Sims Inks Deal with World’s Largest Trading Company…
Tom Sims has inked a new licensing agreement with Itochu International, the North American subsidiary of ITOCHU Corporation, one of Japan's leading companies. Itochu now has the exclusive worldwide distribution rights of Sims Snowboards, including al
Former Execs Plead Guilty in China Kickback Scheme…
Scott Brabson, a former Vans executive, and Jay Rosendahl, a former Columbia Sportswear executive who was consulting for Vans, pleaded guilty last week to four federal charges, admitting they obtained $4.7 million in bribes and kickbacks from Chinese fact
December SnowSports Sales Slow at Specialty; Chain Stores Still Has Gains…
Warm December weather slowed foot traffic in many New England Specialty SnowSports retailers causing nationwide SnowSports Specialty retail sales to slump 5% in units and 2% in dollars during the month. For the same month, SnowSports Chain retailers saw s
Federal Budget Proposal Leaves No Room for Recreation…
Two weeks ago in a letter to President Bush, 78 executives from OIA member-companies asked for full funding of the Land and Water Conservation Fund and the Urban Parks and Recreation Restoration Program. Both programs are designed to help states, cities
Reebok Launches Biggest Ad Campaign in Ten Years, But Where Have We Heard This Before…
Reebok International looked to excite the market with the ad campaign that is expected to further energize the company’s Rbk brand and strengthen its position with the coveted 12 to 24 year-old consumer base that is responsible for the vast majority of sn
Louisiana Court Rejects Bass Pro TIF…
The Louisiana State Supreme Court has ruled that Livingston Parish’s TIF bill, designed to lure Bass Pro into opening a store in the town, was unconstitutional because it used dedicated tax dollars in its funding. The court did not rule on the constitutio
December SnowSports Sales Slow at Specialty; Chain Stores Still Has Gains…
Warm December weather slowed foot traffic in many New England Specialty SnowSports retailers causing nationwide SnowSports Specialty retail sales to slump 5% in units and 2% in dollars during the month. For the same month, SnowSports Chain retailers saw s
Sporting Goods, Specialty Athletic Footwear, and Family Footwear Drive ASP
The growth of the average price point for all sports footwear in 2004 was attributable to strength in the sporting goods, specialty athletic footwear and family footwear channels of distribution, according to data gathered for “The Sporting Goods Market i
Rebel Sports Shows Growth in Difficult Conditions…
Rebel Sports, Australia’s largest sporting goods chain, reported that fiscal 2004/05 first half sales increased 4.4% to AU$162.0 million ($118.9 mm). The company said that the rugby world cup, which occurred during the first half of fiscal 2003-04, booste
CPSC Causes Confusion over 2003 Rossignol and Dynastar Recall
In response to a CPSC 'recall alert' issued last week, Rossignol has released a statement clarifying exactly which bindings were recalled. Apparently, the CPSC alert concerned a recall which began in December of 2003, and was completed within 60
Wolverine Posts Balanced 2004 Results; Merrell Backlog Jumps on Continuum Gains…
Wolverine World Wide, Inc. played up the World Wide in its name in both the fourth quarter and the year as the International business increased to 27% of consolidated sales, compared to 25% of sales in the prior year, and pre-tax earnings for the Internat
Puma AG Rides Higher Margins to 51% Profit Gain in Q4
Puma AG reported that consolidated net sales for the 2004 fourth quarter increased 23.8% on a currency-adjusted basis. In Euro terms, sales were up by 19.9% to €273 million ($354.1 mm). The gross profit margin improved 440 basis points to 51.9%, helping p
Huffy Sees the Other Legal Shoe Drop Over Gen-X Issues…
The class action bandwagon against Huffy Corp. is getting full after an initial class action suit was filed last wee alleging that Don Graber, Timothy Howard, Robert Lafferty and Paul D'Aloia, all current or former Huffy officers and directors, fail
Hickory and Tweed named ‘National Ski Shop of the Year’
SKI Magazine senior editor Joe Cutts announced that Hickory & Tweed of Armonk, NY, was named National Ski Shop of the Year by SKI magazine. The honor was bestowed at an SIA awards party presented by the makers of eVENT® Fabrics celebrating the sixth annua
Gander Sees Class Action Suits Filed Over ‘Materially False’ Information…
Several law firms that specialize in class action suits have piled onto the initial shareholder class action lawsuit against Gander Mountain, claiming certain officers and directors within the company had prior knowledge about factors that devalued GMTN s
