SGB Update Sports & Fitness
Nordstrom Sets Fall 2025 Plan for Rack Store in Lakeland, FL
The 30,000-square-foot store will be in Lakeside Village, a shopping center that includes Kohl’s, Books-A-Million, Belk, and entertainment options, including CMX Cinemas. Lakeside Village is owned and managed by Continental Realty Corporation.
Former NSGA Board Chairman Craig Koenig Passes Away
Koenig served on the NSGA Board of Directors from 1985 to 1992 and was Chairman from 1990 to 1991. As the Chairman and CEO of the Cleveland, OH-based family business Koenig Sporting Goods, Koenig oversaw the company’s growth from two stores in the late 1960s to an independent retail chain of 40 stores in the 1990s.
USTA Announces New Board of Directors for 2025/26 Term
The Board of Directors, including elected officers and Directors at Large, will serve a two-year term beginning on January 1, 2025. The newly elected USTA Chairman of the Board and President, Brian Vahaly, will assume the role of the outgoing Chairman, Dr. Brian Hainline, who served from 2023/24.
Swiftwick Hires Nike Vet as Sales Manager, Run Specialty
James Osborne, who has worked as a sales and community consultant for the company since earlier this summer, was hired full-time as sales manager for run specialty. He will remain a Co-owner of The Exchange Running Collective.
Hartford Sales Group Celebrates 40 Years as Indie Sales Agency
The company, founded in October 1984 by Larry Hartford, cut its teeth on new brands launching in the market. Hartford started his footwear and apparel sales career ten years prior, representing Tred2, Brooks, Court Casuals and many others in the active outdoor space.
Williams Athletic Club Apparel Brand Adds to Leadership Team
The luxury lifestyle golf brand, has named golf industry experts Marty Hackel, the former fashion director at Golf Digest, and Alyson Ramsey Johnson, CEO of golf marketing agency Gilly Group, to the brand’s leadership team and as investors of the apparel company.
Report: Private Golf Clubs are Vital Contributors to National and Local Economies
The study found that private clubs provided a total payroll of $17.4 billion in 2023, with $14.6 billion in wages and $2.8 billion in payroll taxes and benefits, surpassing large corporations.
Champion Europe Appoints New Creative Director
Maurizio Donadi’s will oversee the creative development of Champion’s product lines and seasonal collections. His arrival is reported to mark a shift in the brand’s direction under the new ownership of Authentic Brands Group, which acquired the brand in October.
The Golf Travel Writers of America Establishes New Leadership Team
The organization, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary next year, is an association of U.S. and Canadian golf travel writers, editors, publishers, columnists, radio and television hosts, and freelancers who focus on golf travel.
Survey: Consumers Expected to Spend $125 Billion Over Thanksgiving Weekend 2024
ICSC said 90 percent of consumers – or 236 million people – plan to shop based on the results from the 2024 Thanksgiving Weekend Intentions survey.
TruGolf Holdings Posts Turnaround Quarter in Q3 as Sales Grow 82 Percent
EBITDA for the second half of 2024 is estimated to range between $1.1 million and $1.5 million, showing a return to profitability following significant investments made over the past two years. Total revenue for end of 2024 is expected to grow 9 percent to 13 percent.
Arora Group Appoints New Managing Director of Golf
Gerry Ivers will oversee day-to-day operations at The Buckinghamshire, recently repositioned as a private members’ club following an over £10 million clubhouse renovation. He will also develop a new course at Ryder Cup candidate venue Luton Hoo Hotel, Golf & Spa.
Nite Ize Spins Off Tru Zip to Stand-Alone Brand
Nite Ize, manufacturer of the Tru Zip toothless, dustproof and waterproof zipper, announced that the product now operates as an independent brand. Nite Ize, the product inventor, will remain its sole distributor.
S&S Activewear Taps Industry Veteran to Lead Hard Goods Division
Eric Levin brings over 33 years of industry leadership to this role, having previously founded Jetline, a promotional products business that merged with Prime Line in 2015, which Alphabroder acquired and became the supplier’s hard goods division. Levin served as executive vice president of strategy and growth.
Report: Pickleball Specific Facilities Grew 55 Percent Last Year But Still Lags in Participation Growth
SFIA and Pickleheads have released their second annual report, the 2024 State of Pickleball: Participation & Infrastructure Report, noting that the industry has responded to the shortage of pickleball courts in the U.S., with a 55 percent year-over-year increase in the number of dedicated facilities for play.
