Wearable Technology Named Top Fitness Trend For 2022

With more people turning to their smartwatch or fitness tracker to monitor exercise and sleep quality, it’s not surprising that 4,500 health and fitness pros surveyed by the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) identified wearable tech as the new top trend in fitness for 2022. Rounding out the top-five were home exercise gyms, outdoor activities, strength training with free weights and exercise for weight loss.

REI Expands Technology Leadership Team

REI Co-op announced it has expanded its technology leadership team with two new vice presidents. Analyn Nouri was hired as vice president of platform engineering and the retailer promoted 15-year employee Todd Wilson to vice president of product engineering.

NFL, Fanatics Face Antitrust Suit Over Amazon Merchandise Sales

The National Football League (NFL) its teams and licensing partner, Fanatics, Inc. were hit with federal antitrust claims in San Francisco, CA by a merchandising business and a consumer claiming they conspired to “strangle the competition” and monopolize NFL product sales through Amazon’s third-party marketplace.

Climashield Sold To PE Firm

Crown Capital Investments (CCI), an Atlanta-based private equity investment firm, has acquired Climashield to its manufacturing portfolio of companies.

Selfridges Sold To Thai-Austrian Alliance

British luxury department store chain Selfridges is being sold to a Thai retailer and an Austrian property firm. The deal for the majority of Selfridges Group is worth around £4bn ($5.4bn).

Mastercard: U.S. Holiday Sales Grew 8.5 percent

According to Mastercard SpendingPulse, holiday retail sales, excluding automotive, increased 8.5 percent year-over-year this holiday season, running from November 1 through December 24. Notably, online sales grew 11.0 percent compared to the same period last year, its preliminary insights show.

Li & Fung Sells Logistics Arm To Maersk For $3.6 Billion

Li & Fung Limited entered into a transaction for shipping giant Maersk to acquire its logistics business, LF Logistics Holdings Limited (LF Logistics) and its various entities, valuing the business at $3.6 billion on an enterprise value basis.