SGB Update Footwear

Sportsman’s Warehouse Swings to Second Quarter Loss as Comps Fall

The 11.8 percent net sales decrease was said to be primarily due to lower demand across all product categories and a decline in store traffic resulting from the continued impact of consumer inflationary pressures on discretionary spending, partially offset by the opening of 14 new stores.

USTA Launches Investment Fund to Support Tennis Growth

The United States Tennis Association launched USTA Ventures through the USTA Strategic Investment Committee to acquire potential equity stakes in technologies and other companies to advance the growth of tennis in the U.S.

Skechers Sues Laforst for Patent Infringement

Skechers USA, Inc. reported it sued Laforst Shoes, Inc. for alleged patent infringement of its proprietary Skechers Hands Free Slip-ins design. Skechers filed the lawsuit in The United States District Court for the Central District of California.

Nexgen Packaging Appoints VP of Sales, Americas

Nexgen Packaging, a packaging provider for the retail, apparel and footwear industries, hired Kevin DeSpain as senior vice president of sales for the Americas. He comes from Zebra Technologies.

West Coast Port Workers Ratify New Contract

Members of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union, which represents dockworkers at U.S. West Coast ports, voted to ratify a new six-year contract with the Pacific Maritime Association.

Craft Sportswear N.A. Appoints National Sales Agency for Footwear

Craft said that Waypoint Outdoor’s “vast network and experienced team, combined with Craft’s current rep force will provide an immediate increase of boots on the ground to support Craft’s expanding footwear dealer base and pinnacle accounts.”

Survey: Pickleball On the Rise in Community Associations

According to a recent Snap survey by the Community Associations Institute Foundation for Community Association Research, 77 percent of respondents said that the pickleball courts in their communities were in “Moderate” or “High” demand.

Under Armour Names Chief Design Officer

Under Armour announced that fashion industry veteran John Varvatos will join the company as chief design officer, leading the design direction for the company and overseeing its design studios in New York, Baltimore and Portland, OR.

SGB Media Releases August 2023 Most Read Articles, Key Metrics

SGB Media published a quick review of the top stories from August 2023 that drove pageviews up 14 percent month-over-month to almost 184,000, while total users grew 10 percent and time spent on the site by each user rose 19 percent for the period.