SGB Update Footwear

Walking Co. Closes Natural Comfort Acquisition

The Walking Company closed its acquisition of substantially all the assets of Natural Comfort Footwear, Inc. effective Jan. 15. Natural Comfort, an independent comfort shoe retailer in Florida, has eight stores operating under the names Natural Comfort an

Why Running Shoes Aren’t Just for Running

Every day in clinic I make footwear recommendations to my patients and inevitably some of them will say to me, “Why are you recommending running shoes? I’m not a runner.” I explain to them that no other shoes offer the features that running shoes do and t

Genesco, Inc. Wins Round One in Merger Fight…

Genesco, Inc. won the first battle of what many believe will be a long, drawn out war in its legal fight with The Finish Line, Inc. to complete the merger first announced in June of this year. The judge in the Chancery Court in Nashville, the venue where

Sporting Goods Industry Urges Students to “Get in the Game”

Top executives from key segments of the sporting goods industry have joined forces to create a program designed to attract top college graduates as future employees. The program, called “Get in the Game,” is the creation of a 15-member committee of leadin

Nike Bauer Goes Retro for Outdoor Hockey Game

Nike Bauer Hockey has designed retro skates and throwback wood sticks for several members of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Buffalo Sabres as part of a special outdoor charity game. The game takes place January 1 at Ralph Wilson Stadium with proceeds to bene

Eddie Bauer Prepays $20M in Debt

Eddie Bauer Holdings, Inc. announced that it has made a voluntary prepayment of $20 million on the existing term loan facility. The company is currently in compliance with all financial covenants under the Term Loan, even without giving effect to the volu

Macy’s to Close Nine Stores

Macy’s, Inc. plans to close nine underperforming Macy’s stores in the next few weeks. The affected stores are located in Indiana, Louisiana, Ohio, Oklahoma, Texas and Utah…

Ashworth Sees Q4 Sales Rise; Net Loss Slim

Ashworth, Inc. reported consolidated net revenue for the fiscal fourth quarter ended October 31, 2007 increased 8.9% to $54.6 million compared to $50.2 million in the same quarter last year. Net domestic revenue increased 9.1% to $44.7 million for the fou

Remington Acquires Marlin Firearms

Remington Arms Co. Inc. announced plans to acquire Marlin Firearms Co. Under the agreement, Robert Behn will remain president of Marlin. The deal is expected to close in January…

Nautilus Sells Colorado Building

The 93,743-square-foot Nautilus building in the Colorado Technology Center has been sold for $6.3 million, according to public records. The building is in Louisville, a suburb north of Denver. The deal closed on Monday, Christmas Eve…

NSGA Management Conference to Examine Future of Retail

The future of retailing in the 21st Century will be examined at the 44th Annual NSGA Management Conference May 4-7, 2008 at the Pointe Hilton Tapatio Cliffs Resort in Phoenix, Ariz. Futurist Ed Barlow, president of Creating the Future, Inc., will discuss

Sportsman’s Warehouse Receives Credit Boost from GE

GE Commercial Finance Corporate Lending has provided a $325 million asset-based credit facility to Sportsman’s Warehouse, an outdoor sporting goods retailer. The financing will be used to fund working capital needs. GE also provides the company with aircr

JJB Makes Lifestyle Move with Original Shoe…

JJB Sports has acquired the Original Shoe Company from Sports Direct International PLC for a consideration of £5 million ($10.0 million) in cash. The Original Shoe Company sells a range of branded lifestyle clothing and footwear including Ben Sherman, Hen

GBMI Acquired by Titan Global Holdings…

Titan Global Holdings, Inc. has purchased the majority of all of the assets of Global Brand Marketing, Inc. (GBMI), including inventory, accounts receivable and intellectual property assets. Titan also said it hired the complete core of executives current