JANUARY 2017

BSN Sports completed its acquisition of the Maryland-based team dealer, Marlow Sports.

Elite Sportswear agreed to acquire Victory Team Apparel. Victory Team Apparel added to Elite’s current portfolio of GK Branded Gymnastics and All-Star Cheer lines, Under Armour Gymnastics and Sideline Cheer, as well as the Dolfin Swimwear brand.

French lensmaker Essilor International SA and Luxottica Group SpA, the maker of Ray-Ban and Oakley sunglasses, agreed to a €46 billion ($49 billion) merger to create a global eyewear powerhouse.

McCubbin Hosiery acquired baby footwear brand Robeez from Stride Rite, a subsidiary of Wolverine World Wide.

Outdoor Product Innovations Inc. acquired Capsule Feeders, a sit and fill feeder.

PrideSports, a manufacturer and provider of golf traction elements, golf tees and other golf-related accessories, merged with MacNeill Engineering, maker of Champ spikes, to create a new holding company, MacNeill Pride Group.

Walmart acquired Moosejaw, a leading online outdoor retailer, for approximately $51 million.

Wal-Mart acquired ShoeBuy.com For $70 Million.

FEBRUARY 2017

Bear Archery acquired Jim Fletcher Archery, a manufacturer of archery equipment, releases & archery aids.

Beretta, a manufacturer, distributor and marketer of a complete line of firearms, accessories and apparel, acquired Victrix Armaments, known for its precision bolt action rifles and related technologies, from Officina Meccanica Rottigni, an Italian company based in Cazzano Sant’Andrea (BG).

BSN Sports acquired the team division of Erie Sport Store, serving the Lake Erie region

Callaway Golf acquired Ogio, which designs and sells bags, accessories and apparel for the golf, lifestyle, motorsports and endurance categories.

Faraday Bicycles, the e-bike manufacturer, was acquired by Pon Holdings.

Flojos, the sandal brand was established in the early 1970s by the Santana Family in Guadalajara, Mexico, was acquired by the Courtney Group.

Gildan Activewear acquired American Apparel in bankruptcy proceedings.

Kwik Tek, the designer and supplier of outdoor branded products, was acquired by an investment group led by Falconhead Capital LLC, alongside M3 Outdoor Investments led by Blackhawk founder Michael Noell.

Marucci Sports acquired Victus Sports, a custom wood bat manufacturer and Big League bat supplier.

Southern Outdoor Tech acquired Bass Hunter Boats, the producers of the Sportsman’s Condo line of hunting blinds and other outdoor products.

Rossignol acquired Felt Bicycles, which designs and engineers its own proprietary branded bicycles, framesets, components and accessories.

Trek Bicycle purchased Revolution Cycles, a four-store chain with locations in Washington, D.C.; Stafford and Arlington, VA; and Rockville, MD.

Vail Resorts agreed to acquire Vermont’s Stowe Mountain Resort.

Wiivv acquired Esoles, known for its modular customizable footbeds.

MARCH 2017

Aetrex Worldwide acquired SOLS Systems, a leader in medical and consumer grade 3D printed orthotics and software used for the mass customization of footwear.

Amer Sports agreed to acquire Armada, the U.S. ski brand.

Bahamas Development Corporation (BDCI) acquired the apparel manufacturing assets of Incite Brands LLC, known for Incite Performance Wear.

CriticalPoint Capital LLC, the Los Angeles-based private investment firm, completed the acquisition of JackRabbit and its respective stores from The Finish Line Inc.

Dynatronics Corporation agreed to acquire substantially all of the assets of Hausmann Industries, Inc., a manufacturer of branded, high quality physical therapy and athletic training products.

FeraDyne Outdoors acquired Eastman Outdoors, the owner of Carbon Express, Gorilla Gear and Eastman Outdoors.

Implus acquired Global Leisure Concepts (GLC), Based in Australia, GLC previously operated as a distributor of Implus and other branded sporting goods products in the region.

Paramount Apparel International, the manufacturer and distributor of headwear, apparel and accessories, acquired Back 9 USA LLC, a golf lifestyle brand established in 1997.

