Frank A. Dassler To Retire From Adidas
According to Adidas, Frank A. Dassler retired at the end of January. The grandson of Puma founder Rudolf Dassler, was most recently head of the Adidas legal department and will remain closely associated with the sports equipment company in retirement.

Aisle Talk, Week of February 5
Top headlines from the active lifestyle industry you may have missed this week.

Columbia Q4 Boosted By Improving U.S. Business
President and CEO Tim Boyle said, “In the fourth quarter, the U.S. wholesale channel played a significant role contributing to our top line beat relative to our October outlook, aided by improved order conversion.”

Champion Grows Double-Digits In Q4
“We think Champion is doing really well,” said HanesBrands’ CEO Gerald W. Evans Jr. on a conference call with analysts. “It’s got a lot of upside to it from a global standpoint.”

Skechers Delivers Blowout Q4
With all distribution channels delivering double-digit growth, Skechers USA reported fourth-quarter results that came in well above guidance.

LVHM Luxury Venture Partners With Stadium Goods
LVHM Luxury Ventures has formed a “partnership” with Stadium Goods, the New York City-based sneaker consignment giant.
Kevin Garnett Returns To AND1 As Global Ambassador
Sequential Brands Group Inc. announced a multi-year partnership with NBA legend Kevin Garnett as the creative director and global brand ambassador for AND1, the iconic basketball brand which began in 1993.

Fitness And Outdoor Drive Amer Sports’ Q4 Growth
Amer Sports reported revenues on a currency-neutral basis grew 9.0 percent in the fourth quarter, led by a 14 percent gain by its Fitness segment and an 11 percent climb by its Outdoor segment. The Ball Sports’ segment inched up 1 percent and has been impacted by a “challenging U.S. wholesale market.”

Wolverine Worldwide Provides 2018 Guidance With Strong Growth Investment Plan
Wolverine World Wide Inc. provided its outlook for fiscal year 2018 including its investment plan to drive its new GLOBAL GROWTH AGENDA, along with details on the expected positive impact of U.S. tax reform and its WAY FORWARD transformation. The company also announced certain preliminary financial results for the fiscal year ended December 30, 2017, including special charges recognized in the fourth quarter.

Skechers’ Sales Soar 27 Percent In Q4
International wholesale sales increased 40.2 percent; domestic wholesale sales advanced 11.6 percent and company-owned global retail sales expanded 25.8 percent.

Columbia Sportswear’s Q4 Revenues Climb 8 Percent
Columbia Sportswear reported earnings excluding a massive tax charge and restructuring costs rose 9.2 percent on an 8 percent revenue gain. U.S. net sales increased 8 percent to $492.6 million, reflecting growth in DTC and benefits from a shift in the timing of shipments of Fall 2017 advance wholesale orders from the third quarter to the fourth quarter.
NRF Forecasts Retail Sales Will Increase Between 3.8 and 4.4 Percent In 2018
The National Retail Federation released its 2018 economic forecast, projecting that retail industry sales will grow between 3.8 and 4.4 percent over 2017. Online and other non-store sales, which are included in the overall number, are expected to increase between 10 and 12 percent.

Mizuno’s America’s Q3 Sales Dip 9.3 Percent
Mizuno Corp. reported sales in Americas continued to decline in the third quarter and nine months ended December 31 as the focus remains on improving profitability in the region.
Messe Friedrichshafen Establishes A New Outdoor Platform
In an internal voting process, a majority of members of the European Outdoor Group (EOG) have voted to hold the OutDoor trade show in Munich from 2019. In full independence and with support from numerous major industry players, the show organizers will be holding a new version of the trade show in Friedrichshafen from 2019.
Surf9 Appoints Brad Gruber As Footwear Division President
The addition of Gruber coincides with the launch of the Body Glove Footwear Lifestyle Collection, an all-new line of high quality casual shoes for men and women.