
University Of Washington Switches From Nike To Adidas
University of Washington athletic officials announced plans for a 10-year agreement to make Adidas the official athletic footwear and apparel partner of the Huskies through June of 2029. The university had been wearing Nike for 20 years.
Volcom Hits The Selling Block
Kering said it plans to sell its Volcom, the action sports brand, to focus purely on luxury goods.

Nike Slips, Adidas Gains In Piper Jaffray’s Teen Survey
According to Piper Jaffray Companies’ 35th semi-annual Taking Stock With Teens survey, Nike dominated teen spending among brands but saw some eroding mindshare. Adidas climbed further, hitting a new peak in mindshare.

Nike Continues Tech-Buying Binge
The acquisition of Invertex promises to move Nike further down the road of being able to offer more personalization and customization to consumers while addressing the complexities of finding the correct shoe size online.

Adidas Partners With Lean In To Promote Equal Pay For Women
Lining up with Equal Pay Day held on April 10, Adidas and sister brand, Reebok, are partnering with Lean In, the movement founded by Facebook chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg to encourage gender equality in the workplace and support equal pay.

Dick’s To Open Stores in Waco And North Little Rock
Dick’s Sporting Goods will be opening two new Dick’s Sporting Goods stores in April in Waco, TX and North Little Rock, AR.
Kirk Palmer Associates Leading President Search For Famous Footwear
Kirk Palmer Associates has been retained to guide the search for a new president for Famous Footwear. Caleres Inc. recently announced that Famous Footwear’s president, Rick Ausick, will retire this year as part of a planned succession.

Camber Outdoors Welcomes 15 new Corporate Partners In Q1
New 2018 Corporate Partners include Clif Bar, Cotopaxi, Evo, Hoka One One, GoLite 2.0, Native Eyewear, Notogroup, Prana, Santa Cruz Bicycles, Sanuk, Scarpa, Spyder, Teva, Waypoint Outdoor and Yeti Coolers.
Under Armour, Aston Villa Terminate Deal Three Years Early
Aston Villa FC, the professional football club in Aston, Birmingham, has terminated the team’s partnership with Under Armour.

Nike Acquires Israeli Computer Company
Nike Inc. acquired Invertex Ltd., a fashion-tech company providing scan-to-fit shopping platforms powered by 3D and deep-learning, to strengthen the company’s digital technology and talent as part of Nike’s Consumer Direct Offense.
Gander Outdoors Sets Grand Opening For Cicero, NY
The 65,000-square-foot store will be one of five Gander Outdoors retail locations in New York.
Implus Provides Active Military Members Free Admission To Durham Bulls Games
The partnership provides free home game tickets for active duty military for Durham Bulls regular season games at Durham Bulls Athletic Park.

Adidas Outdoor Opens New Office In Golden, CO
Adidas Outdoor announced the opening of a new office in the American Mountaineering Center in Golden, CO that will serve as a Rocky Mountain area showroom and center for key sales operations.

REI Sees Modest Profit Gain in 2017, Sets New Sustainability Standards For Vendors
REI reported a 3.1 percent gain in operating earnings in 2017 on improving gross margins and record sales. The co-op also ramped up sustainability efforts by announcing new rigorous standards that will impact every brand the co-op sells.

Billabong’s Merger With Boardriders Approved By Court
Billabong International Limited announced that the Federal Court of Australia confirmed its sale to Boardriders.