Stage Stores agreed to acquire Gordmans.

Zalando, Europe’s biggest pure online fashion retailer, made its first move into physical stores with the acquisition of streetwear retailer Kickz.

APRIL 2017

BSN Sports completed the acquisition of Lowe’s Sporting Goods (LSG) based in London, KY.

BSN Sports purchased Kimmel’s Athletic Supply based in Spokane, WA.

KL Outdoor, manufacturer of Sun Dolphin kayaks, and GSC Technologies, manufacturer of Future Beach kayaks, agreed to combine to form a single company.

The owner of Mammoth Mountain Ski Area, Snow Summit, Bear Mountain and June Mountain entered into a definitive agreement to be acquired by a newly formed entity controlled by affiliates of the Aspen Skiing Company L.L.C. and KSL Capital Partners LLC.

Mad Engine LLC acquired urban streetwear brand Lifted Research Group.

Nike sold five golf equipment patents to Karsten Manufacturing Corp., the parent of the Ping golf brand,

Omega Sports Inc., a sporting goods chain based in Greensboro, NC, was sold to Craig Carlock, the former CEO of The Fresh Market.

Samsonite International S.A. entered into an agreement to acquire eBags Inc., one of the world’s leading online retailers of bags and related accessories for travel, for a cash consideration of U.S. $105.0 million.

Marking its entry into U.S. retailing, Sports Direct International completed its acquisition of Bob’s Stores and Eastern Mountain Sports (EMS) in bankruptcy proceedings.

ShoeBuy acquired the Shoes.com domain.

MAY 2017

Camping World Holdings won a bankruptcy auction to assume the leases of Gander Mountain and Overton’s.

Emerald Expositions acquired the Snow Show in a deal that will merge the January SIA Snow Show with Outdoor Retailer to become the Outdoor Retailer + Snow Show endorsed and sponsored by SnowSports Industries America and Outdoor Industry Association (OIA).

Garmin Ltd. acquired Active Corporation, a developer of crowd-sourced rich content for boaters, marketed as ActiveCaptain.

Hayter Communications, an active lifestyle public relations agency, was acquired by Williams-Helde, a Seattle-based marketing communications firm.

JUNE 2017

Authentic Brands Group LLC (ABG) acquired a 51 percent stake in Frye, the American heritage brand, from Global Brands Group Holding Limited.

Blue Star Sports, the largest and fastest growing provider of sports technology, acquired SportsTG, a leading provider of digital solutions and technologies to grassroots sport in Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and other key international markets.

Blue Star Sports acquired Krossover Intelligence, a leading sports film breakdown and statistics company.

BSN Sports acquired Salt Lake City-Based Academy Sports, a leading distributor of team apparel and equipment in Utah.

Chamber-View LLC., manufacturer of visual firearm safety products for shotguns, AR rifle platforms and pistols, was acquired by X-Ring Productions LLC.

Compass Diversified Holdings acquired Crosman Corporation, a leading designer, manufacturer and marketer of airguns, archery products, optics and related accessories.

GSM Outdoors acquired Bullseye Camera Systems, a maker of long range target cameras.

Johnson Outdoors Inc. announced that in cooperation with Silva Sweden AB the two companies have come to terms for Silva Sweden AB to acquire the Silva trademark rights in North America.

Phoenix Footwear acquired Bueno Women’s Footwear, a leading European brand.

TeamSnap, a leader in integrated sports management, acquired FanAppEvents, a leading tournament and league management company.

JULY 2017

American Outdoor Brands Corporation announced that its accessories business, Battenfeld Technologies Inc., agreed to acquire substantially all of the assets of Fish Tales, LLC, a provider of premium sportsman knives and tools for fishing and hunting, including the premium knife brand, Bubba Blade.

Kohlberg completed the acquisition of Newell’s Winter Sports segment, which includes Marker, Dalbello and Völkl.

Camping World Holdings agreed to purchase TheHouse.com, an online retailer specializing in bikes, sailboards, skateboards, wakeboards, snowboards and outdoor gear.

The Carlyle Group agreed to sell majority control of The Nature’s Bounty Co., the manufacturer of health and wellness products, to KKR.

