SGB Update Sports & Fitness

Dick’s Sporting Goods Chief Strategy Officer To Retire
Dick’s Sporting Goods said that in a regulatory filling that Michele B. Willoughby, its executive vice president and chief strategy officer, plans to retire, effective August 1, 2017.

Asics Supports PHIT America In Running Contest
Leading up to Global Running Day on June 7, Asics America Corp. is challenging nationwide participants to run a total of 60 minutes anytime between May 30 and June 6. By doing so, Asics will donate $1 to PHIT America in their honor.

New Balance To Sponsor Irish National Team
New Balance will replace Umbro as the kit sponsor of the Republic of Ireland (FAI) national team from the start of the 2017/18 season.

Reebok Appoints Chris Froio As General Manager, Reebok America
Reebok International announced the appointment of Chris Froio as general manager, Reebok America. Froio will lead the brand’s efforts to grow its business in the critical U.S. market. He will report to Reebok President Matt O’Toole.

New Balance Signs Athletic Bilbao
New Balance will supply the squad with kit, training wear and equipment from the 2017/18 season in a six-year deal, taking over from Nike.
Blue Star Sports Acquires Krossover Intelligence
Blue Star Sports, a leading provider of sports management software, acquired New York City-based Krossover Intelligence, a leading sports film breakdown and statistics company.
Garmin International To Appeal ITC Initial Determination
Garmin International Inc., a unit of Garmin Ltd., announced that an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) at the International Trade Commission (ITC) made an initial determination in the enforcement proceeding brought by Navico, Inc. against Garmin.

Industry Leaders Urge Moving Outdoor Retailer Show To Denver
Concerned that the Outdoor Retailer show may be moving to Las Vegas or another perceived inappropriate location, five industry leaders – Beaver Theodosakis, Kim Miller, Dan Nordstrom, Casey Sheahan and Dawson Wheeler – penned an open letter urging the event’s stakeholders to choose Denver as the future destination of the show.

Fleet Feet Hires Brent Hollowell As VP Of Marketing And Vendor Management
Hollowell’s background includes retail and marketing leadership positions at Foot Locker, Adidas America, and Nathan.

Jelly Belly Sued Over Sugar Content
In a motion arguing for the case to be dismissed, Jelly Belly states, “Plaintiff does not explain why an athlete—or anyone—would be surprised to find sugar in a product described as ‘Jelly Beans’.”
USA Swimming Foundation Study Shows Improved Kids Swimming Ability
Timed to Memorial Day Weekend and the traditional opening of summer swimming season approaching, the USA Swimming Foundation announced a 5-10 percent improvement in overall swimming ability from its previous findings in 2010, according to a new study regarding swimming ability amongst America’s youth conducted by the University of Memphis and University of Nevada-Las Vegas.

Schutt Sports Introduces Personalized Website
The site allows customers to customize their own gear and see exactly what they are purchasing.

Peloton Closes $325M Series E Financing
The round was led by Wellington Management, Fidelity Investments, Kleiner Perkins and True Ventures. Other significant investors in this round included Comcast NBCUniversal, GGV Capital, Balyasny, and QuestMark.

Deckers Brands Beats Internal Guidance In Q4
Deckers Brands reported both earnings and sales for the fourth quarter ended March 31 came in better than expected. Sales were down 4.5 percent. Among its brands, sales declined 1.1 percent for Ugg, 13.3 percent for Teva and 16.1 percent for Sanuk but climbed 32.7 percent for Hoka One One.
Emerald Expositions Events Sees 6 Percent Growth In Q1
The increase in revenues for the parent of Outdoor Retailer reflected organic growth of 2.9 percent and growth from acquisitions of 3.3 percent.