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).
Under Armour Replaces Reebok As Footwear Partner For UFC
Under Armour Inc.’s Project Rock brand featuring former pro wrestler and actor Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has replaced Reebok as the official footwear partner of UFC, the mixed martial arts organization.
Nike Appoints SNKRS VP To Lead New Virtual Studios Division
Nike announced it had appointed Ron Faris as the VP of its SNKRS app and lead its Virtual Studios, a new division supporting Nike’s latest push into the metaverse.
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.
NPD Group: Early 2021 Retail Gains Outpaced Strong Holiday Finish
U.S. consumer spending on general merchandise ended the year up 15 percent compared to 2020 with a 6 percent increase in unit sales. While holiday shopping brought positive retail results, the early part of the year delivered more significant year-over-year gains. The fourth quarter of 2021 contributed 9 percent revenue growth and one percent unit growth over the prior year, according The NPD Group.
KKR Acquires Accell For $1.77BN
A consortium led by buyout firm and Teslin Alpine Acquisition has agreed to a takeover of Accell Group that values the maker of bike brands, including Raleigh, Haibike, Ghost, Koga, Sparta, and Batavus at Є1.56 billion ($1.77 billion).
Port Of Los Angeles Breaks Cargo Record In 2021, Sets Priorities For 2022
Breaking its previous calendar year record by 13 percent, the Port of Los Angeles processed about 10.7 million Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units (TEUs) during 2021. The milestone, a Western Hemisphere record, was announced by Port Executive Director Gene Seroka in his address at the Pacific Merchant Shipping Association’s Seventh Annual “State of the Port” event held virtually this year.
Inov-8 Makes France A Direct Market; Hires Sales Manager For The Region
UK-based Inov-8 announced its growth plans for France after adding the country to its portfolio of direct European markets. The brand also announced it had appointed Emmanuel (Manu) Fedon as sales manager for France.
Activist Investor Urges Peloton To Fire CEO, Explore Sale
In a letter to Peloton’s Board of Directors, activist investor Blackwells Capital called for its directors to fire the company’s CEO, Co-founder John Foley, and to weigh a sale as the connected fitness firm’s shares dropped amid falling sales.
Gathr Outdoors Acquires Cascadia Vehicle Tents
Gathr Outdoors announced its acquisition of Cascadia Vehicle Tents (CVT). The terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
Camping World Increases Stock Repurchase Program
Camping World Holdings Inc. announced that its Board of Directors has authorized an increase in its stock repurchase program after which $200 million remains available for the repurchase of the company’s Class A common stock.
Escalade Completes Acquisition Of Brunswick Billiards
Escalade Inc. announced that it has completed its acquisition of the assets of the Brunswick Billiards business from Life Fitness.
NPD Sees Performance Footwear Climb Double-Digits In Fourth Quarter
The NPD Group reported performance footwear sales in the U.S. grew 12 percent in the fourth quarter against the pre-pandemic 2019 fourth quarter. Sales on the same basis of leisure footwear inched up 2 percent while fashion footwear declined 4 percent.
Kohl’s Receives Pressure From Two Possible Suitors
Kohl’s shares are set to surge Monday morning as the department store chain is reportedly fielding interest from two suitors at the same time that it’s grappling with multiple activist investors pressuring it to sell.
