Airwalk Parent Inks Licensing Deal Down Under
Collective Licensing International, LLC, owner of the Airwalk® brand, recently announced that the company has entered into a Master Licensing Agreement with Brand Direct to license the Airwalk® brand. Brand Direct International Pty. Ltd. will be responsib
Johnson Outdoors and Thule Team Up…
Johnson Outdoors entered into a new partnership with THULE to design a lift assisted kayak car-top carrier called the Hullivator. Thule’s president Fred Clark told SEW that Johnson Outdoors approached Thule with the concept and the two companies worked to
U.S. Online Sales Expected to Double by 2010
U.S. online retail sales will more than double over the next six years, reaching $316 billion by 2010. According to a new report from Forrester Research, Inc., the growing population of online shopping households, combined with effective multichannel int
Delta Gets Another Soffe Boost in Q4; New Soffe President Named…
Delta Apparel is looking like the smartest guy on the block these days, reporting fourth quarter results that were significantly improved versus last year, due primarily to the October 2004 acquisition of M.J. Soffe Company. The company will start to tra
LaCrosse to Exit PVC Boot Business, Close Plant
LaCrosse Footwear, Inc. has sold certain assets of its PVC boot line to Onguard Industries, LLC. As a result, LaCrosse will end its manufacture and sales of PVC boots and close its Claremont, NH facility. The Company will continue to accept orders and sh
Summer Market Part II: Outdoor Footwear Gets Wet and Wild…
Summer Market was a feast of emerging footwear innovations from a number of vendors, but two clear directions were evident as companies worked to broaden their base of consumers or extend their brand’s appeal beyond its intended primary use. Much of the
Footstar Sells Gaffney Distribution Center
Footstar, Inc. has entered into an agreement to sell its distribution center in Gaffney, SC for approximately $15.1 million. The facility will be acquired by Automated Distribution Systems, L.P., a leading third party distribution and logistics solutions
Notes From the Open Air Demo…
The Summer Market’s Open Air Demo was a resounding success for most of the vendors BOSS spoke with. The lake at Little Dell Reservoir was crowded with canoes, kayaks, wind-surfers, and even sailboats. The two largest booths, Thule and Watermark, were draw
Quiksilver Names New Roxy Merchandising Chief
Roxy, a division of Quiksilver, has named Mary Kwan as Senior Vice President of Merchandising and Design. The accomplished executive will be responsible for supervision of product development, leading the identification and allocation of human and operati
Gander Mountain Looks for Momentum Moving into Back Half of Year…
Gander Mountain saw the elimination of most of its vendor proof-of-performance rebates impact second quarter earnings to the tune of $1.5 million this year, resulting in a 6.3% increase in the net loss for the period when measured on a pro forma basis. On
Sears Names Target Exec as Merchandising Head
Sears, Roebuck and Co. has announced that one of the top merchants in the retail industry, Luis Padilla, will join Sears as president of merchandising, a newly created position. In his new role with Sears, Padilla will lead and integrate all merchandising
Green Business Grows at OR…
The OIA¡¦s recommendation to keep the OR Summer and Winter Markets in Salt Lake City was contingent on one set of factors, namely the state of Utah¡¦s ¡§continued partnership with the OIA to promote a recreation economy and to protect its recreation gems.
ICON Shuffles Executive Deck as Founders Take Leave
ICON Health & Fitness, Inc. has made a number of appointments in the executive suite due to the leave of absence taken by Scott Watterson and Gary Stevenson. David J. Watterson, a 23-year ICON veteran, was recently elected chairman and COO, and Fred Beck,
Dick’s Moving Fast on Galyans Integration; Raises Guidance…
Dick's Sporting Goods does not appear to be as affected by the licensed apparel or fitness equipment issues that have caused other sporting goods retailers to reduce their expectations for the second quarter. That fact, coupled with the retailer’s i
The U.S. Sporting Goods Market Gets Wall Street’s Attention Again…
Acting in the usual Lemming-like pattern, investors on Wall Street left the sporting goods sector in droves last month after warnings by The Sports Authority and Hibbett sent analysts into a tizzy about the short-term opportunity in out little sector of t
