The National Golf Foundation (NGF) added Craig Kessler, PGA of America COO, Geoff Cottrill, Topgolf’s chief brand officer, and Edric Funk, Toro’s VP of golf, grounds, and irrigation, to its Board of Directors, effective January 1, 2024.
Category: Sports/Fitness
Goruck Becomes CrossFit Games Official Footwear and Apparel Partner
Goruck, based in Jacksonville, FL, replaced Nobull as the official apparel and footwear provider of CrossFit and the CrossFit Games.
EXEC: Active Lifestyle Stocks Miss Market Rally in 2023
The broader stock market saw a robust recovery in 2023 but the majority of stocks in the active lifestyle space underperformed, marked by declines by industry bellwethers including Nike, VF Corp. and Columbia Sportswear.
EXEC: Mainland Headwear Issues Profit Warning for Full Year 2023
The manufacturer and seller of headwear and accessories products reported that the issues that dogged the company in the first half of the year have continued for the full year. Profits are expected to fall 35 percent versus the prior year.
Sacks Parente Golf Adds Industry Veteran to Board
Jane Casanta reportedly brings “a rich background in the golf industry” to Sacks Parente Golf, having served in various marketing and product development roles at the Acushnet Company for 26 years, including as director of marketing for Titleist Gloves and Accessories worldwide.
Therabody Pushes Back Against Hyperice Claims
Hyperice filed a lawsuit in federal court on January 2, 2024 against Therabody, the maker of the Theragun line of percussive massage guns, alleging infringement of the company’s patented percussion massage technology.
Costco’s Global Sales Climb 10 Percent In December
Costco Wholesale Corporation reported net sales of $26.15 billion for the retail month of December, an increase of 9.9 percent from $23.80 billion last year. U.S. sales were up 7.3 percent.
EXEC: Amer Sports Files for U.S. IPO
The parent of Wilson, Salomon, Arc-Teryx, and other sports and outdoor brands, filed for a long-expected U.S. initial public offering. In its prospectus, Amer touted the benefits of its “Transformation” program following its 2019 acquisition by an Anta Sports-led investor group that led to a brand-direct model, rapidly owned store expansion and accelerated growth in China.
Report: U.S. Holiday Online Sales Grow 4.9 Percent
Online spending in the U.S. during the 2023 holiday season climbed 4.9 percent to $222.1 billion in November and December, according to Adobe Analytics. Growth was reportedly driven by sizeable discounts across electronics, toys and apparel, as well as increased usage of the flexible ‘Buy Now Pay Later’ payment option.
Peloton and TikTok Partner on Fitness Content
Peloton Interactive signed a partnership agreement with TikTok to create a workout content hub on the company’s short-form video platform, offering a dedicated, co-branded #TikTokFitness hub to house custom Peloton content.
Brooks Hires VP of Apparel and Accessories
Brooks Running hired Gabriel Rodriguez as VP of apparel and accessories. Most recently, Rodriguez was the director of run apparel and competitive train/Curry and basketball at Under Armour.
SGB 2023 Year in Review—Top 25 Most Read Articles
To say that 2023 was a challenging year for the active lifestyle retail market would be an understatement as brands, reps and retailers dealt with a variety of challenges and very few notable instances of positive news.
SFIA Re-Elects Ram as Chair; Adds Three New Board Members
SFIA re-elected Jonathan Ram, CEO of Clarks, Inc., as chairman of the Board of Directors for the 2024 term. Isabel Coscia, SVP of marketing at Technogym, Ryan Cruthirds, chief digital commerce and brand development officer at Implus LLC and Koichiro Kodama, president and CEO for Asics North America, were newly elected to the SFIA Board,
EXEC: JD Sports Sees YTD Comp Sales Growth Fall Short, Impacting Full-Year View
Company shares plummeted 23 percent on the London Sock Exchange Thursday as the parent of the JD, Finish Line, DTLR, and Shoe Palace retail brands in the U.S. and JD and others worldwide, reported that comp store sales growth was just 1.8 percent for the 22-week yeat-to-date period through December 30.
Academy Sports’ Former President Lands at Groundworks
Groundworks, the foundation and water management solutions company, hired Michael Mullican as CFO. Last October, Mullican stepped down from Academy Sports as president and CFO to pursue personal and professional opportunities.
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