The new hires include Seth Quackenbush as director of sales for the Outdoor Division, Jack Schindler as national sales Manager for the Outdoor Division and Johnathan Weikum as director of sales for the Optical Division.
Category: Outdoor

EXEC: Merrell Looks at Life Beyond the Trail; Eyes the Mall for Lifestyle Growth
Merrell is expected to grow mid-single-digits in 2025, building on second-half 2024 gains. The company expects key products, including the SpeedARC Collection, Moab Speed 2 and Agility Peak 5 to continue driving the category.

Play it Again Sports Parent Sees Revenues and Profits Dip in 2024
Winmark Corporation reported that revenues for the year ended December 28, 2024, were $81.3 million, down from $83.2 million in 2023, impacting its decision in May 2021 to run off its leasing portfolio.

TSG Consumer Partners Appoints New Head of London Office
TSG’s past and present investments in the active lifestyle space include Backcountry, Corepower Yoga, Nuun, Revolve, Canyon Bicycles, and Planet Fitness. TSG has investment offices in San Francisco, New York and London.

Camping World Holdings Gets Borrowing Capacity Bump to $2.15B
The company’s RV Inventory Floor Plan Facility provides additional financial and operational flexibility for its growth strategy by increasing the committed borrowing capacity by $300 million to an aggregate amount of $2.15 billion.

EXEC: Jackson Kayak Adds to Paddle Stable with Eddyline Kayaks Deal
The company said “the deal unites two iconic brands with one mission: to inspire more people to experience the joy of kayaking.” Jackson Kayak also owns Werner Paddles and Kialoa.

Pit Command Adds Strategic Advisors to Board
Charles Whittingham and Hunter Marvel are seasoned industry professionals with expertise in sales, marketing and brand strategy and “will be instrumental as Pit Command scales operations and drives innovation.”

EXEC: Wolverine Worldwide Shares Fall 17 Percent as 2025 Forecast Disappoints
Fourth quarter revenue fell 5.8 percent year-over-year but rose 3.3 percent to $494.7 million when tallying the company’s ongoing business. The company posted big improvements in gross margin and operating margins in Q4, leading to a positive earnings result.

#YES Snowboards Hires North American Sales Director
Ryan Bachman will oversee nationwide sales for the brand and manage retailers, key accounts and the #Yes sales teams. Bachman will also continue his role as ThrityTwo’s sales director.

EXEC: VF Corp. Spin-Off Acquires Helly Hansen
The VF spin-off parent of the Wrangler and Lee brands has signed a definitive agreement to acquire 100 percent of Helly Hansen from Canadian Tire Corporation for ~ $898 million.

Solo Brands Appoints Interim CEO as Chris Metz Departs
John Larson, a member of the company’s Board of Directors, has been appointed interim president and chief executive officer, effective immediately. Larson succeeds Chris Metz who is stepping down.

Report: Camping Reservation Cancellations and No-Shows Decreased in 2024
Still, the percentage of campers who canceled two-plus days ahead of time in 2024 was 25.8 percent, a decrease of 3.3 percent from 2023. Only 6.9 percent of campers canceled with less than two days’ notice in 2024, a decrease of 3.8 percent from 2023.

Tenaya Inks U.S. Distribution Deal
The manufacturer of performance climbing shoes, has signed an exclusive U.S. distribution agreement with Liberty Mountain aimed at streamlining operations and delivering quick product turnaround times to retailers and climbing gyms while making the brand more accessible to outdoor enthusiasts nationwide.

Costa Sunglasses Names Global VP of Marketing
Robbie LaBelle joins the company from Sports Research, where he was vice president of Marketing. Before that, he worked for over a decade at Nike in various brand marketing leadership roles and for nearly eight years at Apple/Beats by Dre, creating campaigns and brand marketing strategies.

EXEC: European Outdoor Group and Messe München Cancel OutDoor 2025
European Outdoor Group (EOG), along with trade show organizer Messe München, have jointly decided not to hold the OutDoor 2025 as scheduled in May.