EXEC: Adidas AG Appoints Mathieu Sidokpohou Head of Global Sales as Hoeld Departs
Sidokpohou joined the company in 2020 as GM of Adidas France. In July 2021, he became GM of the Cluster South Europe before taking over the responsibility as Managing Director for Europe in 2023. He succeeds Arthur Hoeld, who will step down at the end of October.
EXEC: Mountain Trade Network Acquires London Snow Show Brand
Mountain Trade Network, owners of the Listex, Listex Luxury and Sastex B2B trade shows, has acquired the London Snow Show brand from Raccoon Media Group, marking a milestone in the future of the UK snow sports industry.
BSN Sports and Varsity Spirit Parent Hit by Data Breach
Varsity Brands, the parent of BSN Sports and Varsity Spirit, disclosed that more than 65,000 individuals may have had their personal information stolen due to a data breach that occurred earlier this year.
Report: September Retail Sales Top Expectations, Led by Clothing and Footwear
U.S. retail sales increased a seasonally-adjusted 0.4 percent month-over-month in September, up from the unrevised 0.1 percent gain in August, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce. The performance was slightly ahead of the 0.3 percent the Dow Jones forecasted.
EXEC: Nike Eyes Stronger Return to Outdoor Business with Renewed ACG Focus
Nike has tasked Angela Dong, Nike’s top executive in Greater China, with overseeing its outdoor sub-brand, All Conditions Gear (ACG), as Nike revisits its opportunity in the outdoor space to revive growth.
EXEC: Stella Intl Sees Increased Q3 Sport Footwear Shipments Cut into ASPs
The manufacturer of footwear for Nike, Saucony, Under Armour, Merrell, Timberland and Ugg saw Q3 shipment volumes roughly flat in US dollar terms, despite comping against a decrease of approximately 18.7 percent in Q3 last year.
EXEC: Frasers Group Managing Director of Sport to Step Down
The parent company of Sports Direct, Everlast, and Slazenger, reported that Ger Wright will leave her role as managing director of Sport at the end of November. Wright will remain on the Group’s Board as a non-executive director.
EXEC: REI Selling Four Distribution Centers in Sale/Leaseback Plan
REI is seeking to monetize the value of the DCs through a triple-net (NNN) sale/leaseback transaction with an end of year 2024 Closing.
EXEC: Lululemon Touts International Growth Potential
At an investor event held in Shanghai, Lululemon Athletica officials did not provide any major updates on progress in reviving North America revenues, but analysts told SGB Media that officials laid out a convincing strategy to reach its goal of having international ultimately represent half of sales, fueled predominately by China Mainland.
EXEC: Rip Curl CEO Resigns Two Weeks After Parent Company CEO Resigned
Brooke Farris has given notice of her resignation as Rip Curl brand CEO. The move came just two weeks after Michael Daly notified the Board of his resignation after serving as Group CEO since May 2021. Former Nike executive Brent Scrimshaw was named the new group CEO.
EXEC: Adidas Again Lifts Guidance on Robust Third Quarter Results
Excluding Yeezy sales, currency-neutral revenues jumped 14 percent in Q3. Any further Yeezy sales this year are expected at cost, resulting in ~€50 million in additional sales and no further profit contribution in the fourth quarter.
EXEC: Sports Direct Parent Acquires Minority Stake in Online Retailer THG
Frasers Group, the parent of Sports Direct, agreed to buy a £10 million ($13 million) stake in THG, formerly The Hut Group. The fundraising will enable the online retailer to spin off its unprofitable tech unit, Ingenuity.
EXEC: Nike’s Stock Nets “Buy” Upgrade on Leadership Changes
Nike scored its first rating upgrade since news arrived of Elliot Hill’s appointment as CEO. Truist Securities’ Joe Civello believes Nike’s increasingly veteran-driven management team can revive the brand’s marketing and innovation, including better promoting Caitlin Clark, while continuing to repair wholesale relationships. Civello also cited selling direct on Amazon as a “game-changer” opportunity.
EXEC: Anta Sports Sees Fila’s China Retail Sales Turn Negative in Q3
The company is the largest shareholder of Arc’teryx, Wilson and Salomon parent Amer Sports, and also runs retail stores in China for the Anta brand, Fila, Descente, Kolon Sport, and Amer Sports.
EXEC: Ten Takeaways from SFIA’s 2024 Team Sports Report
SFIA’s 2024 U.S. Trends in Team Sports Report included some concerning findings, including continued deterioration in Core participation, but overall had more positive findings than negative.
