Sears Chairman Edward Lampert Makes Last-Minute Bid To Avert Liquidation
Sears won a reprieve from liquidating after its chairman, Eddie Lampert, submitted a $4.4 billion bid in an effort to purchase the retailer.
Sears To Close 80 More Sears And Kmart Doors By March
Sears Holdings, in bankruptcy proceedings since October, revealed 80 more Sears and Kmart stores it plans to close in late March 2019.
Golf Rounds Tumble In November
According to Golf Datatech, golf rounds played fell 18.8 percent in November. The steepest declines were seen in East North Central, WestNorth Central, New England and South Central.
Gone…Not Forgotten
Friends who left us in 2018 included Nike’s Sandy Bodecker (above), The North Face’s Ann Krcik and Jason Hairston, founder SITKA and KUIU.
MTV’s SnowGlobe Expands Sponsorship Program For 2018 Festival
MTV’s SnowGlobe Music Festival announced an expanded sponsorship program for the festival’s eighth installment on December 29-31, 2018, in South Lake Tahoe, CA. The annual three-day event welcomes more than 20,000 fans each day with a mix of musical performances, live action sports, and interactive art exhibitions.
2018 Year In Review: Movers And Shakers Give Industry New Look
The active lifestyle, outdoor and sporting goods industries saw plenty of executive appointments and promotions in 2018, with companies like Nike Inc. and VF Corp. among those that saw the most announcements throughout the year, including G. Scott Uzzell (pictured) being named president and CEO of Nike subsidiary Converse Inc.
2018 Bankruptcy Blotter
Performance Bicycle and Sears led a number of companies that landed in bankruptcy court in 2018 although the case load was lighter than recent years and a major liquidation was avoided for a change. Others major filings included Rockport, Bon-Ton, Walking Company, Remington Outdoor and AcuSport.
Etonic Golf Strikes Shoe Deal With John Daly
Etonic, a leading manufacturer of golf shoes, apparel and gloves, signed John Daly to a long-term agreement to exclusively play and promote its line of golf shoes.
Twitter CEO And NBA Commissioner To Discuss Partnership At CES 2019
The Consumer Technology Association (CTA) announced that Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey and NBA Commissioner Adam Silver will sit down for a conversation with ESPN anchor Rachel Nichols at CES 2019. The session, #NBATwitter: A Conversation with Adam Silver and Jack Dorsey, will discuss their innovative partnership, the NBA’s approach to sports technology with a spotlight on #NBATwitter and the reasons the vibrant community continues to flourish.
Report: USA Cycling To Hire Rob DeMartini As CEO
USA Cycling plans to hire Rob DeMartini, who is stepping down as New Balance’s president and CEO at the close of the year, as its new CEO, according to Cycling News. He replaces outgoing CEO Derek Bouchard-Hall.
Vans Sues Target Over Sneaker Design
Vans filed a trademark infringement lawsuit against Target over its Old Skool sneaker design.
Amazon Sees Record Holiday Sales
Amazon announced a “record-breaking holiday season” with athleisure cited as a “top trend” and Nike, Adidas, Carhartt and Champion landing on its top-sellers list.
2018 Year In Review: Most-Read SGB Executive Stories
SGB Executive covered an array of sporting goods, outdoors and active lifestyle stories in 2018, but clearly some topics resonated with readers more than others. Our list of the 25 most popular SGB Executive stories during the past 12 months ranges from channel upheaval to companies taking a stance on social issues to new executive appointments to brands’ financial success or sluggishness.
Mastercard: U.S. Retail Sales Grew 5.1 Percent This Holiday Season
According to Mastercard SpendingPulse, which provides insights into overall retail spending trends across all payment types, including cash and check, holiday sales increased 5.1 percent to more than $850 billion this year – the strongest growth in the last six years. Online shopping also saw large gains of 19.1 percent compared to 2017. The apparel category saw its strongest growth since 2010.
2018 Year In Review: M&A Goes Outside The Box
A healthy dose of straightforward mergers and acquisitions occurred in the sporting goods, outdoor and active lifestyle industries in 2018, but a handful of unconventional deals stole the spotlight. Outside-the-box transactions—which garnered much more attention than traditional ones—included a consortium of Chinese investors and a well-known active lifestyle name purchasing Amer Sports (pictured).
