Oboz Hires VP of Finance to Prepare for Growth

Outdoor footwear start-up Oboz has hired a former NOLS employee, MBA and CPA as its VP of Finance. Tim Tripp assumed his duties on Aug. 1, 2008. In an eight-year stint at the fly fishing company Simms, Tripp doubled revenue and more than doubled its num

Off Price Specialist Show Sees 20% Increase in Attendance

The recent Off Price Specialist Show (Aug. 23-26, Sands Expo & Convention Center, Las Vegas) saw 489 vendors and an increased buyer attendence of almost 20%. “The stars lined up perfectly. Our exhibitors were ready and the order-writing was fantastic fro

Athletic Footwear a Ray of Sunshine in Cloudy August

As the numbers roll in for the retail fiscal month of August, it is pretty clear that retailers are looking to athletic footwear to keep footwear sales numbers in positive territory. While the later back-to-school season has clearly impacted retailers, a

Lehman Acquiring Minority Stake in SRAM

Lehman Brothers Merchant Banking (LBMB) has agreed to purchase a minority stake in the bicycling components maker SRAM. While terms of the deal were not disclosed, SRAM will use part of the proceeds to establish a $10 million SRAM Cycling Advocacy Fund to

Eurobike Reports High Attendance and Confidence

Eurobike is reporting record attendance of 36,800 trade visitors from 75 countries, 18,000 bicycle fans at its Open House Day and 1,430 journalists from 32 countries. Ninety percent of the trade visitors surveyed rated the economic situation as stable to

Cole Haan Launches Sharapova Collection

Cole Haan, a subsidiary of Nike, announced Maria Sharapova will serve as a lead collaborator and the face of Cole Haan Sporting, a new collection for Spring 2009, rooted in sport and fashion. The collection introduces new technologies like Flywire which b

Acushnet to Shift Production to Asia

The Acushnet Company plans to produce its top-selling Titleist Pro-V1 golf balls in Asia within 3 to 5 years. The company will trim domestic production of the Pro-V1 by about 20% and eliminate an estimated 100 jobs through attrition in coming years, accor

ASR Sees Slower Traffic, But Attendees Generally Pleased

The Action Sports Retailer show this past weekend was more subdued than it has been in years past, as relatively empty aisles reflected what some in attendance attributed to a difficult economy, a later back-to-school period or possibly the exit by sever

NFL Orders up Some Junk Food

Junk Food Clothing has entered into an apparel licensing agreement with the National Football League to create a retro-inspired lifestyle collection. The Junk Food NFL Lifestyle Collection will make its debut at better boutique, specialty store and depart

Globe Write-Down Prompts Loss of Nearly $25M

Globe International, an Austraila-based maker and distributor of boardsports related products, lost $24.6 million on total revenues of $122.3 million for fiscal 2007-08 due largely to one-time non-cash goodwill adjustment. Net sales rose 5.2% in constant

Sport Chalet Strikes Deal with UCLA

Sport Chalet, Inc. has signed an exclusive sponsorship agreement with the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA). The deal gives SPCH a highly visible presence at UCLA for all home games from 2008 to 2011. In addition, Sport Chalet will receive Ol

Ashworth Partners with Golf Channel

Ashworth, Inc. has partnered with Golf Channel as the golf-apparel supplier for Golf Channel's new season of “Big Break X: Michigan,” which debuts October 7. The show's eight two-person teams have been supplied Ashworth product from the company&