EXEC: William Blair Tackles Tariff Realties in Latest Management Survey
Nike, Inc. Sued Over NFT Investor Losses Incurred After Closure of RTFKT Unit
EXEC: Adidas Brand Posts 17 Percent Sales Gain in Q1 Excluding FX Shifts
EXEC: Wall Street Reacts to Tariff News but Port Traffic Decline May Reflect a Sad Reality
Report: Consumers Willing to Spend More for Brands if Prices Increase
SGB Update

TBA Worldwide Acquires Amazon Specialty Agency SaleSurf Growth
SaleSurf Growth will operate as a standalone agency within the TBA Worldwide network, with its existing team and leadership remaining.

NSGA’s and Sporting Goods Industry Veteran Tom Doyle Passes Away
Tom Doyle died on April 22 at the age of 86. He worked at the NSGA for 39 years and was the association’s vice president of Information and Research when he retired in the fall of 2010. He was also president of the National Ski & Snowboard Retailers Association (NSSRA) from the time it was founded in 1987 until 2010.

WFSGI Adds New Faces to Board to Replace Outgoing Members
The new WFSGI Board has added Anne Larilahti, VP of Sustainability, Amer Sports; Mitchell Tsai, CEO, Apache Footwear; Todd Smith, President and CEO, SFIA; and Stefan Rummel, CEO, Messe Muenchen, the producer of the ISPO and Outdoor Munich Expos.

Hudson’s Bay to Close Balance of Hudson’s Bay and Saks Fifth Avenue Locations
The Hudson’s Bay and Saks Fifth Avenue stores in Canada are expected to operate until no later than June 15, 2025; however, some may close earlier. The company will close 9 Saks Off 5th stores on Sunday, April 27.

Skechers Posts Solid Q1; Withdraws Prior 2025 Guide, Pauses Outlook
Due to macroeconomic uncertainty stemming from global trade policies, SKX is not providing financial guidance and is withdrawing its annual 2025 guidance provided in the company’s earnings release reported on February 6, 2025.
SGB Executive

EXEC: William Blair Tackles Tariff Realties in Latest Management Survey
Blair said that for now, the best solution seems to be a well-diversified supply chain across multiple jurisdictions, potentially with built-in redundancies to allow for nimbleness.

Nike, Inc. Sued Over NFT Investor Losses Incurred After Closure of RTFKT Unit
The company is now being sued by purchasers of NFTs (non-funglible tokens) that originated with Nike’s December 2021 acquisition of the RTFKT, a virtual sneaker design company and studio for NFTs.

EXEC: Adidas Brand Posts 17 Percent Sales Gain in Q1 Excluding FX Shifts
Excluding Yeezy sales in the prior year, currency-neutral revenues for the Adidas brand increased 17 percent y/y for the quarter, driven by double-digit y/y growth across all markets and channels.

EXEC: Wall Street Reacts to Tariff News but Port Traffic Decline May Reflect a Sad Reality
The Dow and the S&P 500 both bounced on April 22 after U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Trump’s primary negotiator on tariff deals, said that he believes the Administration’s ongoing tariff war with China will de-escalate soon because the rift is not sustainable.

EXEC: Analysts Make Tariff Impact Calls on Footwear and Apparel Stocks
Those experiencing price target cuts included Birkenstock, Crocs, Inc., Foot Locker, Nike, On Holding, Skechers, VF Corp., and Wolverine World Wide. Some of those hit hardest included Boot Barn, Deckers and Under Armour.