Last week, Nike got a downgrade on its shares from Citibank, and now On Holding is downgraded, which is a tough move for one of the hottest footwear brands in the active lifestyle market to get negative attention.
Category: Sports/Fitness

Tom Brady Acquires 50 Percent Ownership Stake in CardVault
As part of the agreement, CardVault will now be called CardVault by Tom Brady and expand its retail footprint with a new flagship store opening this spring at American Dream, the large retail and entertainment complex in the Meadowlands Sports Complex. With Brady’s backing, CardVault plans to go global, with new stores opening worldwide.

JetSet Pilates Closes on Strategic Investment from Purchase Capital, LLC
Investor and entrepreneur Nicholas J. Singer, the founder and managing partner of Purchase Capital, has been appointed to the JetSet Pilates Board of Directors.

EXEC: Yonex Gets Racquet Sports Lift from Summer Olympics
The Japan-based racquet sports and golf equipment manufacturer reported results for the nine-month year-to-date (YTD) period that ended December 31, 2024, suggesting that the sports market received a boost from the Summer Olympics in Paris and other international tournaments and athletes’ success at that event.

Planet Fitness Realigns Leadership Team to Drive Growth
Bill Bode, division president of U.S. Franchise, will move into the newly-created chief operating officer role. Jennifer Simmons, division president of Corporate Clubs, will move into the newly-created chief strategy officer role.

Wolverine World Wide Promotes Brett Parent to Chief Strategy Officer
The parent company of the Merrell, Saucony, Wolverine Brand and Sweaty Betty brands promoted Brett Parent to CSO, effective February 3. He will now serve on the company’s Executive Team.

Pickleheads Closes on $2.5M Funding Round to Elevate the Game
Overline, an Atlanta-based VC firm, lead the $2.5M seed funding round with participation from Ardent, Oregon Sports Angels, Profluence Capital, Service Provider Capital, and Network Ventures.

Oofos Hires Director of Specialty Sales
The company said Matt Withrow will create, plan and execute sales strategies for the specialty distribution channel including Run, Outdoor, and Other sport-specific specialty distribution.

Massimo Moves MVR Golf Cart Production to U.S.
The company said that by assembling the vehicles domestically., it ensures stricter quality control while strategically positioning itself within the U.S. market.

Barre3 Acquires Studio Barre to Expand Female-Owned Business
Studio Barre, the San Diego,CA-based barre brand founded in 2008 by Shannon Higgins, has 11 studios across California, Montana, Rhode Island, and South Carolina will be rebranded as Barre3.

EXEC: Titleist and Footjoy Parent Moving to S&P SmallCap 600 Index
Acushnet Holdings Corp. (NYSE: GOLF), parent of the Titleist and Footjoy golf brands, will replace Retail Opportunity Investments Corp. in the S&P SmallCap 600.

Momentec Brands Names Chief Technology Officer
Christine Rose will oversee Momentec Brands’ technology initiatives, including digital customer-facing platforms, enterprise infrastructure, supply chain systems, and information security.

Dick’s SG Begins Enrolling Non-Employees as Paid Social Media Influencers
Since launching as an internal program in 2023, Dick’s Varsity Team members have created over 1,000 pieces of social media content, garnering over 38 million impressions, and have been featured in 10 campaigns for both Dick’s and its national brands.

Crunch Franchise to Open in Portsmouth, VA
Brian Hibbard, CEO of Fitness Ventures, LLC and the owner and operator of Crunch Fitness locations nationwide, will open a 40,000-square-foot Crunch fitness facility in Portsmouth, VA, in Summer 2025.

Nordstrom to Open Rack Store in Longmont, CO
The Rack store will occupy a 28,000-square-foot space in the Harvest Junction Shopping Center, which includes Marshall’s, Best Buy, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Ulta Beauty, Ross Dress for Less, and other notable retailers. Harvest Junction is owned and managed by an affiliate of Pine Tree.