“If you build it, they will come” certainly applies to the sport of pickleball, according to a new study from the Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA) and Pickleheads, a website that helps players find and schedule pickleball games. The study concluded that pickleball’s unprecedented growth would require a $900 million investment to build the 25,000 courts in the U.S. necessary to support continued participation gains.
Category: Sports/Fitness
InHome Golf Studio and Simulators Opens Showroom in Miami
InHome Golf Studio and Simulators opened a showroom in Miami, FL. The company also has showrooms in Lyndhurst, NJ, where it is based, and Mississauga, Ontario, Canada.
Asics North America Delivers Seventh Straight Quarter of Double-Digit Online Growth
Asics North America reported positive growth in the second quarter was boosted by double-digit growth in Sportstyle and Core Performance Sports categories across the region and marked by the region’s seventh consecutive quarter of double-digit e-commerce growth.

EXEC: Li Ning Gets Brick & Mortar Boost to Post Mid-Teens Q2 Retail Growth
The company’s offline channel, including retail and franchisees registered a high-teens increase, with retail increasing in the high 20s and franchisees increasing in the mid-teens.
Rally House Announces Multiple College Town Store Openings
Rally House plans to open a store in Lexington, KY this summer and stores in Merrillville, IN and College Station, TX this fall.
Planet Fitness Upgrades Two Locations
Planet Fitness reported it renovated its Reisterstown in Maryland, which originally opened in November 2011, and Planet Fitness Columbia in Tennessee, which originally opened in April 2013.

Yue Yuen Sees Footwear Manufacturing Decline Accelerate in July
The Manufacturing business tallied a 23.9 percent decrease in July and a 20.0 percent decrease for the seven-month year-to-date period, an acceleration of the decrease posted in the first half reported through June.

Yue Yuen Footwear Manufacturing Sees Pairs Shipped Fall Nearly 24 Percent in First Half
First half revenue attributed to footwear manufacturing activity, including athletic/outdoor shoes, casual shoes and sports sandals, decreased by 18.1 percent to $2.38 billion, compared with the corresponding period of last year.
Dick’s SG Closes Store in Binghamton
Dick’s Sporting Goods closed its store in Vestal, NY, while opening a House of Sport in nearby Johnson City.

EXEC: Wolverine Worldwide Closing Boston Offices; Consolidating Brands to Michigan
The Boston offices have been home to the Saucony, Keds, Sperry and Stride Rite brands. Keds has been sold and the company is seeking a “strategic alternative” for Sperry.

EXEC: New Wolverine Worldwide CEO to Focus on Building Brands After Q2 Results Disappoint
The new CEO said that while he is excited about the future, the company’s financial update that same morning is “well short of expectations.” He said they have seen softness in the marketplace and headwinds impacting the business that they now expect to continue to the second-half of the year.

EXEC: Sport Chek, Helly Hansen Parent Pulls Growth Targets Amid Consumer Spending Retreat
Canadian Tire Corp, the parent of the Canadian Tire chain and Sport Chek, reported a drop in quarterly revenue, as demand for sporting goods and home improvement items slowed at its stores. The retailer also said it was withdrawing its previously disclosed financial targets for 2022-2025 as it battles high inventory costs and strained consumer spending.

EXEC: Yeti CEO Talks Return to Double-Digit Growth in Fourth Quarter
Shares of Yeti Holdings rose about 17.3 percent Thursday after the drinkware and cooler maker raised its guidance for the year after second-quarter results handily topped Wall Street targets. Speaking to analysts, Matt Reintjes, president and CEO of Yeti Holdings, predicted a return to double-digit growth in the fourth quarter as the firm recovers from a massive recall and taps success with newer product families and line extensions.

EXEC: HBI Leadership Outlines Champion’s U.S. Turnaround Strategy
Company CEO Steve Bratspies said that sales in the U.S. would remain pressured through the back half of this year and that the company had to improve product segmentation to help fix the issues the company sees in the market.

NRF Economist Sees Consumer Spending Growth Slowing
U.S. consumers are still buying more than last year, but spending growth has slowed as the economy settles down amid higher interest rates intended to reduce inflation, National Retail Federation Chief Economist Jack Kleinhenz said Thursday.