EXEC: ISPO Group Shuffles Show Leadership After Tobias Gröber Sets Departure
The ISPO Group expects limited disruption as Exhibition Director Lena Haushofer and her team assume Gröber’s responsibilities, with Christoph Rapp, head of Sales and Marketing, and Saskia Rettenbacher, head of Event Management.
EXEC: Puma Comes Up Short on 2024 Bottom Line; Sets Cost-Cutting Program
For the foruth quarter, Puma reported that preliminary sales increased 15.5 percent on a reported basis to €2.29 billion. The company saw sales growth of 9.8 percent on a currency-adjusted (ca) basis for the quarter.
EXEC: REI Names Mary Beth Laughton as Next CEO as Eric Artz Plans Exit
Laughton, a former REI Board Director and seasoned retail leader, will join REI as president on February 3, 2025, before assuming full CEO responsibilities on March 31.
EXEC: Winchester Ammo to Acquire Ammo Inc.’s Small Caliber Manufacturing
Olin Corporation, the parent of Winchester Ammunition, has entered into a definitive agreement with Ammo, Inc. to acquire the company’s small caliber ammunition manufacturing assets for a purchase price of $75 million.
EXEC: VF Corp. Confirms New Global Cuts; Analysts React to ICR Presentation
The parent company of The North Face, Vans, Timberland, Jansport and Dickies, among other outdoor and street lifestyle brands, continues to take action against the goals set out in its Reinvent turnaround plan.
EXEC: Adidas Preliminary 2024 Report Reveals Double-Digit Growth to €23.7B
In euro terms, the company’s revenues grew 24 percent to €5.97 billion in the fourth quarter, or 19 percent in currency-neutral terms versus Q4 2023. Excluding Yeezy for both years, currency-neutral revenues increased 13 percent.
EXEC: Authentic Taps Sports Casuals as Reebok Golf Apparel Partner
With SCI as Reebok’s apparel partner, the brand now has a head-to-toe softgoods offering, with Reebok Design Group, the brand’s global hub for design, development and innovation, handling the creation and distribution of golf footwear.
EXEC: Kizik Expands Distribution into South Korea, France, Iberia, and Gulf States
The company said the expansion follows Kizik’s success in the U.S. and builds on its recent international growth, “positioning the brand for further milestones in 2025 and beyond.”
EXEC: KT Tape Acquired by Consumer Healthcare Investment Platform
Founded in 2008, KT Tape has manufactured drug-free solutions to prevent and relieve pain and promote recovery. Palladin Consumer Retail Partners, previously known as Palladin Capital Group, acquired KT in 2014.
EXEC: New Balance Rides Consumer Energy and Retailer Support to Reach $7.8B in 2024
Company CEO Joe Preston, speaking at the NRF Big Show, said sales at the 118-year-old company are poised to grow another 20 percent in 2025 after increasing 20 percent to $7.8 billion in 2024.
EXEC: Perfect Moment Names Two Additional European Sales Agencies
New Look Fashion Deal will manage Perfect Moment’s wholesale distribution in Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg (Benelux) and Bernd Schürmann will focus on Germany, Austria and Switzerland (DACH region).
EXEC: 361 Degrees Owned-Retail Growth Accelerates in Q4 as E-Commerce Jumps
361 Degrees International, Ltd. reported brick-and-mortar retail sales of 361º core-branded product increased ~ 10 percent year-over-year for the fourth quarter of 2024. E-commerce product recorded sales growth of ~ 30 percent to 35 percent.
EXEC: JD Sports Fashion Reports 3.4 Percent Organic Sales Growth for Holiday
On a year-to-date (YTD) basis through January 4, comp sales revenue was flat, and the company said it expects full-year comp sales revenue to be at a similar level as the YTD trend.
EXEC: Reebok’s U.S. Operations Sold to Galaxy Universal
Galaxy Universal specializes in the athletic, health and outdoor categories, among others, and owns the And1, Gaiam and Tony Hawk brands, and licenses the Justice and London Fog brands.
Famous Footwear Parent Cuts Sales and EPS Guide for Second Time in Two Months
Consolidated net sales are forecasted to be down 3.0 percent to 3.5 percent for fiscal 2024, compared to a December forecast for net sales to be down in a range of 2.5 percent to 3.0 percent and versus initial guidance of down in low-single-digits percent.
