SGB Executive Sports & Fitness

EXEC: Foot Locker Execs Break Down Q4 Region, Banner and Brand Trends
Nike is still working to find its way back to a magic formula but found some energy around the NBA All Star festivities. Adidas is the focus in lifestyle and the Terrace trend while New Balance and Asics are gaining momentum and wall space.

EXEC: On Brand Sees Retail Stores and Apparel as Keys to Growth; Tariff Exposure Limited
On Holding reported in 2024 that it sourced about 90 percent of its shoes and approximately 60 percent of its apparel and accessories from Vietnam. The company last year sourced about 7 percent of its apparel and accessories from China.

EXEC: Sports Direct to Roll Out Stores in Gulf States and Egypt Via GMG Partnership
GMG has a strong presence in the Persian Gulf States (Gulf), North Africa and Southeast Asia, where it’s a key distributor and operator of Nike stores as well as its home-grown multi-brand sports retailer Sun & Sand Sports, among others.

EXEC: Fox CEO Talks Marucci’s MLB Ramp Up and an Uneven Return of Bike Sales
As Marucci enters its first year as MLB’s official bat partner, the company has expanded its bat manufacturing capacity as well as designed new products to drive incremental sales and reinforce the company’smarket-leading position in the MLB with Marucci and Victus.

EXEC: Titleist Parent Easily Beats Q4 EPS Estimates as Sales Fall Short
Net loss attributable to Acushnet Holdings Corp. for the quarter was reported at $1.1 million, compared to $26.8 million for the same period in 2023.

EXEC: Target Inks Champion Distribution Deal with Authentic
Target called the program an “extensive line” featuring more than 500 pieces. It includes “stylish” apparel, accessories and slides as well as sporting goods, accessories and bags for adults and kids.

EXEC: Puma, Brooks Settle Lawsuit Over Running Shoe Patents, Trademark Infringement
Brooks Sports has agreed to settle litigation over claims that the company’s running shoes violated Puma’s patent and trademark rights.

EXEC: Big 5 CEO Looks for End of Weak Winter in Hopes of Spring Baseball Rebirth
The West Coast and Mountain state retailer continues to focus on managing the expenses within its control, considering the ongoing economic challenges, while it waits for the annual floor shift to spring sports and a hopeful lift from youth baseball season.

EXEC: Wilson Sports Returns to Growth in 2024 on Very Strong Q4 Sales
The 22 percent jump in revenue came as the business continued to build on a sequential improvement throughout 2024 after posting a 14 percent decline in the first quarter, a 1 percent gain in the second quarter and 11 percent increase in the third quarter.

EXEC: Salomon Sneaker Sales Exceed $1B in 2024; Winter Sports Equipment Falters
Salomon footwear and apparel now represent approximately two-thirds of the Outdoor Performance segment that also includes the Salomon, Atomic and Armada snow sports equipment brands, up significantly from the 54 percent share in 2022.

EXEC: Amer Sports Posts Strong DD Q4 Growth Across Big Three Brands
The company saw continued strong results in Greater China and Asia Pacific, accelerating growth in North America and EMEA. The Technical Apparel segment, including Arc’teryx and Peak Performance brands, led growth with a 34 percent year-over-year increase.

EXEC: Stanley Container Maker PMI Sued Over Brand Name
Stanley Black & Decker is claiming confusion between its Stanley brand name and the Stanley drinkware brand produced by Pacific Market International, LLC, and is taking PMI to Court “to protect its Stanley tools brand.”

EXEC: Sports Direct Parent Frasers Abandons Nordic SG Retailer XXL Takeover Effort
Frasers cited the condition requiring acceptance of the Intended Offer by a sufficient number of shareholders to ensure that it would hold more than 50 percent of XXL shares and votes on a fully diluted and converted basis would not be satisfied.

EXEC: Garmin Ltd. Shares Jump on Strong Q4 and Full-Year Report
The company posted double-digit growth in three of its five segments in Q4, with the Fitness segment showing 31 percent growth, the Auto OEM segment with 30 percent growth and the Outdoor segment with 29 percent growth year-over-year.

EXEC: Saucony Tagged For Outsized Growth in 2025 After Strong 2024 Finish
The Saucony business declined 5.2 percent in constant-currency terms to $99.6 million in the fourth quarter but grew 7 percent year-over-year when accounting for the change in its China business model to a licensing and royalty deal.