Puma To Sponsor La Liga

Puma has reached a deal to replace Nike as the sponsor of’ La Liga, the Spanish soccer league body, according to reports.  Nike had sponsored La Liga for 23 years. 

Esports Set To Take Off

EMarketer became the latest research firm to come out with the bullish forecast on the growth potential of esports as well as the related advertising opportunity to reach a hard-to-reach and coveted millennial demographic. The reports come as Nike, Adidas, Puma, Fanatics, Champion and others have all recently inked sponsorship deals.

L.L. Bean Resumes Growth In 2018, Bonuses Return

L.L. Bean reported sales reached $1.6 billion in 2018, a 1 percent gain over 2017. Based on those results, the company’s directors approved a 5 percent annual pay bonus to about 5,400 year-round employees and an additional 2 percent enhancement to their 401(k) contributions.

Despite Slight Rise in Overall Tennis Participation, Challenges Remain

The most recent tennis participation figures indicate an overall increase in the number of U.S. tennis players for 2018, up 0.9 percent to 17.84 million participants, according to the Tennis Industry Association (TIA). But a deeper dive into the numbers show continuing challenges facing tennis, and the sports industry overall.

Zumiez Sees Localized Assortments Driving Momentum

Wrapping up its third year of merry holiday results, Zumiez Inc.’s earnings and same-store sales came in well above guidance in the fourth quarter. On a conference call with analysts, Rick Brooks, CEO, credited the chain’s focus on localized merchandise assortments for its recent hot streak.