Sheng Retail Jumps
Feng Tay Enterprises, one of the longest-tenured manufacturers of Nike footwear, reported manufacturing revenues declined 6.2 percent in January and Yue Yuen’s factory business grew an anemic 1.1 percent increase in December.

EXEC: Liberated Brands Store Closings Commence in U.S. Markets
Gordon Brothers has begun closing sales at all 122 Volcom, Billabong, Quiksilver, Roxy, Honolua Surf, RVCA, Beachworks, Becker Surfboards, ZJ Boarding House, Spyder and Boardriders store locations under Liberated Brands’ retail fleet in the U.S.

EXEC: Nordic SG Retailer XXL Sees Q4 Sales Decline
Norway-based sporting goods retailer XXL ASA said it delivered total operating revenue of NOK 7.2 billion in 2024 in a Nordic sporting goods market that persisted to be challenging. Fourth quarter sales declined 1.8 percent year-over-year.

EXEC: Mizuno Corp. Sees Modest Q3 Revenue Growth In Americas Region
Mizuno Corp. reported sales in the Americas region rose 1.2 percent in the third quarter and gained 6.6 percent in the nine-month YTD period. Consolidated global sales in the third quarter grew 4.3 percent to ¥55.8 billion

EXEC: Ahead, Craft, Cutter & Buck Parent Sees Q4 Sales Expand 3 Percent
The Swedish-based owner of Ahead, Auclair, Craft, Cutter & Buck, and Tenson AB, reported that Q4 growth was led by gains in the Sports & Leisure segment and the promo sales channel, with 3 percent growth in the U.S. region.

EXEC: Thule Group Swings to Q4 Loss as Organic Sales Come in Flat
Consolidated sales in the fourth quarter, seasonally the smallest quarter of the year for Thule, increased 7.2 percent year-over-year to SEK 1,678 million. Thule reported that 6.8 percent of the percent increase came from acquisitions.

EXEC: Under Armour Cautious on North America’s Return to Growth
Under Armour, Inc. reported third-quarter results that exceeded guidance for the third straight quarter with the help of some recovery in North America. However, Under Armour CEO Kevin Plank declined to forecast a return to growth in the region, with the current priority of driving full-price sales.

EXEC: Mips AB Posts Strong Q4 Results on Helmet Rebound; Long-Term Goals Revised
The Swedish helmet technology provider said it saw a strong end to 2024 with solid growth in all categories and all geographies. The company posted sales of SEK 144 million in the fourth quarter, a 58 percent increase from SEK 91 million in Q4 2023.

EXEC: Woolrich CEO Named President of Peak Performance
Stefano Saccone has been appointed president of Peak Performance and a member of the Amer Sports Global leadership team, effective April 1, 2025. He will succeed Sara Molnar, the current president. Saccone will be based in Stockholm, Sweden.

EXEC: Liberated Brands Gets Bankruptcy Court Approval to Access DIP Funds
The former licensing company set up to manage Authentic Brands Group’s collection of action sports lifestyle brands filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Sunday with $3.3 million in cash on hand and $226 million in debt, according to court filings.

EXEC: JD Group Appoints Jared Briskin as CEO of Hibbett
Hibbett was acquired by global active lifestyle retail behemoth JD Group in July 2024. Briskin, who had been serving as EVP of Merchandising at the time of the sale, was promoted to COO after the sale closed and added the President title shortly thereafter.

EXEC: Revo Launches New Australia-Based Joint Venture for APAC Region
This new entity will oversee all sales and customer care for the APAC region, with a focus on establishing Revo as a top choice for consumers in Australia and Southeast Asia.

EXEC: Smith Optics Returned to Growth in Q4, Boosted by DTC Business
Safilo Group S.p.A., the owner of Smith Optics and Blenders and licensee of the Under Armour, Fossil, Havaianas, Tommy Hilfiger, Levi’s, and Liz Claiborne brands for eyewear, saw preliminary sales for 2024 decline 2.3 percent to €993.2 million.