SGB Update Footwear
Interbike’s OutDoor Demo Improves Location
Interbike has made improvements to its annual OutDoor Demo bicycle trade show to be held in Boulder City, Nevada September 24-25, 2007. Still located in Bootleg Canyon, the new exhibition booth area has been relocated approximately 350 yards to the west a
Peak Sports Joins Grassroots
When the Grassroots Outdoor Alliance name was established in late 2006 with more than 30 members already on board, the name change symbolized their enhanced mission statement that now includes a focus on specialty retail advocacy. Peak Sports, based in th
Hilco Consumer Capital Acquires Golf Biz from Huffy
Hilco Consumer Capital, LLC and Crystal Capital have partnered to acquire the Tommy Armour, Ram, TearDrop and Zebra brands from Huffy Corporation. Terms of the purchase were not disclosed. HCC management will oversee day-to-day operations of the four bra
Rocky Brands Consolidates Distribution
Rocky Brands will be consolidating its distribution operations in an effort to improve customer service and increase the company's profitability, according to Chairman and CEO Mike Brooks. Rocky Brands will immediately begin a transition plan to dist
Foot Locker Limits Q2 Losses; Points to Aggressive Turn-Around Plans…
Foot Locker, Inc. saw shares jump more than 10% last week after surprising Wall Street with better-than-expected bottom line results and management offered up a solid plan for turning around a very tough athletic footwear business in the mall. The increa
Hibbett Sees Q3 Trends Turn Positive; Still Cautious With Annual Outlook…
Hibbett Sporting Goods, Inc. tried to put the past behind them on their quarterly conference call with analysts, describing the first 19 days of the new quarter as a series of dramatic shifts from second quarter trends. For Q3-to-date, calendar comps were
adidas Wins Out in German National Team Fight…
It appears the battle that started with Nike’s offer to sponsor the German national football (soccer) team in early December 2006 has come to a close with adidas still the team’s kit supplier. Reports out of Germany have the German Football Association (D
Kästle Re-Launches With New Owners…
Last year, Austrian entrepreneurs and former ski racers Siegfried Rumpfhuber, Alexander Lotschak and Oliver Binder acquired worldwide trademark rights for Kästle from the Benetton Group, which abandoned the brand in 1999 to develop its line of Nordica ski
OR Summer Market: Footwear Blends Outdoor and Action Sports…
The recent Outdoor Retailer Summer Market was bigger than ever, and generated a positive buzz among most attendees. Although there was no single product or trend that was hailed as “the next big thing,” there were a few overarching themes that trickled—an
The New Green Consumer…
With sustainable manufacturing and materials coming to the forefront of the outdoor industry over the past few show seasons, it is becoming more apparent that “green” design is much more than a passing fad. While many trends in outdoor and snowsports are
O’Neill Becomes Official Partner of Project BLUE
Project BLUE, has added O’Neill as an official partner. As a project BLUE partner, O’Neill joins Billabong, Dakine, Electric, Nixon and Reef in their quest to support the international efforts of the Surfrider Foundation by creating special edition produc
Ruff Wear Expands Team
Ruff Wear is expanding its marketing team and sales force in North America to meet the needs of customers in both the outdoor retail and specialty pet markets. To help drive this expansion, Ruff Wear tapped Gary Fleshman, director of sales, to also overse
The Finish Line and Genseco See Merger Deal Pass FTC Muster…
The Finish Line, Inc. and Genesco Inc. announced last week that the Federal Trade Commission has granted early termination of the waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act, in connection with the companies' pending merger. The deal, which is exp
Payless ShoeSource Closes on Stride Rite Acquisition…
Payless ShoeSource, Inc. has completed the acquisition of The Stride Rite Corporation, including the Stride Rite, Keds, Sperry Top-Sider, Tmmy Hilfiger Footwear, and Saucony brands, and has officially changed its name to Collective Brands, Inc.
REI launches new ‘Eco-Sensitive’ Labeling…
While many vendor companies and OIA are meeting to discuss standards for eco-sensitive labeling, REI has already rolled out a plan to implement a similar program into its REI brand products. The new eco-sensitive label will designate items manufactured wi
