SGB Update Sports & Fitness
Nester Hosiery Appoints SVP Brands And Licenses
Nester Hosiery, the maker of merino wool socks and parent of Farm to Feet, has added Chris Bevin to its executive team as senior vice president of Brands and Licenses.
American Pacific Group Completes Investment Into Gym Launch And Prestige Labs
American Pacific Group (APG), a San Francisco Bay Area-based private equity firm, announced that its Fund I has made an investment in Gym Launch and Prestige Labs.
MacNeill Pride Group Continues Transformation; Rebrands As Gathr Outdoors
MacNeill Pride Group (MPG) is rebranding to Gathr Outdoors to better reflect its mission and the industries within which it operates following its acquisitions of ORCA, GCI Outdoor, Klymit and Rightline Gear. Gathr Outdoors is a portfolio company of Centre Partners.

VF Corp. Appoints Global Brand President, The North Face
VF Corp. announced that it has appointed Nicole Otto as global brand president, The North Face. Otto joins VF following a 16-year career at Nike and will succeed Steve Murray who is retiring and returning to the UK. The leadership transition will be effective on June 2022.

Topspin Consumer Partners Invests In Mission
Topspin Consumer Partners, a private equity firm focused on the consumer sector, announced that it has made a growth investment in Mission, which specializes in cooling solutions used in sports, outdoor and jobsite applications.

Dick’s SG Receives Baa3 Rating On New Debt Issue
Moody’s Investors Service assigned a Baa3 senior unsecured rating to Dick’s Sporting Goods, Inc. proposed $1 billion unsecured notes. The proceeds will be used to repay the company’s $575 million convertible debt, add cash to the balance sheet and for general corporate purposes.
BSN Sports Acquires Fort Wayne Team Dealer
BSN Sports, a division of Varsity Brands, announced that it has acquired SportsCenter Inc. based in Fort Wayne, IN.

Lululemon Lowers Q4 Outlook Due To Omicron
Lululemon Athletica, Inc. said it expects sales and earnings from the holiday quarter to come in near the low end of its previous forecasts amid renewed COVID-19 challenges.
SFIA Elects New Chairman
The Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA) announced the election of Jonathan Ram, group president, Global Activewear, HanesBrands Inc., as chairman of the SFIA Board of Directors from 2022-2023.
Trek Bicycles Acquires Race Pace Bicycles
Maryland’s Race Pace Bicycles has been sold to Trek Bicycles, with the transition set to occur in March.
Under Armour And BSN Sports Named Official Outfitters Of ABF Athletics
The ABF Academy Athletic Department announced that Under Armour in partnership with BSN Sports will become the official outfitter of ABF Athletics effective immediately.

Retail Import Growth Levels Out But Volume Remains High
After a year of unprecedented increases, imports at the nation’s major retail container ports are expected to return to normal growth rates in 2022 but volumes will remain high, according to the monthly Global Port Tracker report released by the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates.

Mastercard: Sales Grew 7 Percent In December
Retail sales excluding auto in December rose 6.9 percent compared to December 2020 and gained 8.1 percent against December 2019, according to Mastercard SpendingPulse.

Delta Apparel Announces Stronger Than Expected First Quarter Sales
Delta Apparel expects stronger than anticipated sales growth in the first quarter ended January 1. Delta Group and the Salt Life Group each achieved double digit growth in the quarter.