SGB Update Footwear

Forzani Holiday Comps Impacted By Warm Eastern Weather…

The Forzani Group Ltd. Holiday Season corporate same store sales were up 0.5% as strong sales in Western Canada were offset by decreases in Eastern-based stores, which were impacted by unseasonably warm weather. In the franchise business, predominantly lo

Ashworth Sees Weak Q4 Slow Full Year Gains…

Ashworth, Inc. depended on its international business to bump up sales for the fiscal year and to keep the decrease for the quarter below the double-digit mark. The quarterly sales dip was exacerbated by margins decreases and expenses increases, widening

NSGA Report: Footwear ASP’s Rise 3.6% in 2006…

Preliminary data from “Sporting Goods Market in 2007,” a report published annually by the National Sporting Goods Association, indicates that the average price point for athletic footwear rose 3.4% in 2006. In 2006, the average price rose to $42.16 versu

Industry Companies on Fortune’s Best to Work for List…

Timberland, Nike, REI and W.L. Gore all landed spots on Fortune’s annual “Top 100 Companies to Work For” list. W.L. Gore, REI and Timberland have been included in the list every year since its inception in 1997 while Nike first appeared on the list last y

VF Corp. May be Moving Closer to Deal for Majestic…

VF Corp. is apparently inching closer to a deal to a acquire Majestic Athletic. While both parties have been mum about a deal since the story first surfaced in a Sports Business Journal article in December, a spokesperson for VF Corp. confirmed Friday tha

Aravon Hires New Asst. Product Developer

Aravon announces the addition of Sarah Smith as Assistant Product Developer. Smith comes to the brand with a background in Textiles, Fashion Merchandising and Design. As Assistant Product Developer, Smith will contribute to the development and design of

OIA Chooses Award Finalists

Outdoor Industry Association has chosen the finalists for the 2007 Outdoor Industry Ambassador Award and Outdoor Industry Innovator Award, as nominated by the outdoor industry and then selected by OIA’s Board of Directors. The award winners will be announ

SIA Goes Green

At the upcoming SIA.07 SnowSports Trade Show, attendees will notice SIA stepping-up their environmentally friendly practices throughout the show and looking to SIA members to do the same at home and work. Realizing the importance of the environment on a

Hanesbrands Hires New VP General Counsel

Hanesbrands hired Joia M. Johnson to the position of executive vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary, effective Jan. 29, 2007. Johnson joins Hanesbrands from RARE Hospitality International, Inc., a publicly traded restaurant franchise ow

Helly Hansen Hires New VP of Sales and Marketing

Helly Hansen tapped Russ Rowan to drive its image and revenues in the U.S. through a newly created vice president of sales and marketing position based in Bellevue, Wash. Rowan is a 15-year winter sports, outdoor and cycling industry sales veteran. He joi

Walk-EZ Promotes McCall to SVP

Walk-EZ International promoted Bill McCall from Director of Promotional Events to Senior Vice President of Global Sales. Drawing upon his twenty-five year tenure in the snow sports industry, Bill will provide positive leadership and direction to the Walk-

Ashworth Q4 Loss Widens, Posts Net Income for 2006

Ashworth, Inc. saw net revenue for the fourth quarter ended October 31, 2006 decrease 9.3% to $50.2 million from $55.3 million last year. For the quarter, the company posted a net loss of $4.4 million, widened from $2.2 million last year. For the fiscal y

Mizuno Sponsors ING Georgia Marathon

Mizuno signed a multi-year contract to be the Official Footwear and Apparel Supplier of the ING Georgia Marathon and Half Marathon…

REI Plans Second Charlotte, NC Store

Following the successful opening of a store in Pineville, N.C., in August, 2006, REI plans to open a second store in the Charlotte area in the spring of 2008. The new store will be located in the NorthCrest development adjacent to the Northlake Mall. A st