SGB Update Sports & Fitness

Alo Yoga Opens London Flagship
Based in Los Angeles, CA, the brand has opened a 10,000-square-foot flagship store on London’s Regent Street, marking its second store in the UK.

Report: High Prices Top Back-To-School Stressors for Parents
RetailMeNot’s 2024 BTS survey found that parents sending their kid(s) back to grade school will spend, on average, $506, and those sending their college-age kids BTS will spend, on average, $821.

Lightspeed Commerce Narrows Fiscal Q1 Loss as Revenues Increase 27 Percent
Transaction-based revenue was $174.1 million, an increase of 44 percent year-over-year, and Subscription revenue came in at $83.3 million, an increase of 6 percent year-over-year.

U.S. Manufacturing Sector Contracted in July for Fourth Consecutive Month
The ISM is reporting that economic activity in the manufacturing sector contracted in July for the fourth consecutive month and the 20th time in the last 21 months.

Rally House Opens Two Stores In Upstate New York
Rally House opened stores in Syracuse and Buffalo. The sports fan chain now operates three stores in the state.

Racketpro Appoints CEO
Offering training and education for coaches and professionals in the world of racket sports, Racketpro appointed Dan Santorum as CEO. Formerly he was president of the Professional Tennis Registry.

EXEC: Jobs Report Sends Markets Lower on Concerns Over U.S. Economy
The U.S. economy only added 114,000 non-farm payroll jobs in July, fewer than the 175,000 expected by economists. The unemployment rate rose to 4.3 percent — its highest level since October 2021.

Brompton T-Line Foldable Bike Faces Recall
A loss of alignment between the handlebar and front wheel due to insufficient torquing of steerer clamp bolts could cause a rider to lose control and fall.

Crunch Franchisee Secures Investment Partner to Fuel Expansion
Fitness Ventures LLC has the rights to develop Crunch Fitness gyms in multiple regions across the U.S. and the Meaningful Partners investment is expected to help it expand its footprint across the country.

Onebeat Expands Executive Leadership Team, Appoints Chief Revenue Officer
Sevonne Eliyahu brings nearly two decades of growth strategy and executive experience at tech giants, including SimilarWeb and LivePerson.

Equinox Fitness Appoints President
Marc Mastronardi will assume the role as president on August 12, reporting to Harvey Spevak, executive chairman and managing partner of Equinox Group. He has 25 years of extensive retail experience, having held a broad range of leadership positions at Macy’s, Inc. where, most recently, he was the executive vice president and chief stores officer.

Fox Factory Specialty Gets Marucci Lift to Offset Q2 Decline in Bikes
The increase in Specialty Sports Group sales was primarily related to the inclusion of $41.6 million in net sales from Marucci, which the company acquired in 2023, partially offset by a $22.9 million reduction in bike sales.

Chipply Beefs Up Sales Team
Meghan Brazzelle was hired as a senior territory manager and Patrick Tolivar as a territory sales rep. Brazzelle and Tolivar will report to Grace Schettler, SVP of sales for Chipply, the online store software supplier for team dealers.

NSGA Names Hayley Fansler Business Development Director
The National Sporting Goods Association (NSGA) promoted Hayley Fansler to business development director. Fansler joined NSGA in March 2018 as business development manager.

Ironman Group Promotes Michelle Pepper to Managing Director of Oceania
In her new role, Pepper will be responsible for overseeing all aspects of the Oceania business for The Ironman Group, leading the four Oceania offices, Melbourne, Sydney and Noosa in Australia and Auckland in New Zealand, and the more than 80 full-time employees.