SGB Update Apparel

PacSun, Zumiez Comps Fall, The Buckle Remains Strong

Pacific Sunwear of California reported that total PacSun sales for fiscal month of November declined 8% to $101 million versus total sales of $110.2 million in the year ago period. PacSun same-store sales decreased 10% during the same period.

Puma Acquires Stake in Dobotex

Puma AG will take a majority stake in Dutch company Dobotex as of January 1, 2009. In a brief statement, the company, based in Herzogenaurach, Germany, did not indicate the size of the stake or the terms of the deal…

Adidas Buys Sensor Company

Physic Ventures announced that adidas International, Inc. has acquired Textronics, Inc. a developer of wearable sensors for use in fitness monitoring…

Bally Total Fitness Files for Chapter 11

Bally Total Fitness Corporation filed for voluntary Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Protection in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York. Bally intends to use the Chapter 11 process to significantly reduce debt from its balance sheet while

Is This Really Christmas Spirit?

When SportsOneSource reported in late October that adidas planned to cut costs by implementing a hiring freeze and scrubbing plans for year-end parties, the brain trust at Sole Technologies, manufacturers of Etnies, Emerica and eS footwear, among other br

Johnson Outdoors Whipsawed by Tough Economy

Johnson Outdoors has suspended dividend payments and will double its cost cutting efforts to prepare for a tough 2009 in the wake of a $51.7 million fourth quarter operating loss…

Flip Skateboards Shifts Distribution Partner

Flip Skateboards, Inc. has finalized a buy-out deal from a long term distribution agreement with Blitz Distribution, Inc. Effective immediately, the company has relocated the sales and distribution of its brand to NHS, Inc., in Santa Cruz, CA…

Billabong Cuts EPS Forecast on Weakening U.S. Sales

Billabong International Limited nearly halved its guidance on EPS growth for fiscal 2008-09 from 12% to 16% EPS growth down to 6% to 10% due to further deterioration in consumer sales, primarily in the U.S. The revised guidance implies full year sales gro

Long Beach Port Delays and Lowers New Container Fee

The Port of Long Beach has announced it will delay until at least July 1, 2009 a fee on 20-foot equivalent containers that was set to go into effect Jan. 1, 2009. Additionally, the port will lower the fee from $15 to $6. The Port of Los Angeles is expecte

Zumiez Comps Fall 15% in November

Zumiez Inc. reported a 15% decline in November comps on a day when mainly only discount/mass retailers managed to see comps improve as consumers seek out values and deals. Last year, Zumiez’s comps increased 5.6%. The company's total net sales for th

Columbia Adds More Footwear Weight

Kirk Richardson, who took the reins at Keen when ownership moved to Portland, OR, has been named general manager of footwear at Columbia Sportswear Company…

prAna Taps Crooke as New Chief Executive

Veteran outdoor executive Michael Crooke was named CEO at prAna Living, LLC last week in a move that should free up co-founder Beaver Theodosakis to focus more on product design and the future…

Co-Founder Leaves Native Eyewear

George Schott, one of the original founders and the current VP of sales and marketing for Native Eyewear, has announced he will leave the company, effective Jan. 16, 2009. Schott said he was leaving to pursue other avenues outside of the sales field…

Nielsen and OIA to Survey Retailers on OR Show

Outdoor Retailer and Outdoor Industry Association will launch a four-week online survey to gather retailer's suggestions on improving the Outdoor Retailer Summer Market trade show…

Confluence Hires CFO, IT Director

Confluence Watersports has appointed Jim Berwick as VP and CFO and Kelly Hemphill as director of IT. Berwick is overseeing the areas of finance, IT, distribution and logistics, and customer service. He has more than 20 years of consumer products experienc