OBIT: Onitsuka Kihachiro

ASICS Corporation chairman Kihachiro Onitsuka died on Saturday, September 29 of heart failure in a hospital in Kobe, Japan. He was 89. Mr. Onitsuka was born on May 29, 1918, in Tottori Prefecture in western Japan. In 1949, he started Onitsuka Co. Ltd., t

Interbike Sees Attendance Increase…

According to preliminary figures released just prior to press time, total attendance at the recently concluded Interbike show in Las Vegas exceeded 22,000 — an increase of almost 4% over last year’s show. A breakdown of that figure reveals that there were

NBA Sees Wade, Iverson Top Jersey Sales in Europe

Dwayne Wade of the Miami Heat and Allen Iverson of the Denver Nuggets head the list of the most popular NBA jerseys in Europe. Four European players were among the top eight, including Tony Parker of the Spurs (No.3), Boris Diaw of the Suns (No. 6), Pau G

RECALL: Timberland Steel Toe Boots

Timberland is recalling approximately 193,000 pairs of its PRO Direct Attach Steel Toe Boots, because the boots could fail to provide the intended protection against compression and impact, posing the risk of a foot injury to consumers…

Victorinox Swiss Army Opens U.S. Headquarters

The new North American corporate headquarters of Victorinox Swiss Army, Inc. officially opened Oct. 1 in Monroe, Conn. The facility, which has some 200 employees, is both the official North American headquarters and the official distribution center of Vic

etnies Girl Supports Breast Cancer Awareness Month

etnies Girl has partnered with Boarding for Breast Cancer (B4BC) by releasing a special-edition tee shirt and sandal during the month of October, National Breast Cancer Awareness month. A special-edition tee shirt and sandal that will be sold at select st

TJX Settles Lawsuits…

TJX Cos. has agreed to settle a series of class-action lawsuits stemming from a massive security breach of customer data in 2005 affecting at least 45 million credit and debit cards. The retailer estimates that the settlements will bring its total losses

Forzani Sees BTS Comp Gain…

The Forzani Group Ltd. reported improved sales and flat margins for the fiscal 2008 “Back to School” selling season. Retail system sales for the seven-week period ended September 16, 2007 increased 4.9% over the same period last year. Overall same store s

L.L.Bean Announces Employee Bonuses/Free Shipping

L.L.Bean announced the completion of a strong spring season with a recognition gift for its employees and a free holiday shipping offer as a gift of appreciation to its customers. L.L.Bean said its spring season, which closed August 31, ended 8% over last

Timberland to Close up to 40 Retail Doors; Cuts Guidance

The Timberland Company has completed a global retail portfolio review. This measure is part of the Company’s strategy to redirect investment to higher return businesses, drive efficiencies across its organization and rationalize its operating expense stru

Bonds’ 756* Ball to be Branded

Mark Ecko's vote to determine the fate of Barry Bonds' 756th home run ball finished at midnight this morning with 47% of voters deciding the ball should be sent to Cooperstown branded with an asterisk. 34% of voters felt the ball should be sent

Sport Chalet Expects Comps Decline in Fiscal Q2…

Sport Chalet said that macro economic trends – most likely spurred by California’s slumping housing market – are impacting sales during the fiscal second quarter. This factor coupled with the company’s aggressive growth plans and market share turf war wit

Cocona Receives Growth Funding

Cocona Inc., formerly Traptek LLC, has received major funding from Boston-based Fairhaven Capital Partners — a venture capital firm that invests in early- to growth-stage companies — to help it with ongoing marketing and development efforts related to Coc

Orange 21 and No Fear Drop Retail Talks…

In July, Orange 21, Inc. entered into discussions with No Fear to acquire its retail subsidiary, No Fear Retail Stores, Inc. as part of a strategic expansion. More recently, Orange 21’s independent special committee of its board of directors concluded tha