Best Buy Invests in Mobile Fitness Earbud Tech Firm
Valencell, Inc., a Raleigh-NC based mobile health and fitness technology company, said it has received $5.5 million in Series B venture investment. The round was led by Best Buy Capital, the investment group of Best Buy Co., Inc., with participation from
Sitka Announces Team of Official Sitka Gear Heads
Sitka Gear Inc., the manufacturer of hunting apparel, has formed an elite group of individuals known as “Gear Heads” to provide technical assistance for consumers…
Obermeyer Hires Veteran Merchandiser
Aspen-based Sport Obermeyer appointed Ryan Meyer as the brand’s newest merchandiser. In his new role, Meyer will serve as overall product category expert, helping to improve brand collections from starting concept through design, line development, s
Cramer Expands into Apparel with Stromgren Deal
Cramer Products, Inc. has acquired Stromgren Athletics in a deal that provides the maker of sports medicine and physical education products a pathway into protective apparel product and compression apparel. The deal is expected to increase Cramer revenue
Ryder Taps Mountain Bike Pro Schwartz as Brand Specialist
Ryders Eyewear has hired former pro mountain biker Joe Schwartz as brand specialist. A former brand ambassador for companies like Kona, Smith Optics and Bell, Schwartz has experience in product line development and web content development that will boost
Schutt Acquires Adams USA’s Football Helmet/Faceguard Assets
Schutt Sports has acquired football helmet and faceguard assets from Adams USA. The deal will give Schutt a much larger presence in the youth market, while freeing Adams to pursue its other team sports businesses. Financial terms of the transaction were n
Industry Vendors See Q1 Sales Up Double-Digits
Vendors who bolstered inventories with heavier buys in the 2010 fourth quarter were rewarded by a healthier selling environment in the 2011 first quarter as overall revenues for manufacturers improved a robust 12.0% during the quarter…
Report: Daily Deal Customers Rarely Become Regulars
A week after Groupon filed paperwork for its IPO, a Rice University professor said his latest research shows that while such daily deal sites are very successful at attracting new customers, those customers rarely buy more than the heavily discounted deal
Rubel Exits Collective Brands; Olivet Assumes Chair
Collective Brands Inc.'s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Matt Rubel resigned last week and a search for a permanent replacement was launched…
ADT: Store Thefts Up in 2010
Retailers lost more than $37 billion to theft last year, according to an annual survey recently conducted by the University of Florida with a funding grant from ADT Commercial, a major security systems integrator…
Apple’s Retail Chief to Head J. C. Penney
Ron Johnson, who joined Apple more than a decade ago to build the computer company’s retail stores, has been named J.C. Penney’s next chief executive, effective November 1…
OIA Vantage Point: Weather Again Puts Damper on Outdoor Retail Sales in May
May retail sales were described as “hit-or-miss” across much of the broader retail landscape as consumers held back on big purchases amidst uncertainty about the economy, higher gasoline and food prices and unemployment figures that can’
New Balance Sees Strong Growth in Franchise Stores
New Balance announced that its U.S. licensed franchise stores have seen increased year-over-year sales for the past nine straight months, but comp store sales growth appears to be slipping since February…
BOSS Goes One-on-One with VF Outdoor’s Steve Rendle
VF Corporation last week announced it would acquire The Timberland Company in a deal valued at approximately $2 billion (see BOSS_1124)…
Census Bureau: May Leisure Products Retail Sales Rose
Though retail sales rose for the 11th straight month in May, rising gas prices and a weak labor market took the steam out of consumer spending, with only a few retail sectors reporting growth over April…