Crosman Corporation acquired LaserMax’s commercial business, which provides laser sighting solutions and tactical lights to the firearm OEM and retail channels.

Elite Sportswear, the company behind GK Elite, acquired Dreamlight Activewear.

Iconix Brand Group Inc. bought back the remaining 50 percent interest in Iconix Canada from its joint venture partner for $19 million.

Garmin acquired Alphamantis Technologies, which develops technology that allows cyclists to test and refine their drag coefficient in everyday riding conditions, without having to use wind tunnel testing.

Katadyn Group agreed to acquire the assets of Hydro-Photon Inc., the maker of the SteriPen ultraviolet, handheld water purifier.

O2Cool, the manufacturer of hydration, portable cooling, and patio, pool and beach products, acquired Bobble, part of the Seventh Generation family of household and personal care brands owned by Unilever.

ScentLok Technologies, a leading manufacturer of scent-controlling products, bought Robinson Outdoor Products.

Spin Master Corp. announced the acquisition of certain assets of Aerobie Inc., a producer of outdoor flying disks and sports toys.

AUGUST 2017

American Outdoor Brands Corp. announced that its firearms business, Smith & Wesson Corp., completed the purchase of substantially all of the assets of Gemini Technologies, Inc., known as Gemtech.

Big Rock Sports, based in Graham, NC, announced the acquisition of Redl Sports Distributors, Ltd., the Canadian fishing, hunting, shooting sports and camping wholesale distributor based in Pitt Meadows, BC, from its parent company Maurice Sporting Goods.

Callaway Golf Company entered into a definitive agreement to acquire TravisMathew, LLC, a high-growth golf and lifestyle apparel company, for $125.5 million in an all-cash transaction.

Clarus Corp., formerly Black Diamond Inc., acquired Sierra Bullets LLC for $79 million.

Deer Valley Resort entered into a definitive agreement to be acquired by a new entity that in July joined Intrawest Resorts Holdings Inc., Mammoth Resorts and Squaw Valley Ski Holdings.

DTLR merged with Villa, creating a 240-unit urban chain spanning the East Coast from New York to Florida, the Midwest, the Southeastern U.S. and Texas.

Exos, a human performance company, acquired D1 Sports Medicine, a company that partners with sports medicine orthopedists to offer athletes physical therapy services.

MidOcean Partners and Cannon Safe Inc, a maker of home defense safes, acquired Stack-On Products, an Illinois-based distributor of home safes, gun security products, garage storage and organizational products.

Rapha, the British cycling lifestyle brand, was sold to U.S.-based RZC Investments. RZC Investments is a fund led by cycling enthusiast Tom Walton with his older brother Steuart. The two are the grandsons of Walmart founder Sam Walton.

Superior Uniform Group Inc. stated that its division, Bamko LLC, acquired substantially all of the assets and assumed certain liabilities of PublicIdentity Inc., a promotional products and branded merchandise agency based in Los Angeles.

SEPTEMBER 2017

Bass Pro acquired Cabela’s, merging Cabela’s 82 stores with Bass Pro’s 95 locations.

Boot Barn Holdings Inc. completed a transaction to acquire the four-store operations of Wood’s Boots, Inc., a family-owned retailer based in Midland and Odessa, TX.

Lacoste has agreed to acquire French racquet and string manufacturer Tecnifibre.

Lizard Skins, a producer of cycling grips and road tape, acquired Oury Grips, another grip maker in cycling and powersports.

Monomoy Capital Partners completed the acquisition of West Marine Inc. at a price of $12.97 per share or a total of approximately $337 million.

O’Brien Watersports has acquired substantially all of the assets of Nash Mfg., which produces watersports products under the Hydroslide brand name, pool and lake leisure products under the licensed brand name of Margaritaville and rotational molded coolers under the brand name Sub Z.

ShelterLogic Corp. acquired several product brands from Bravo Sports Corp. including QuikShade, MotoShade, ShadeTech, QuikChair, Solo, and GO.

OCTOBER 2017

Dynatronics Corporation successfully closed the acquisition of substantially all of the assets of Bird & Cronin, Inc., a manufacturer of orthopedic soft goods and specialty patient care products located in Minneapolis.

