SGB Update Footwear

The Finish Line Shrinks Loss, Inventory in Third Quarter

Strong inventory and cost controls combines with a decent performance in footwear to help The Finish Line slightly trim its loss from continuing operations in the third quarter ended November 29. These improvements helped offset continued weakness in appa

Study: Obese Now Outweigh the Overweight

A new study by the National Center for Health Statistics finds that the number of obese American adults outweighs the number of those who are considered merely overweight for the first time. The study shows that more than 34% of Americans are obese, compa

More Vendors Restructure Under Economic Pressures

Head N.V. Group plans to close its tennis ball factory in Phoenix, AZ in March of this year. In 2007, the company began manufacturing tennis balls in a new factory in China, and has now made the decision to shut the U.S. facility and manufacture its worl

Avia Partners with Troy Lee Designs

Avia announced a new partnership deal with Troy Lee Designs (TLD), the southern California-based company that produces custom graphic designs for the “world’s fastest racers.” TLD will co-create a collection of AVIA racing shoes with a limited release per

Zumiez December Comps Fall 12%

Zumiez, Inc. reported a 12.3% decline in same-store sales after a 3.9% increase in comps for the year ago period. Management said the decrease in comps was driven by a decrease in store transactions and a decrease in average unit retail…

RECALL: RockShox Domain Bicycle Forks

About 175 bicycles with RockShox Domain 302 and 318 bicycle forks, manufactured in Taiwan and imported by SRAM, have been recalled because the forks can detach from the bicycle frames…

Mountain High Sees Record

Mountain High Resort in Wrightwood, CA reported a record-breaking holiday season with skier visits up more than 40% over last year for the two-week Christmas period…

New Balance Appoints EVP, North American Sales

Boston-based New Balance announces the appointment of Chris Quinn as Executive Vice President, North American Sales. Quinn was most recently with Folgers Coffee as Sr. Vice President Sales and Chief Customer Office…

Suunto Names Director of Marketing

As of Jan. 19, Suunto North America will name Nate Randle as their Director of Marketing. Randle comes to Suunto North America with 10 years of marketing and sales experience most recently with Callaway Golf Company…

Pipeline Teams Up with Hawaii Intercontinental Corp.

Pipeline International said for Spring/ Summer 2009 it has joined into exclusive distributor partnership with Hawaii Intercontinental Corporation (HIC). The company said the agreement covers all soft and hard good categories. Products will be sold to depa

Schutt, HotHead Sports Team Up for “Smart Helmet”

HotHead Technologies, Inc., an Atlanta-based enterprise committed to improving athletic safety through research-based technology, announced it is working closely with Schutt Sports to develop a commercially viable heat-sensing helmet insert, which can det

TJX Sees Flat December Comps, Updates Q4 Outlook

The TJX Companies, Inc. saw sales for the five-week period ended Jan. 3, 2009, of $2.37 billion, a 3% decrease from the $2.43 billion achieved during the five-week period ended Jan. 5, 2008. Consolidated comparable store sales for the five-week period end

The Buckle Continues Comps Run with 13.5% December Gain

The Buckle, Inc. reported a 13.5% jump in comparable store sales for fiscal December. Net sales for the five-week fiscal month ended January 3, 2009 increased 20.8% to $131.2 million from $108.5 million for the year-ago period…

BJ’s Comps Up Slightly for December

BJ's Wholesale Club, Inc. reported total sales for December 2008 increased by 3.2% to $1.06 billion from $1.03 billion in December 2007. On a comparable club basis, sales increased by 1.6% for the month of December, including a negative impact from s