Wolverine’s Debt Ratings Lowered by Moody’s

Moody’s Investors Service downgraded the debt ratings of Wolverine World Wide, Inc., reflecting the company’s significant earnings decline in Q2 2023 and Moody’s expectations for continued weak near-term performance. S&P Global Ratings similarly recently reduced its rating.

EXEC: Active Lifestyle Well Represented on 2023 Inc. 5000 List

Golftec, Xero Shoes, SylvanSport, Stinger Sports, Bases Loaded and GiantMouse are brands in the wide range of companies in the active lifestyle space to land in Inc’s 5000 for 2023 annual ranking of the fastest-growing private companies in America—a snapshot of companies’ performance from 2019 to 2022.

Ace Pickleball Club Plans National Rollout

Ace Pickleball Club, an operator of indoor pickleball facilities, announced further expansion plans with over 50 franchises sold in the U.S., including Arizona, California, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania.

EXEC: Department Stores Stung by Apparel Category Woes

Macy’s, Nordstrom, Kohl’s, and Dillard’s saw sales decline in the second quarter as the retailer’s core apparel category faced promotional pressures and weak demand. The active category was a bright spot for Nordstrom, but continued to struggle at Macy’s and Kohl’s.

True Fitness Resets Sales Organizational Structure

True Fitness announced several changes, effective immediately, to its dealer/distribution and direct sales teams, including hiring Dave Whitman as retail sales manager, Marshall Hansen as distribution director for North America, Kurt Parker as director of direct sales, Dean Bowrosen, senior distribution director for the East, and John Talley, senior distribution manager for the West.

EXEC: Gap Confident in Athleta’s Turnaround Prospects

Athleta’s same-store sales were down in the second quarter for the third quarter in a row but showed improvement sequentially with sales of performance bottoms accelerating. On its analyst call, Gap Inc. officials expressed confidence in the ability of Athleta’s new leadership team, led by former Alo Yoga’s president Chris Blakeslee, to guide the continued recovery.