<p>Based on results for the fourth quarter and full year 2002, Saucony is already starting to reap the benefits of the strategy the company put in place in mid 2001 to right-size the business and focus on its core consumer…</p>
<p>Italian daily Il Sole/24 Ore reported last week that Nike Inc. is preparing a €400 million ($429 million) offer for Fila Holding SpA. The paper did not cite any sources.<br />
The financial newspaper suggested that NKE would assume €280 million of Fila debt</p>
<p>K2 Inc. has set the vote on the proposed acquisition of Rawlings Sporting Goods Inc. for March 26, 2003. The special shareholder meeting is scheduled to be held in Los Angeles, CA. Investors of record on February 24, 2003 will be eligible to participat</p>
<p>The world’s most famous long-term investor’s Berkshire Hathaway company said that it will pay $579 million in cash to the creditors of Burlington Industries Inc., the textile manufacturer that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 2001…</p>
<p>Huffy Corporation reported that a charge related to the settlement of two lawsuits against a former subsidiary led to losses for the fourth quarter and full year…</p>
<p>The acquisition of Royal Elastics and the launch of the National Geographic footwear line were disappointments in 2002, but K-Swiss expects moves made with both brands to bear fruit in the coming year. The K-Swiss Classics business will continue to fuel </p>
<p>The Finish Line Inc. has decided to stay in Indianapolis and begin a $20 million expansion at its corporate headquarters — a project that will more than double its square footage and add 90 new jobs…</p>
<p>Call it class warfare, but the questions swirling around Kobe Bryant’s search for a new sponsorship deal may well be answered in the court of public opinion in a place where he didn’t grow up – the urban inner city…</p>
<p>We made a tongue-in-cheek projection in last week’s SEW that — due to the proliferation of minor press releases put out by the company the previous week – Oakley, Inc. was going to have one doozey of an earnings report for Q4 and full-year 2002…</p>
<p>The Securities and Exchange Commission had suggested that the former The North Face CFO, Christopher Crawford, former Sales VP Todd Katz and former regional sales manager Richard Tyrer overstated revenue and gross margins by falsely recognizing revenue on</p>
<p>Vail Resorts, Inc. revealed that the SEC has issued a formal order of investigation with regard to how the resort tallies initiation fees for its private clubs…</p>
<p>VF Corporation reported sales in the company's Outdoor businesses rose 17% in the fourth quarter and 3% in 2002. An increase of 22% in first quality sales of The North Face brand and an 11% increase in international Outdoor sales were partially off</p>
<p>SIA reported that chain store sales for snow sports equipment and apparel were up 2.2% to $293.9 million for the 2002 season through December, when compared to the same period of 2001. Unit sales were behind last year, tracking down 9.3%… </p>
<p>After 59 years of making headwear, San Antonio-based Texace, now a golf hat manufacturing firm, has stopped production, leaving about 150 employees without a job…</p>
<p>Saucony, Inc. announced net sales for 2002 increased 1% to $133.2 million, compared to $132.3 million in the comparable period of 2001. Net income increased to $5.2 million, or $0.85 per share on a diluted basis, compared to a loss of $940,000, or $0.15 </p>