Camping World Holdings reached an agreement to acquire Uncle Dan’s Outfitters, a specialty retailer of outdoor gear, apparel and camping supplies with four stores in the Chicago area.

Compass Health Brands, a provider of medical devices used for homecare, rehabilitation, and pain management, announced the acquisition of Richmar. Richter’s products include Winner EVO electrical stimulation, combination, and ultrasound; Hivamat deep oscillation therapy; Hydratherm heat therapy products; Ionto+ iontophoresis and Superstim/Multistim stimulation electrodes; LidoFlex lidocaine patches; GelShot ultrasound coupling discs and several laser and light therapy items.

Garmin Ltd. acquired Navionics S.p.A., a privately-held worldwide provider of electronic navigational charts and mobile applications for the marine industry.

Goldwin Inc. has acquired a minority stake in Woolrich International as part of a new industrial and financial partnership. The alliance includes the development of a new and premium outdoor collection designed with Goldwin’s state-of-the art technology.

HanesBrands acquired Alternative Apparel, a marketer of better apparel basics under the Alternative brand to the distributor, online, direct-to-consumer and traditional retail channels.

Helly Hansen signed a definitive agreement to acquire Musto, a British specialist sailing and country apparel brand, from Phoenix Equity Partners and other shareholders.

Sentry Products Group, a makers of accessories in the hunt space, acquired Hexmag, innovators of AR-15/AR-10 magazines and accessories.

Threadless, best known for their graphic apparel and accessories, acquired direct to consumer shoe brand, Bucketfeet.

Vail Resorts Retail agreed to purchase the assets of three outdoor retail stores on historic Main Street in Breckenridge, including The North Face, Columbia and Main Street Outlet, from long-time Breckenridge Ski Enterprise owners, Steve and Susan Lapinsohn.

VF Corporation acquired Williamson-Dickie Mfg. Co., parent of Dickies, Walls, Terra and Kodiak brands.

NOVEMBER 2017

Aventura Clothing acquired Icelandic Design and its subsidiary brands, Wooly Bully and Newari Accessories.

Badger Sportswear, a leading manufacturer of athletic apparel and team uniforms, agreed to acquire Alleson Athletic, the manufacturer of in-stock uniforms and custom sublimated garments.

Badger Sportswear acquired Garb Athletics, a boutique manufacturer of custom-tailored sports uniforms.

Christy Sports LLC announced its most recent acquisition of BootDoctors, a specialty retailer of ski, snowboard and bike products and services, which currently operates out of three locations in Telluride, CO and two locations in Taos, NM.

JackRabbit acquired Rogue Running, which operates one store in Austin.

Lew’s Holdings Corporation, a portfolio company of Peak Rock Capital, acquired Strike King Lure Company, a leading supplier of branded fishing lures, sunglasses, and other fishing accessories.

Pradco Outdoor Brands, a manufacturer and marketer of fishing and hunting brands and products, acquired War Eagle Custom Lures.

SPIbelt acquired the running gear division of Nite Beams LED safety accessories, which will be marketed under the name SPIbeams.

VF Corp. signed a definitive purchase agreement to acquire Icebreaker, the Merino-wool specialist based in Auckland, New Zealand.

December 2017

Maurice Sporting Goods, one of North America’s largest distributors of outdoor sporting goods with focus on hunt & fish, agreed to acquire by Middleton Partners in bankruptcy proceedings.

Alphabroder, a leading North American distributor of imprintable sportswear and accessories and portfolio company of Littlejohn & Co., LLC, closed its acquisition of Prime Line, a leading manufacturer and supplier of promotional products

Dale of Norway, the Norwegian knitwear specialist, reached an agreement to be acquired by Altor, the private-equity firm that has owned Rossignol Group since 2013.

BSN Sports completed the acquisition of a portion of the assets of Hibbett Team Sales Inc. (HTS), based in Birmingham, AL.

Mapbox, the mapping and location platform for developers, acquired Fitness AR, an augmented reality activity tracking app.

Photo courtesy Cabela’s