SGB Update Sports & Fitness
Club Champion Expands Store Count
Club Champion, the custom golf club fitter, opened four new stores in the second quarter in Huntsville, AL; Westport, CT; Colorado Springs, CO; and Peachtree City, GA.
Nautilus Announces Retirement Of Board Chair
Nautilus, Inc. announced that its Chairman, M. Carl Johnson, III, will be retiring from its Board of Directors effective August 2.
Saysh Closes $8 Million Series A Round Led By IRIS, Athleta
Saysh, the lifestyle brand co-founded by Olympian Allyson Felix and her brother and business partner Wes Felix, announced its Series A round closed at $8 million, led by specialist consumer fund IRIS and Gap Inc.’s activewear brand Athleta.

Fanatics Appoints CEO Of Fanatics Collectibles
Fanatics announced the appointment of Mike Mahan as CEO of Fanatics Collectibles, the company’s trading cards and collectibles business.

Amazon Prime Day 2022 Begins July 12
Amazon’s annual shopping event, Amazon Prime Day, will officially kick off at 3AM ET / 12AM PT on Tuesday, July 12th, and run through Wednesday, July 13th, the company announced on Thursday

Fleet Feet To Acquire Marathon Sports
Fleet Feet, the franchisor of locally-owned and operated running stores in the U.S., announced that it has agreed to acquire New England-based running retailer Marathon Sports and its soundRunner and Runner’s Alley brands.
Rally House Opens New Store In Michigan
Rally House opened a store in Canton, MI off Michigan Avenue, joining several Rally House locations in the Detroit area.

Playermaker Raised $40 Million In Funding Round
Playermaker, the manufacturer of the wearable sports performance tracker, has raised $40 million in funding to date, led by Ventura Capital Group, with additional investment by MIG Capital, Pegasus Tech Ventures, and others.

Nike And Apple Team Up On Sports Content
Apple has finalized a multi-year first-look feature deal to develop and produce sports films with Nike-owned studio Waffle Iron Entertainment for the Apple TV+ streaming service.
Planet Fitness Franchise Group Excel Fitness Sold To Olympus Partners
One of the largest Planet Fitness franchise groups, Excel Fitness Holdings, LLC, located in Austin, TX, was purchased by private equity firm Olympus Partners of Stamford, CT, for an undisclosed amount.
i9 Sports Opens 200th Location
Tampa Bay-based i9 Sports, the youth sports league franchise, recently announced opening its 200th location.

F45 To Open First Hotel Studio At Hilton Austin
F45 Training Holdings, Inc. announced plans to break ground on a new fitness studio at the downtown Hilton Austin, TX, the first F45 studio to operate inside a hotel worldwide.

May Retail Sales Unexpectedly Decline Amid Inflationary Pressures
Retail sales fell 0.3 percent in May from the prior month, the Commerce Department said Wednesday. Economists surveyed by Refinitiv expected sales to rise 0.2 percent. May marked a slowdown from the gain of 0.7 percent in April and the first decline in retail sales in five months.

Nike Concept Store Opens In Hong Kong
UAE retailer GMG announced the opening of a new Nike concept store in Hong Kong. The store is located in the East Point City shopping mall in the Hang Tau district.

NRF Praises House Passage Of Ocean Shipping Reform Act
The National Retail Federation issued a statement applauding the House’s approval of the Ocean Shipping Reform Act of 2022.