The latest franchise will open in American Fork, UT. This new facility is the second announced in Utah and reportedly “underscores Pickleball Kingdom’s commitment to bringing premier indoor pickleball facilities to the Beehive State.”
Category: Sports/Fitness

EXEC: Bob’s Stores Commences Going Out of Business Sales
The company said that despite making swift and aggressive changes to its structure and operations, Bob’s Stores was unable to secure the finances needed to maintain operations.

Report: Manufacturing PMI Contracted Again in June
Economic activity in the manufacturing sector contracted in June for the third consecutive month and the 19th time in the last 20 months.

Fanatics Inks Partnership Deal with New Zealand Rugby
Fanatics will become the master licensee for New Zealand and will run the e-commerce and physical retail for the All Blacks and the Black Ferns.

NYSE Regulation Moves to Delist Delta Apparel Shares; Suspends Trading
In reaching its delisting determination, NYSE Regulation noted the company’s disclosure regarding the expectation that holders of shares of Delta Apparel’s common stock would experience a complete or significant loss on their investment, depending on the outcome of the Chapter 11 cases.

Volvik USA Expands North America Leadership Team
As director of business operations for North America, Matt King has over a decade of experience overseeing operational efficiencies, improving processes and managing resources, most recently at RSR Group, Inc.

Meijer Celebrates 90th Anniversary as Family-Owned Midwest Retailer
Hendrik Meijer, a local barber in Greenville, MI, started the food store to service customers who visited his barbershop. in 1934. Today, the family-owned retailer has with over 500 Meijer supercenters, grocery stores, neighborhood markets, express locations, and distribution and manufacturing facilities throughout six Midwest states operated by over 70,000 employees.

EXEC: Delta Apparel Files for Chapter 11 BK Protection; Names Salt Life Stalking-Horse Bidder
The parent of the Soffe, Salt Life and Delta brands has posted losses for seven straight quarters as elevated inventory levels at the mass channel and related destocking efforts have impacted its Delta Direct vertical blank tee platform.

Sports Authority Founder Jack Smith Passes Away
Smith was the visionary who turned Sports Authority into one of the largest sporting goods retail brands worldwide. Smith also served as chairman of the board of the National Sporting Goods Association (NSGA) and was inducted into the Sporting Goods Industry Hall of Fame in 2016.

EXEC: Gym King Founder and CEO Buys Out JD Sports Stake in UK Athleisure Retailer
Founder and CEO Jay Parker, via an entity GKH Ventures Ltd. completed the buyout of JD Sports’ stake in The Gym King (Holdings) Ltd., with Parker regaining 100 percent ownership in the business.

Adidas Drops the Velostan Smith
“The Stan Smith sneaker journey started in 1978, and it has been a joy to watch Adidas evolve and reimagine it ever since, with this latest version imagined especially for cyclists – being no different.” —Stan Smith

PGA Tour Hires Chief Marketing & Communications Officer
Former Aon CMO Andy Weitz is responsible for positioning the PGA Tour brand for investment while communicating its global strategy and performance to the Tour’s stakeholders and beyond. He will formally begin working with the PGA Tour in mid-August.

PGA of America CEO Exits, Shifts to Advisory Role
Accomplishments include leadership during the pandemic, delivering deferred compensation retirement plan for members, completing PGA Frisco partnership agreements, and growth of the PGA of America Reach Foundation

Life Time Closes on $90 Million Sale-Leaseback
The sale-leaseback transactions will support the company’s progress in reducing its net debt-to-adjusted EBITDA leverage ratio to under three times sooner than forecasted.

EXEC: Wall Street Analysts Downgrade Nike as Competitors Gain Heat
Nike’s move to slash its sales forecast for the year ahead resulted in downgrades from UBS, Stifel, JPMorgan, and Morgan Stanley. Some analysts cited opportunities for Adidas, Lululemon, Hoka, On, and other competitors to gain shelf space as Nike’s overreliance on lifestyle offerings and innovation struggles continue.