Hampton University and Under Armour Inc. announced a new partnership agreement.
Category: Apparel

Pure Fishing Hits The Selling Bock
Pure Fishing, the parent company of well-known fishing brands Berkley, Abu Garcia, Penn, Fenwick, Sterns, Mitchell, Pflueger, Shakespeare, Ugly Stik Spiderwire, among others, has joined Rawlings on the list of businesses Newell Brands is looking to divest.

Aisle Talk Week of April 30
Top headlines from the active lifestyle industry you may have missed this week, including Nike Inc. CEO Mark Parker (pictured) holding a rare company-wide staff meeting at Nike headquarters to apologize for recent incidents at the company.

Vans ‘Nothing Short Of Outstanding’ in Q1
Vans delivered another record quarter for VF Corp., which rode the footwear brand and the rest of its portfolio to an outstanding first quarter. VF reported earnings of $252.8 million, or 65 cents per share, for the quarter ended March 31, up 20.9 percent from the same quarter a year ago.
April Retail Jobs Up 3,700 From March
Retail industry employment increased by 3,700 jobs seasonally adjusted in April over March and 48,900 jobs unadjusted year-over-year, the National Retail Federation said Friday.
Nike Holds Staff Meeting Over Culture Challenges
On Thursday, Mark Parker, CEO of Nike Inc., held a rare company-wide staff meeting at the company’s headquarters to apologize for allowing a culture where staff members were excluded and workplace complaints of inappropriate behavior were dismissed, according to The Wall Street Journal.

VF’s March Quarter Highlighted By Vans’ Explosive Growth
VF reported earnings for the transition quarter ended March 31 rose 20.9 percent on a 21.7 percent revenue gain. Excluding the Williamson-Dickie acquisition, revenues increased 12 percent (up 8 percent currency neutral).

Adidas AG’s North American Momentum Continues
Adidas AG said a slowdown in Western Europe and continued weakening the company’s key footwear franchises in the first quarter was more than matched by strong sales momentum overall in North America and Greater China, an accelerating apparel business and strong full-price selling.

Adidas Records Double-Digit Top- And Bottom-Line Growth In Q1
Adidas reported earnings climbed 17 percent in the first quarter as sales grew on a currency-neutral basis and gross margin expanded 150 basis points. Growth was particularly strong in North America, up 21 percent on a currency-neutral basis, and Asia-Pacific, ahead 15 percent.
Academy Sports To Open Two New Locations In NC
Academy Ltd., dba Academy Sports + Outdoors, will open the company’s first stores in Matthews, NC and Winston-Salem, NC, this summer. The company recently opened the first store in New Bern, NC, last month.
Gildan Reaffirms Guidance Amid Q1 Income & Revenue Decline
Gildan Activewear Inc.’s net income and revenue tumbled in the first quarter ended April 1, but both were within management expectations and the company reaffirmed full-year guidance issued on Feb. 22.
Gander Outdoors Opens Four More Locations
Gander Outdoors, formerly known as Gander Mountain, set grand opening celebrations for new stores in Bemidji, MN; Florence, AL; Kingston, NY and Sheboygan, WI.

PGA Tour Superstore Opens Second Houston Store
PGA Tour Superstore announced the upcoming grand opening of a store at Katy Ranch Crossing Shopping Center in Houston.

April M&A Roundup: What’s In Store For Volcom?
April was relatively quiet with fewer notable deals in the sporting goods, outdoor and lifestyle brand verticals, but some large companies such as Columbia and Nike acquired growth while some brands such as Volcom were put on the market.

Big 5 Wacked By Weather Woes In Q1
Big 5 Sporting Goods reported that a lack of cold weather crushed its winter business early in the first quarter while the arrival of chilly weather restrained its spring business later in the quarter.