SGB Update Outdoor
La Jolla Group Names New CEO
La Jolla Group Inc. (LJG) announced that Michael Pratt, chief financial officer and SVP strategy, has been promoted to chief executive officer. Daniel Neukomm, CEO since May 2013, will now assume the role of executive chairman.

Unifi Announces Second Quarter Fiscal 2022 Results, Achieving Strong Sales
Unifi, Inc., makers of Repreve, reported sales grew 23.7 percent in the fiscal second quarter ended December 26.

Adidas Plans More Than 2,800 New Hires In 2022
Adidas said it plans to hire more than 2,800 employees in 2022, including more than 800 in its home country of Germany.
Trijicon Names VP Sales And Marketing
Trijicon, Inc., a provider of aiming solutions for the hunting, shooting, military, and law enforcement markets, announced John Trull as vice president of sales and marketing. Most recently, he held the position of vice president of product management-ammunition, Vista Outdoor.

Signa Sports’ Sales Expand 24 Percent In Fiscal Year
Signa Sports United (SSU), the Berlin-based sports e-commerce and technology platform, reported sales grew 10 percent in the fourth quarter and 24 percent in the fiscal year ended September 30.

Activist Investor Seeks Seat On Kohl’s Board
Activist hedge fund Macellum Advisors, which owns about a 5 percent stake in Kohl’s Corp., sent a letter to the retailer’s board on Tuesday urging Kohl’s to publicly commit to carrying out a “robust” process to review strategic alternatives and form a special committee of independent directors to oversee the review.
Guidesly Secures $4 Million In Investment
Guidesly, an online platform connecting guides with anglers, recently closed its seed round of funding, raising $4 million from over 30 investors.
Decathlon Announces New CEO
Decathlon appointed Barbara Martin Coppola as chief executive officer. She succeeds Michel Aballea, in office since 2015. This appointment is effective mid-March 2022.
Smith Appoints Global Head Of Marketing
Smith, the manufacturer of snow goggles, helmets and eyewear, announced the appointment of Taryn Ryan as global head of marketing.

NPD Report: Athletic Footwear Revenues Expand 20 Percent In 2021
Annual revenue for the U.S. athletic footwear market grew by about 20 percent versus 2020, although growth slowed to mid-single-digits in the fourth quarter due to poor execution, supply chain delays, the end of stimulus payments, and a lack of newness in the market, according to The NPD Group.

Academy Sports To Restart New Store Growth In 2022, Including First Stores In Virginia And West Virginia
Academy Sports + Outdoors, Inc. announced that it would open at least eight new stores in 2022 to fill in specific existing markets in Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, and Texas and expand its Virginia and West Virginia footprint.

Gear Aid Acquires Heroclip
Gear Aid, Inc. announced the acquisition of the Heroclip swivel carabiner product line from Lulabop, Inc., which was founded and invented by Mina Yoo in 2014.
La Cordée Appoints President
La Cordée Macap Inc., which operates five outdoor equipment stores in Canada, announced the appointment of Cedric Morisset as president. He was most recently VP retail operations at Mountain Equipment Company (MEC).

REI Workers In Manhattan Store Seek To Form Union
Employees at the REI store located in the SoHo district in NYC filed for a union election on Friday, according to a report in The New York Times.
Rather Outdoors Hires SVP Brand Management
Rather Outdoors announced that industry veteran Zack Swanson would join its North American operation on February 1, 2022, to lead Lew’s, Strike King, Zebco, and Quantum as its SVP brand management. Swanson previously spent over two decades at Rapala VMC Corporation.