OIA Announces Outdoor University Dates

The Outdoor Industry Association said its 2008 Outdoor University national tour will feature four, one-hour seminars covering the topics of sales analysis, leadership trianing, employee recruitment and retention and communication tips.

Shimano Completes Pearl iZumi Purchase

Shimano American Corp. on Monday completed its acquisition of Pearl iZumi from Nautilus for $69.4 million in cash and debt. As a result of the deal, Pearl Izumi will relocate its headquaters to Louisville from Broomfield…

Meade Instruments Divests Sport Optics Brands

Meade Instruments Corp. announced that it has signed and closed separate agreements to divest its Weaver and Redfield sports optics brands to two buyers for cash proceeds of approximately $8 million. The company plans to continue in the sports optics busi

Columbia Signs New Advertising Agency

Columbia Sportswear Company announced it has selected San Francisco-based Butler, Shine, Stern & Partners (BSSP) as its marketing communications strategy agency of record. Butler, Shine, Stern & Partners succeeds Portland-based Borders, Perrin & Norrande

Industry Q4 Retail Hurt by Lack of ‘Must Haves’…

Retailers tracked by Sports Executive Weekly saw a reversal of fortunes in the fiscal 2007 fourth quarter as the ‘must haves’ that drove gains in the prior year period failed to materialize this past Holiday season. While vendors were still capitalizing

Gander Looks to Direct Sales, Footwear for 2008…

Gander Mountain is shifting its investment from brick and mortar expansion and advertising to direct sales, shrinking its recently launched power sports business and dedicating more space to branded outdoor footwear in the wake of plummeting fourth-quarte

JJB Sports to Close 72 Stores…

JJB Sports Plc announced plans to close 72 of its 410 stores and cut 800 jobs while reporting an expected 28.5% slump in fiscal 2007 underlying pretax profit. The U.K.-based sports retailer and health clubs group also revealed a disappointing start to it

Woolrich Closes Sewing Plant…

Woolrich said it will close its Jersey Shore sewing facility by October of this year. The plant closing will result in the elimination of 49 jobs, primarily in garment assembly. The Jersey Shore sewing plant is the manufacturing plant for garments being s

Play it Again Sports Parent Sees 17% Sales Growth…

Winmark Corp., the parent of Play it Again Sports, reported sales rose 17% to $8.9 million from $7.6 million a year ago. The Minneapolis-based franchis..or earned $937,300, or 17 cents a share, in the period against earnings of $629,800, or 11 cents per s

SIA: Specialty Sales up 6% to 7% through Feb…

SIA research estimates that consumers spent $1.7 billion in total at specialty shops during the August through February period, compared to $574 million at chain stores and $453 million on-line. The figures released last week showed apparel sales by speci

Eddie Bauer Sees 0.5% Q1 Comp Gain

Eddie Bauer Holdings, Inc. reported overall comps inched ahead 0.5% in the first quarter ended March 28 versus a 9.5% gain in the prior year's quarter. Comparable retail store sales increased by 2.9% on top of a 16.4% increase a year ago. Comparable