SGB Executive Sports & Fitness
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: 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: 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.
EXEC: Swedish Investment Firm Merges Five Companies into Single Sports/Active Entity
Storskogen companies Ullmax, JO Sport, Tennis fashion, Racketdoktorn and On Target have merged into the joint company ASHE, which now constitutes a leading Nordic distribution, sales and marketing partner within sports and active lifestyle.
EXEC: September Footwear Factory Shipments Shine as Key Nike Factory Returns to Growth
Yue Yuen’s Manufacturing business boasted a 26.7 percent year-over-year increase in September, while Feng Tay reported Manufacturing revenues inched up 1.3 percent to NT$6.82 billion in September.
EXEC: Precor Partners with SPIA Cycling Stages Cycling Distribution
Under the terms of the agreement, Precor will serve as the North American distributor for Stages Cycling’s commercial product lines, with distribution rights expanding to additional regions worldwide
EXEC: Piper Sandler Survey Finds Adidas, Hoka, On, New Balance and Ugg Gaining Teen’s Attention
Piper Sandler’s 48th semi-annual Taking Stock With Teens Survey for Fall 2024 latest teen survey found Nike, Lululemon, Converse and Crocs highly popular but losing mindshare. Adidas, Hoka, On, New Balance and Ugg have gained in popularity.
EXEC: Amer Sports Shares Results of Golden Week in Greater China
The parent of Arx’teryx, Salomon and Wilson Sports said it continues to see an outsized growth opportunity in China, notably in the outdoor segment, which has been resilient despite the weak economy.
Survey: Nearly Two-Thirds of Americans Want to Shop Local More
Lending Tree’s online survey of 2,000 U.S. adults, taken from August 12-14, 2024, found that 90 percent of respondents believe shopping locally positively impacts the quality of their life.
EXEC: JD Sports Reports Fidelity Subsidiaries Fall Below 5 Percent Voting Rights
FMR LLC has seen its voting rights percentage fall below the 5 percent threshold for reporting purposes to 4.95 percent of JD voting rights. JD Sports is the parent of the JD, Hibbett, Finish Line, DTLR, and Shoe Palace retail brands in the U.S.
EXEC: Vista Inks Deals to Sell Revelyst and The Kinetic Group Separately
Vista Outdoor Inc. entered into a definitive agreement to sell its Revelyst outdoor segment to funds managed by Strategic Value Partners and amended its merger agreement with Czechoslovak Group (CSG) to acquire The Kinetic Group ammunition-related segment.
