Aisle Talk Week of October 1

Top headlines from the active lifestyle industry you may have missed this week, including BSN Sports, a division of Varsity Brands and the nation’s largest direct marketer and distributor of sporting goods to the school and league markets, completing its acquisition of Port Jeff Sporting Goods (pictured).

Brian Bowen Sr. Details Bribes From Multiple College Teams

On the fourth day of the college basketball corruption trial, the father of an elite basketball recruit testified that before his son committed to Louisville, a family friend told him four other schools, Arizona, Creighton, Oklahoma State and Texas, offered competing bids. Brian Bowen Sr. also discussed details of pay-to-play payments from youth basketball teams.

Pyua Sold To Investment Firm

SPIN Capital, the Munich-based investment company, has acquired Pyua, the ski outerwear specialist based in Germany, according to ISPO. The acquisition comes after Spin Capital acquired ABS, the avalanche airbag leader, last fall.

Report: Puma Signs DeMarcus Cousins

Puma has signed DeMarcus Cousins of the Golden State Warriors as the company’s latest ambassador to support the company’s return to basketball, according to ESPN.

VF Corp. To Say Bye To Reef

While acquiring Icebreaker and Altra this year amid stepped-up efforts to “reshape” the company’s portfolio, VF Corp. on Thursday reached an agreement to sell Reef, the surf-inspired sandal brand, to The Rockport Group. The divestiture will mark the first sell-off of a brand that had been part of the company’s Outdoor or Active coalitions that has driven the company’s growth for the last two decades.

RYU Apparel Announces Approval For Warrant Repricing

RYU Apparel Inc., maker of urban athletic apparel, said the company has received acceptance from the TSX Venture Exchange (TSXV) to decrease the exercise price of a total of 114,186,456 warrants that were issued in private placement unit offerings on December 4, 2017.

ICSC Predicts Robust Holiday Retail Spending

ICSC forecasts that shoppers will spend $807 billion, an increase of 4.5 percent over last year, with $685 billion being spent on gifts and other holiday items and $122 billion on food and beverage.

College Basketball Scandal Spreads

In opening statements in the first trial tied to the FBI’s investigation into corruption throughout college basketball, a lawyer representing James Gatto, Adidas’ former director of global sports marketing, asserted that her client’s payments to the families of top high school basketball recruits were only made to compete with similar payments being made by Nike and Under Armour.