SGB Update Sports & Fitness
TruFit Athletic Clubs Expands Team with Key Executive Hires
The fitness club owner appointed Chip Pelaskey as the VP of sales and Brea Ballard as VP of marketing. Both Pelaskey and Ballard stepped into their roles at the close of 2023.
Riddell Acquires Product Design and Development Partner
The company has acquired longtime partner Simbex, the health research and product design and development company headquartered in Lebanon, NH, to elevate its position in sports technology.
Riddell Receives Strategic Investment to Fuel Growth
The influx of capital will fuel advancements in protective sports equipment and performance technologies.
Consumer Confidence Index Flat in March, but Outlook Index May Signal Trouble Ahead
The Consumer Confidence Index was 104.7 in March, essentially unchanged from February. But the Expectations Index, based on consumers’ short-term outlook for income, business and labor market conditions, fell to 73.8, which is in recession territory.
NRF: Economy Remains ‘Sturdy’ Despite Forecast for Slower Growth
Adjusted for inflation, GDP is expected to grow about 2.3 percent year-over-year, slower than last year’s 2.5 percent but still strong enough to sustain job growth that drives consumer spending.
SwingU Promotes Calli Ringsby to Head of Product
Ringsby, a Stanford graduate and national championship-winning women’s golf team player, is “passionate about empowering women in technology.” She leads an all-female product team at SwingU.
KemperSports Hires Industry Veteran as Senior VP, Golf Strategy and Growth
Jim Boedecker is responsible for leveraging KemperSports’ growing portfolio of golf and sports properties and assets to create new revenue streams. He will also develop new lines of business for KemperSports in and around golf, sports and hospitality.
G/Fore Arrives in the Big Apple
The pop-up retail space at 536 Madison Avenue is said to be consistent with the company’s locations in Scottsdale, AZ and Palm Beach, FL.
Egym Acquires UK Corporate Fitness Player Hussle
With the integration of Hussle, the Egym Wellpass program reportedly includes unlimited access to a network of up to 1,500-plus gyms, pools, and spas via one discounted pass, covering 96 percent of UK regions in England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
TenCate Americas Appoints President of Sports Division
The manufacturer, distributor and installer of synthetic turf for sports and landscape applications, has appointed Marty Olinger as president of the Sports Division for its Americas operations.
Puma to Open Puma Studio in Los Angeles in Early 2025
Puma Studio, when complete, will be a creative space that brings the brand’s design and marketing teams closer to the most influential communities and celebrities to inspire products and campaigns for the strategically important U.S. market.
Crunch Fitness Oklahoma City to Open Summer 2024
Crunch Oklahoma will open in a 35,000-square-foot space on the Northwest Expressway in a former T.J. Maxx building this summer.
March Manufacturing PMI at 50.3 Percent; Textile Mills Lead Sector with Growth
A Manufacturing PMI above 42.5 percent, over a period of time, generally indicates an expansion of the overall economy.
Rally House Opening Four New Store in Pennsylvania, Ohio and Illinois
Rally House opened in the Philadelphia region at Trainers Corner in Quakertown, PA. In Ohio, the retailer is open at Spring Meadows, west of Toledo, and Marketplace at Four Corners, just south of Cleveland. Rally House is also the newest tenant at the Fashion Outlets of Chicago.
Topgolf to Open Third North Carolina Location in Durham in April
This will be Topgolf’s third North Carolina venue, including two in Charlotte. Globally, this will be Topgolf’s 99th outdoor venue when it opens and its 89th in the U.S.
