Ted Ligety Joins DPS Skis and PHANTOM Glide Product Teams (COPY)
A member of the U.S. Ski Team for 18 seasons, Ligety has 25 World Cup wins under his belt and is regarded as one of the best giant slalom skiers in ski racing history. Ligety will help develop the DPS and Phantom Glide product lines, working with Senior VP Thomas Laakso and DPS Founder Peter Turner.
Survey: Nearly Two-Thirds of Americans Want to Shop Local More
Lending Tree’s online survey of 2,000 U.S. adults, taken from August 12-14, 2024, found that 90 percent of respondents believe shopping locally positively impacts the quality of their life.
Bain Forecasts Record Black Friday/Cyber Monday Sales
U.S. retail sales over Black Friday – Cyber Monday (BFCM) weekend may set a new record, surpassing $75 billion in sales, according to a forecast from Bain & Company. The weekend is expected to deliver year-over-year growth of around 5 percent, outpacing Bain’s overall holiday sales growth forecast of 3 percent for the entire holiday season.
Ski Kare Has New Owners
Ski Kare, LLC, the largest distributor of Vola Racing Waxes in the United States, was acquired by Kyle and Rachel Kucin. Gifford Hoback, the former owner, will continue to work for the company in a consulting and manufacturing capacity.
EXEC: Is The Vista Outdoor Bidding War Finally Over?
Vista’s Outdoor’s moves over the weekend to find a buyer for the Revelyst outdoor business and receive yet another higher offer for its Kinetic Group ammunition and firearms business should be enough to secure shareholder approval and avoid another hostile bid, according to several analysts following the stock.
EXEC: JD Sports Reports Fidelity Subsidiaries Fall Below 5 Percent Voting Rights
FMR LLC has seen its voting rights percentage fall below the 5 percent threshold for reporting purposes to 4.95 percent of JD voting rights. JD Sports is the parent of the JD, Hibbett, Finish Line, DTLR, and Shoe Palace retail brands in the U.S.
Accell Group Undergoes Debt Restructuring
Backed by Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co (KKR), Accell Group agreed to a restructuring that writes off 40 percent of its debt and will see its liabilities at the operating group level cut to €800 million ($881 million) from €1.4 billion, with maturities extended through to 2030.
Gill Marine Taps Travis Watson as National Sales Manager, Gill Fishing
The company said Watson brings a wealth of experience to his role, with 20 years experience in sales, buying, product development, and sourcing in the hunting and fishing space.
Paka Expands Senior Leadership to Fuel Brand Growth
The Peru-based sustainable apparel brand hired Christian Castellani as director of wholesale sales, Matt Etzler as senior director of e-commerce, Erika Marsh as senior director of supply chain and operations, and Megan Krajco as design director. Paris Karstedt was promoted to director of brand and marketing.
Coal Headwear Names Sales & Marketing Manager
Mike LeBlanc will “modernize the brand’s marketing approach, expand sales channels and elevate Coal’s presence in the global headwear market.”
NuOrder by Lightspeed Appoints New Head of Revenue
Chris Akrimi, most recently, was the CEO of The Layer, a tech company that “transforms commerce data through AI. ” There, he focused on positioning the company at the “forefront of AI-driven product data management.”
Footasylum Secures Funding to Drive Expansion
The company secured a £35 million ($46 mm) revolving credit line from HSBC to support expansion and sustainability initiatives, and set a goal to achieve carbon net zero for Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 2030 and Scope 3 by 2040.
Adidas’ UK Sales Fall 9 Percent in 2023
Companywide, Adidas’ sales in 2023 declined 5 percent to €21.4 billion in Euro terms with flat currency-neutral revenues. The discontinuation of the Yeezy business represented a drag of around €500 million on the year-over-year comparison during 2023.
EXEC: Outdoor Industry Association Partners With Switchback Trade Show
OIA ended its 30-year partnership with Outdoor Retailer trade show this past July and will now support a twice-annual outdoor trade show. The year-round partnership will debut at the inaugural Switchback Spring in Nashville, TN from June 16 to 18, 2025.
Orvis Sets Layoffs and Store Closures; Discontinues Catalog
The 112 employees affected by the layoffs represent 8 percent of Orvis’ workforce. In the U.S., Orvis operates 70 retail stores and 10 outlets. In the UK, the company operates 18 retail stores and one outlet. The company did not disclose what store would be affected by the closures.
