Eddie Bauer Appoints CEO
Sparc Group announced that Tim Bantle is joining the company as CEO of Eddie Bauer. Most recently, Bantle was GM of VF Canada, leading the company’s local outdoor and action sports platform. Before VF Canada, Bantle held leadership positions at The North Face, Black Diamond Equipment and Patagonia.
Amazon Adds Second Prime Shopping Event In October
Amazon added a Prime-exclusive two-day shopping event in October. Its “Prime Early Access Sale” is for Amazon Prime members offering Black Friday-like deals from October 11-12.
PGA Tour Superstore Appoints President
PGA Tour Superstore announced that Dick Sullivan, currently president and chief executive officer for PGA Tour Superstore, has been named executive chairman and CEO while Jill Spiegel, now PGATSS chief merchandising officer, has been promoted to president.
Bass Pro Plans Store For Grand Prairie, TX
Bass Pro Shops announced plans to open a store in Grand Prairie, TX, serving the southern portion of the Dallas metro area. The 100,000-square-foot store, expected to open in the spring of 2024, will be the outdoor retailer’s fifth location in the region and 15th in Texas.
JD Sports’ Profits Slide In First Half
JD Sports reported an 18.2 percent drop in pre-tax profits for the six months ending July 31, partly due to the U.S. government support it received as part of the country’s COVID stimulus package last year, which boosted year-ago results. Sales grew 13.7 percent year-over-year.
Luxury Footwear Brand, Freebird, Opens New Stores
Freebird, known for its handmade leather boots, announced the opening of stores in Charleston, SC; San Antonio, TX; as well as a storefront in Las Vegas, NV.
PVH Corp. Appoints Chief Strategy Officer
PVH Corp., the parent of Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger, hired Sara Bland as executive vice president and chief strategy officer, effective October 31, reporting to CEO Stefan Larsson.
Columbia Sportswear Sets Three-Year Growth Targets
Columbia Sportswear Company introduced its three-year financial targets aimed for a 9 perdent to 11 percent organic sales growth and 12 percent to 15 percent EPS growth on a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) basis from 2022 to 2025. The targets were announced ahead of its first Investor Day, scheduled for September 22, at its headquarters in Portland, OR.
Activist Calls For Leadership Changes At Kohl’s
On Thursday, activist shareholder Ancora Holdings Group, LLC urged Kohl’s Corp. board to replace its Chairman Peter Boneparth and Chief Executive Michelle Gass with leaders with turnaround experience. In a letter to the board made public, Ancora said the retailer’s “botched strategic review, credit downgrade, dramatic decline in sales, elevated costs and poorly received standalone plan” have placed it on a “dangerous trajectory.”
Wolverine Worldwide, 3M To Pay $54M In PFAS Class Settlement
A judge has given tentative approval in a $54 million settlement involving Wolverine Worldwide and 3M Co. related to a class action lawsuit over PFAS chemicals that contaminated drinking water in western Michigan. The chemicals from a since-closed tannery were discovered five years ago.
Mammut Hires Chief Commercial Officer
Mammut Sports Group AG appointed Felix Muennich as chief commercial officer, effective November 1. Muennich is an 18-year veteran working in the sporting and consumer goods industry, most recently at Nike.
Arc’Teryx Hybrid Retail Store And ReBird Service Center Opens In Boulder
The Arc’teryx hybrid retail brand store and ReBird Service Center opened in Boulder, CO on Pearl Street on September 17. This is the second U.S. and third global ReBird Service Center for company. A hub for Arc’teryx’s ReBird program of upcycling, resale, care and repair, is the Service Center offers customers a suite of circular […]
JD Sports’ Ousted Chairman Returns As Consultant
JD Sports reached an agreement with its former longstanding Executive Chairman, Peter Cowgill, that has him return to the compay as a consultant.
Nike Appoints Board Members
Nike, Inc. announced that Mónica Gil and Bob Swan were elected to the company’s Board of Directors. Gil is chief administrative and marketing officer of NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises. Swan is an operating partner at Andreessen Horowitz and former CEO of Intel Corporation.
Report: High School Sports Participation Declines Over After Pandemic
In its first high school sports participation survey in three years, the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) reported a total of 7,618,054 participants in high school sports for 2021/22, down four percent from its 2018/19 figure of 7,937,491. However, NFHS noted that participation is “on the road back” after schools could not offer programs in typical fashion during portions of the 2019/20 and 2020/21 school years in the U.S. due to the pandemic.
