Leaders in the active lifestyle space expressed cautious optimism about 2025 with inflationary pressures easing, supply chains largely normalized and generally healthy interest in sports. Insights from Academy Sports, Brooks Running, Rawlings, Fleet Feet, Selkirk Sport and others.

Trade associations representing the active lifestyle space shared their concerns with SGB Executive regarding potential tariffs, supply chain disruptions and the likelihood of an unstable economy in 2025. However, they were generally upbeat about the year ahead.

If you are just back from two weeks in Fiji, never fear as SGB Media has you covered on the people, brands and issues that made 2024 a year to forget for many retailers and brands in the active lifestyle space.

For the third consecutive year,  stocks in the active lifestyle market were impacted by inflation woes, tepid consumer spending and the larger public companies, including Nike, Lululemon, Columbia Sportswear and Topgolf Callaway Brands, all lost sales momentum.

The top news trends for the year were primarily centered around turnaround efforts at some of the biggest public companies in the active lifestyle market.

SGB Media remembers industry business leaders who passed away this year in the active outdoor space and acknowledges their contributions to the broader community.

In part two, SGB Media highlights the notable executive leadership changes in the active lifestyle industry in the second half of 2024, from July 2024 to December 2024.

Rawlings, Brooks, Deckers Brands, Riddell, and SFIA were among companies and associations in the active outdoor lifestyle space that smoothly completed CEO transitions in 2024; however, the turnover for others was abrupt, headlined by two new leaders returning to Nike and at Under Armour.

SGB Media presents a roundup of M&A action in the industry for the second half 2024, including new deals struck or closed in the final days of 2024.

While the active lifestyle industry again saw a number of smaller to medium-size acquisitions during 2024, major deals for the second year in a row were few and far between due to a combination of higher interest rates, an uncertain economy, and fewer consolidators. A roundup of M&A action in the industry for the first half of 2024.