REI Becomes Bluesign Member
Recreational Equipment, Inc. (REI) announced its membership with bluesign technologies ag, allowing the company to use the bluesign independent standard as part of its product design and sourcing process. The retailers called the standard “an important st
The Apparel Group Selects CenterStone’s iVendix
CenterStone Technologies, Inc. announced that The Apparel Group has selected the company’s iVendix software application to launch in 2009. When it is “live” later in 2009, iVendix will provide the Enro and Foxcroft brands of The Apparel Group with a busi
Payless ShoeSource Earns PETA Award
Payless ShoeSource has won the Best New Shoe Line category in PETA's sixth annual Proggy Awards for creating the “first-ever affordable green footwear line” that doesn't contain any leather. Payless will receive a framed certificate and will be
Callaway Golf FY08 Earnings Rises 6%
Callaway Golf Company announced that, based on current information, net sales for 2008 are expected to slip 0.7% to $1.117 billion from $1.125 billion in 2007. Consistent with recent earnings guidance, pro forma diluted earnings per share for 2008 are es
Escalade Renegotiating Bank Line After Default
Escalade Inc. said that it had received a letter from a lender, saying it was in default on its credit agreement, according to a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The filing said that the company and the lender, JPMorgan Chase, are “undert
Icebreaker Appoints Schrimsher to VP, USA sales
Icebreaker, the New Zealand merino wool specialist, hired Barry Schrimsher as vice president of USA sales effective immediately. A native of Portland and a graduate of the University of Oregon, Schrimsher is a 24-year outdoor industry entrepreneur. He est
NSGA Establishes Scholarships To Honor Jim Faltinek
The National Sporting Goods Association (NSGA) has established the James L. Faltinek Scholarship Program, named in honor of retired President & CEO Jim Faltinek. Each year, a total of five scholarships to the NSGA Management Conference & Team Dealer Summi
Rawlings Taps Hultec to Produce Baseball Pills
Rawlings Sporting Goods Company, Inc., the Official Baseball Supplier to Major League Baseball since 1977, will utilize a new supplier for the production of the “pill” for all Major League Baseballs. Hultec, an affiliate of Fort Worth, Texas based S & B T
Wenger Sponsors Patagonian Expedition Race
Wenger, maker of the Genuine Swiss Army Knife and Precision Outdoor Equipment, agreed to a three-year title sponsorship of the Patagonian Expedition Race. Beginning in 2009, the international event – which has become known as “the last wild race” – will n
Deckers, Wolverine Address Guidance
Deckers Outdoor re-affirmed guidance of 52% growth in sales and 40% EPS expansion and is on target to reach its goal of $1 billion in sales by 2012, said CFO Tom Hillebrandt during the ICR conference last week. The company also re-affirmed its previously
Retailers Also Tighten Inventory
Big 5 Sporting Goods management presented at the ICR conference touting their value-based business model as one that will see particular success with the new value-conscious consumer. Chairman, president and CEO Steve Miller noted that Big 5 average $213
Morale at SHOT Show Upbeat as Shooting Sports Market Bucks Industry Trends
The atmosphere was assured and electric at the 2009 SHOT Show in Orlando as a seemingly unending amount of exhibitors packed into the cavernous Orange Country Convention Center in Orlando, FL as one of the few growing market segments in the sporting goods
SGB Question Asks: ‘What Happens When Industry Brands Go to Mass?”
The SGB Question for January explored the overall effect the sale of sporting goods brands to club/discount/mass is having on the industry. Many of the industry's core brands can be increasingly found at Costco, Wal-Mart, Target, Meijer, T.J. Maxx, a
Industry Companies Give a Peek Under The Tent
Industry companies hit the road last week in hopes of drumming up some new investment dollars during a time of difficult trading conditions. The two big conferences for the active sports lifestyle market were the ICR Xchange Conference in Dana Point, CA a
Forzani Sees Flat Holiday Sales
The Forzani Group Ltd. reported total sales for the ten weeks ended Jan. 11 were flat to the prior year. On a same-store basis, total retail system sales were down 1.8%, although sales were stronger in the week before and the week after Christmas…
