Decathlon Acquires French Cycling Team

The French sporting goods chain has agreed to become the sole owner of Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale UCI World Tour, the French cycling team with UCI WorldTeam status, at the close of 2025. 

EXEC: Le Coq Sportif Sold in Bankruptcy Proceedings

A group led by Franco-Swiss entrepreneur Dan Mamane, have committed to investing an initial €70 million (US$82.1 million) into the company to revive its growth. Alexandre Fauvet, a former executive vice president at Lacoste and previously the chief executive of skiwear brand Fusalp, will serve as Le Coq Sportif’s new CEO.

EXEC: Former Brooks CEO Jim Weber Highlights Key Leadership Traits

At a keynote session held during Switchback Spring, which took place from June 16-18 at the Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center in Nashville, Tennessee, Jim Weber, former CEO of Brooks Running, listed focus, curiosity and trust as his “winning” trifecta formula for leadership success.

Varsity Brands’ Debt Ratings Upgraded

Moody’s Ratings upgraded Varsity Brands, Inc.’s debt ratings due to improving EBITDA margin, stronger free cash flow generation, and declining leverage, supported by momentum in both its BSN and Varsity Spirit businesses.

Imbox Protection Acquired by PE Firm

Altor Fund VI, a Swedish private equity firm, has acquired a majority stake in Imbox Protection A/S, a Danish company specializing in footwear protection technology, while entering into a partnership with the company’s former founder and owners, Réné Marker and the Grundtvig family.

Rack Room Appoints Chief Merchant and Chief Digital Officer

The company promoted Brian Burnett to senior vice president, chief merchandise officer and Molly Hartney to chief digital officer, a newly created role. Burnett has been with Rack Room Shoes for nearly nine years, having previously served as general merchandise manager. Hartney joined the company as chief marketing officer in 2021.

Report: June Mall Traffic Declined Across All Formats

Placer.ai noted that June 2025 shopping center traffic fell slightly following two straight months of year-over-year visit growth – although indoor malls continued to show the strongest performance, with just a 0.7 percent drop in year-over-year June visits.

Skechers Drops Next Gen SKX_2 Boot

Harry Kane, striker for the German professional football club Bayern Munich, wore the white and turquoise shoe last week at the FIFA Club World Cup quarter finals in the U.S. The new Skechers SKX_2 boot and the complete Skechers Football collection are available through Skechers and specialty football retailers worldwide.