SGB Update Sports & Fitness

TenCate Americas Hires VP of Manufacturing

The manufacturer and installer of synthetic turf for sports and outdoor living applications, based in Chattanooga, TN hired Colin Drafts as vice president of manufacturing.

Wolverine World Wide Adds Two Board Members

Wolverine World Wide, Inc. appointed Cheryl Abel-Hodges, current CEO of Tommy John, and Jack Boyle, the former head buyer for Fanatics, to its Board of Directors, effective July 1, 2025.

Imbox Protection Acquired by PE Firm

Altor Fund VI, a Swedish private equity firm, has acquired a majority stake in Imbox Protection A/S, a Danish company specializing in footwear protection technology, while entering into a partnership with the company’s former founder and owners, Réné Marker and the Grundtvig family.

Rack Room Appoints Chief Merchant and Chief Digital Officer

The company promoted Brian Burnett to senior vice president, chief merchandise officer and Molly Hartney to chief digital officer, a newly created role. Burnett has been with Rack Room Shoes for nearly nine years, having previously served as general merchandise manager. Hartney joined the company as chief marketing officer in 2021.

Report: June Mall Traffic Declined Across All Formats

Placer.ai noted that June 2025 shopping center traffic fell slightly following two straight months of year-over-year visit growth – although indoor malls continued to show the strongest performance, with just a 0.7 percent drop in year-over-year June visits.

Adobe Forecasts Almost $24 Billion In Amazon Four-Day Prime Day Sales

Amazon’s four-day Prime Day event, running from July 8 to 11, is expected to drive online spending across U.S. retailers to $23.8 billion, representing 28.4 percent year-over-year (YoY) growth and the equivalent of two Black Fridays, according to data from Adobe Analytics.

SRAM Acquires Italian Company Ochain

Chicago-based bike parts manufacturer SRAM acquired Ochain, the Italian manufacturer of chainring spiders that enable a bike’s chainring to move independently of the cranks, improving mountain bike suspension feel and performance.

Eastside Golf Opens First Retail Store

Located at the Detroit Metropolitan Airport (DTW), the store opening comes as the golf lifestyle brand recently launched at Nordstrom, Golf Galaxy, Dick’s Sporting Goods, and House of Sport earlier this year and PGA Tour in 2024.

Lacoste Appoints New CEO

Éric Vallat, a former LVMH executive, was appointed as the company’s new CEO, starting September 1. He succeeds Thierry Guibert, who has held the position since 2015.

Fitness Ventures Opens 60th Crunch Fitness Location

Crunch Fitness’ second largest franchisee opened its 60th Crunch Fitness location with a 60,000-square-foot facility in Des Moines, IA. Fitness Ventures reports it is on pace to reach 75 open clubs by the end of 2025.