SGB Update Sports & Fitness
Sam’s Club to Open Two New Midwest Distribution Centers
The Walmart Inc.’s warehouse club division plans to open two new distribution centers in early 2024 outside St. Louis and Minneapolis.
Academy Sports Trims Guidance on Q3 Shortfall
The retailer narrowed its full-year guidance to the lower end of prior expectations as third-quarter sales and earnings arrived below expectations. The retailer blamed generally soft consumer spending and warm weather’s impact on fall selling.
Costco’s Comps Improved 3.5 Percent in November
Costco Wholesale Corp. reported same-store sales rose 3.5 percent in November. By region, comps increased 1.8 percent in the U.S., 4.4 percent in Canada and 11.7 percent in its Other International segment.
StretchLab Opens its 400th Location
StretchLab, offering one-on-one assisted stretch, opened its 400th franchise location at StretchLab University Village in Colorado Springs, CO. The milestone comes eight months after the company’s 300th studio opened, opening a location every three days in 2023.
Franklin Sports Inks Ball Deal with Pro Volleyball League
The multi-year agreement with Pro Volleyball Federation, North America’s women’s provolleyball league, will see Franklin’s newly designed Real Pro Volleyball become the exclusive volleyball of the League.
Paris Saint-Germain to Relocate to Larger New York City Flagship
Paris Saint-Germain and its partners, Fanatics and Lids, announced plans to move its New York City flagship to a premium location at 535 5th Avenue on December 15 to build on the success of its first Manhattan flagship, at 587 5th Avenue, which opened in March 2022.
Craft Sportswear NA Sees CEO Transition as HQ Moves West
Craft Sportswear North America plans to move its U.S. headquarters from Beverly, MA, to Seattle, WA, in 2024 to “bolster the brand’s expansion in outdoor and specialty retail, all while streamlining operational efficiencies.” Cutter & Buck exec Jake Rawson has been named the new CEO for Craft North America.
NBDA Elects Two New Board Members
The National Bicycle Dealers Association (NBDA) elected Clark Butcher from Victory Bicycle Studio in Memphis, TN, and Greg McDonald from Ridleys in Calgary, BC to its Board of Directors.
Running USA Appoints Director of Operations
Running USA announced that Michael Clemons accepted a permanent position as director of operations, effective December 1. Clemons has been working as a contractor for the organization since September.
New Balance Opens Second UK store in Westfield White City
New Balance opened a second retail store in the UK, this time in Westfield White City, on November 27. The retail concept puts people, rather than products, front and center, to inspire each other and find their “authentic” style.
Foot Locker Tops Expectations in Third Quarter
Foot Locker, Inc. reported a significant drop in earnings in the third quarter on an 8 percent same-store sales decline but both earnings and sales topped analyst expectations amid progress on its Lace Up turnaround plan. For the year, the sneaker retailer slightly lowered its EPS guidance while slightly raising its sales targets.
NRF: Thanksgiving Holiday Weekend Sees Record Number of Shoppers
A record 200.4 million consumers shopped over the five-day holiday weekend from Thanksgiving Day through Cyber Monday, surpassing last year’s record of 196.7 million, according to the annual survey released by the National Retail Federation. The figures surpassed NRF’s initial expectations of 182 million shoppers by more than 18 million.
Report: Online Apparel Sales Nearly Triple on Cyber Monday
Consumers spent a total of $12.4 billion on Cyber Monday, November 27, according to final Adobe Analytics data, up 9.6 percent from $11.3 billion on Cyber Monday 2022, which was the previous single biggest online spending day of all time.
Academy Sports Opens Seven New Stores in November
Academy Sports + Outdoors opened seven new stores in five states in November 2023 to complete its fiscal 2023 new store planned openings. The retailer opened 14 new stores in fiscal 2023 and plans to expand to reach its goal of opening 120 to 140 new stores by the end of 2027.
Nike and Salazar Settle Distance Runner’s Lawsuit
Nike and Alberto Salazar settled a $20 million lawsuit filed by long-distance runner and former Nike ambassador Mary Cain. Terms were not disclosed.
