SGB Executive Sports & Fitness

BSN Sports Acquires Portion Of Hibbett Team Sales

Continuing its rapid consolidation of the team channel, BSN Sports completed the acquisition of a portion of the assets of Hibbett Team Sales Inc. (HTS), based in Birmingham, AL.

Lululemon Rebuts Athleisure Critics In Q3

Lululemon’s better-than-expected third quarter benefited from a 25 percent hike in e-commerce sales, growing momentum internationally, and growth of more than 20 percent in women’s pants, jackets and outerwear, and men’s.

Is Amazon Overwhelming MAP Policy Enforcement?

While the arrival of online selling has led to a ramp-up in vendors implementing MAP (minimum advertised price) policies, Amazon’s growing dominance of e-commerce and increasing traction in the active lifestyle space continues to complicate the whole MAP enforcement game.

Running Industry Bounces Back

While they haven’t escaped the digital disruption that’s impacting all of physical retail, the run specialty channel appeared in better spirits at last week’s The Running Event in Austin.

Sheikh Shoes Betting On Nike For Turnaround

Sheikh Shoes ultimately blamed its trip to bankruptcy court on its inability to secure shipments from Nike, by far its largest supplier that holds an unsecured creditor’s claim of $16 million in the case. But it’s also counting on Nike to revive its fortunes.

Genesco Sees NFL’s Challenges Challenging Lids

Bob Dennis, Genesco’s CEO, said “the well-publicized challenges facing the NFL have meaningfully dampened demand for NFL licensed merchandise during the heart of football season” to impact Lids’ sales during the third quarter. Also impacting lids has been a less-favorable MLB playoff lineup, a disappointing performance this year by some key college teams, and a lack of a strong headwear trend.

Brooks Unveils Its First Customized Running Shoe

At The Running Event in Austin, Brooks Running Company unveiled a new partnership with HP Inc. and Superfeet that will create the first performance running shoe based to an individual’s unique biomechanics.

Delta Apparel Sees Further Stabilization In Q4

Delta Apparel reported earnings in its fiscal fourth quarter declined slightly due to the sale of its Junkfood business, but continued to see underlying improvement in most of its core businesses.

Holiday Selling Starts Off With A Bang

According to reports from the National Retail Federation (NRF), Adobe and ComScore, sales surged ahead from Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday, providing a heap of  optimism for the rest of the holiday selling season. Not surprisingly, online purchases again strongly led the gains and smartphones expanded as a key driver of transactions.

Hibbett Sports Hikes Outlook After Q3 Beat

Hibbett Sports lifted its outlook for the year after reporting that underlying sales trends significantly improved in the third quarter. Comps were down 1.3 percent versus an 11.7 percent tumble in the second quarter with notable improvement in footwear, apparel and team equipment.