SGB Footwear

Vermont Organic Fiber Names Ed Kiniry CEO

Vermont Organic Fiber Co., based in Middlebury, VT, has hired veteran outdoor industry entrepreneur Edward ('Ed') Kiniry as CEO. Formerly, he was president of Winterquest, LLC, the parent company of Tubbs and Atlas snowshoes, selling the company

NSGA Confirms Key Speakers for Conference

Best Buy President & Chief Operating Officer Brian Dunn is among the featured speakers who have been confirmed for the 45th Annual NSGA Management Conference & 11th Annual Team Dealer Summit, which will be held May 3-6, 2009, at the Westin La Cantera Reso

Retailers See Sales Increase, Comps Down in Q3

Retailers in the active sports lifestyle market posted reasonable sales growth for the fiscal third quarter in the light of the general malaise in the market, as sales grew 3.4% on a consolidated basis for the public company retailers tracked by Sports Ex

Quiksilver Americas President Resigns

Quiksilver, Inc.'s Marty Samuels has left the company. Samuels, who most recently served the company as president of its Americas region, had been with Quiksilver for twelve years. Craig Stevenson has been named interim President of Quiksilver Americ

The Finish Line Shrinks Loss, Inventory in Third Quarter

Strong inventory and cost controls combines with a decent performance in footwear to help The Finish Line slightly trim its loss from continuing operations in the third quarter ended November 29. These improvements helped offset continued weakness in appa

Study: Obese Now Outweigh the Overweight

A new study by the National Center for Health Statistics finds that the number of obese American adults outweighs the number of those who are considered merely overweight for the first time. The study shows that more than 34% of Americans are obese, compa

More Vendors Restructure Under Economic Pressures

Head N.V. Group plans to close its tennis ball factory in Phoenix, AZ in March of this year. In 2007, the company began manufacturing tennis balls in a new factory in China, and has now made the decision to shut the U.S. facility and manufacture its worl

Avia Partners with Troy Lee Designs

Avia announced a new partnership deal with Troy Lee Designs (TLD), the southern California-based company that produces custom graphic designs for the “world’s fastest racers.” TLD will co-create a collection of AVIA racing shoes with a limited release per

BJ’s Comps Up Slightly for December

BJ's Wholesale Club, Inc. reported total sales for December 2008 increased by 3.2% to $1.06 billion from $1.03 billion in December 2007. On a comparable club basis, sales increased by 1.6% for the month of December, including a negative impact from s

Wolverine to Acquire Cushe Footwear Brand

Wolverine World Wide, Inc. announced the acquisition of the Cushe (pronounced “cushy”) footwear brand, a move the company says will drive new global opportunities and leverage the strength of Wolverine's proven business model and operating infrastruc

J.C. Penney Dec. Comps Fall 8.1%

J. C. Penney Company, Inc. comparable store sales decreased 8.1% for the five-week period ended Jan. 3, 2009, better than the company’s guidance for a low-double digit decrease…

December Comp Sales Flat for Ross Stores

Ross Stores, Inc. saw sales of $802 million for the five weeks ended Jan. 3, 2009, a 6% increase over the $755 million in sales for the five weeks ended Jan. 5, 2008. Same store sales for the five weeks ended Jan. 3, 2009 were flat on top of a 3% increase