Varsity Brands Appoints First Chief Security Officer
As CSO, veteran law enforcement officer and security expert Lisa Olivieri manages Varsity Brand’s integrated security and safety efforts, events, competitions, offices, and facilities. The company also announced safety and security advancements in its spirit division, Varsity Spirit.
DTLR Names SVP of Marketing and Community Engagement
Lifestyle retailer DTLR, which has over 250 stores in 21 states, promoted Antonio Gray to senior vice president of marketing and community engagement. Gray previously served as the VP of apparel.
Report: RV Shipments for May Show Moderate Increase Over 2023
Towable RVs, led by conventional travel trailers, ended the month up 13.5 percent from last May with 30,177 shipments. Motorhomes finished the month down 31.2 percent, compared to the same month last year with 2,973 units.
Club Champion Opens Locations In North Carolina and Maine
Club Champion has opened two more locations to surpass 130 studios worldwide. The new studios are in Westbrook, ME, the first in the state, and Durham, NC.
Kent Outdoors Appoints New CEO
Randy Hales, the company’s new CEO, most recently was the CEO of Next Level Apparel. Hales replaces Ken Meidell.
Puma Appoints New VP Direct-To-Consumer
Erik Janshento leads Puma’s DTC business, which includes owned and operated stores, puma.com, and several online marketplaces. He replaced Karthik Balagopalan, appointed managing director of Puma India in 2023, who has led Puma’s DTC business on an interim basis since then.
Core Health and Fitness Secures Funding for R&D and Product Expansion
The parent of the StairMaster, Schwinn Indoor Bikes, Nautilus Strength, Star Trac, Wexer, and Throwdown fitness brands secured an investment from Franklin Square Capital Partners, an asset manager based in Philadelphia.
Nordstrom, Inc. Plans to Open Another New Rack Store in Houston Next Spring
The 30,000-square-foot store will open in the Westchase Shopping Center, which includes Whole Foods and Target. Today, Nordstrom operates eight Nordstrom stores and 21 Nordstrom Rack stores in Texas.
L.L.Bean to Expand Store Count in 2024 Underscoring Omnichannel Growth Strategy
L.L.Bean reported it will open four new retail stores in 2024, including its first store in Indiana. The other locations include Ulster, NY; Mechanicsburg, PA; Enfield, CT; and Indianapolis, IN.
Pickleball Kingdom Continues Expansion in Bergen County, NJ
The indoor pickleball franchise in Bergan County, NJ, is operated by Todd and Chana Baron.
7Mesh Secures New Representation for Benelux Region and Ontario, Canada
Summit Outdoor & Sports will represent the brand in the Benelux region (Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg), and AKA Sports Group will cover the Ontario territory.
Revolve Group Acquires French Couture House Alexandre Vauthier
Before the acquisition, Revolve stocked the designer’s label as part of its FWRD platform. Having trained at Thierry Mugler and Jean Paul Gaultier prior to launching his label in 2008, Alexandre Vauthier has since garnered a cult following.
Report: Glamping Continues Trending Up in Outdoor Hospitality
KOA’s latest report on Glamping, part of its annual Camping and Outdoor Hospitality Report series, found the genre continues to grow in popularity, with 34 percent of new campers identifying themselves as “Glampers.”
Birkenstock Employees and Majority Investor Selling 14M Shares
The company, which went public in October 2023, plans to sell 14 million shares in a secondary public offering of the BIRK shares. The shares will be sold by L Catterton and Birkenstock employees.
Italian Teamwear Company Opens U.S. Headquarters and DC
Macron reported an important milestone in its growth plan this past weekend when it opened the brand’s new U.S. headquarters in Bridgeport, CT, attended by Giovanni Maruzzi, Macron’s chief sales officer and CEO of Macron U.S.
