SGB Update Outdoor

Mammut North America Hires Three Key VP Roles, Promotes Three Others

Mammut hired three new VP-level roles to its North American team structure to drive growth across sales, operations, marketing, and partnerships. Recent promotions include Leah Simkoff to VP of finance, Ian Armstrong to national sales director and Collin Jenkins to commercial director.

Consumer Confidence Index Improves Modestly

Consumer sentiment in the U.S. improved modestly in early April, as reported in the University of Michigan’s Consumer Confidence Index, rising to 63.5 (preliminary) from 62 index points in March—better than the market expectation of 62.

Walmart’s Chief Merchandising Officer To Depart

Walmart’s Chief Merchandising Officer, Charles Redfield, is stepping down next month. The announcement came from Walmart’s U.S. CEO, John Furner, in a memo to employees dated April 14.

JD Sports Appoints General Counsel

JD Sports Fashion Plc, parent company for Finish Line, Shoe Palace and DTLR retail brands in the U.S., hired Theresa Casey as general counsel and company secretary of JD, effective immediately.

Walmart Closes Four Stores In Chicago

Walmart reported it will close four of its eight stores in Chicago after stating the stores were losing “tens of millions of dollars a year, and the retailer’s annual losses nearly doubled in just the last five years.”

Dillard’s Debt Ratings Upgraded

S&P Global Ratings raised the debt ratings on Dillard’s Inc. as the department store chain has maintained a “stable performance and a conservative financial policy even in the volatile retail operating environment of the past year.”

Marolina Outdoor Adds Industry Veterans To Team

Marolina Outdoor, the parent company of Huk Performance Fishing and Nomad Outdoor, hired Dean Rurak as CEO and Bill Ferreira as senior vice president of sales and merchandising, effective May 1.

Yukon Outfitters Names Sales Chief

Yukon Outfitters hired John Bissert as vice president of sales and business development. Most recently, Bissert was senior sales director for Sporting Goods, RV Marine & Promotional channels at The Coleman Company/Newell Brands.

Yue Yuen Manufacturing Business Falls 21.3 Percent In March

Yue Yuen Industrial (Holdings) Limited, the subsidiary of Pou Chen Corporation that manufactures a large percentage of global athletic and outdoor footwear, reported that its net consolidated operating revenue for March was $696.5 million, a 10.0 percent decline versus the year-ago month.