Corporate and M&A
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JD Sports plans to acquire Hibbett in £899m deal, accelerating US expansion
JD Sports has announced its agreement to acquire US sportswear brand Hibbett for £899 million, aiming to accelerate its expansion in the United States. The move is expected to bolster JD Sports’ growth plans in North America, enhance its Complementary Concepts division, and strengthen its relationships with brand partners. Additionally, ...
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Court approves BowFlex purchase agreement
The US Bankruptcy Court for the District of New Jersey has approved the sale of the acquired assets of Bowflex, Inc. under the terms of the previously announced stalking horse asset purchase agreement between Bowflex and Johnson Health Tech Retail, Inc., the parent company of the Matrix fitness equipment brand. ...
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US sporting goods imports decline sharply in Q1
The first quarter of this year witnessed a continued downturn in imports to the US of footwear, apparel, and equipment, marking a significant decline compared to the same period last year. According to the latest data from the ITC database, the declared customs value dropped by 33 percent to $3,687.1 ...
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Change of Iberian plans for Sprinter, Sport Zone
JD Sports will be switching 28 to 30 Sprinter and Sport Zone stores in Spain to the JD banner between now and 2025, according to Diffusion Sport. Included in this two-year development plan is the renovation of two stores in Alicante province, in the cities of Finestrat and Alicante, both ...
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Is Topgolf Callaway on the market? South Korean sources says so
Speculation is swirling after a South Korean newspaper suggested that golf behemoth Topgolf Callaway might be up for grabs.
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Italy’s Cisalfa to take over SportScheck
Cisalfa Sport S.p.A. is the new preferred business partner of SportScheck GmbH and set to join the business operations. A corresponding agreement is still subject to approval by the German Federal Cartel Office, but the deal is expected to be finalized by June 2024. The German retail chain SportScheck will ...
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Tennis-Point Spain seeks new CEO
Tennis-Point Spain and its CEO, Miquel Just, agreed on Feb. 29 to sever the contract they signed exactly four years earlier, according to CMDsport. It was Just who urged Tennis-Point’s entry into Spain, with a first store in Mataró. Five more stores followed, in Barcelona, Valencia, Madrid, Alcorcón and Alfafar ...
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Puma CEO Arne Freundt: “Puma is the challenger in sports and sports culture”
Puma is facing a crucial year in a difficult market environment. Sharpening the brand profile and raising consumer awareness in two difficult markets is key for the brand in 2024.
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Moncler: Grinta withdraws from Double R, signs consultation agreement with RPH
Italian luxury outdoor fashion company Moncler S.p.A., on behalf of Double R Srl, Ruffini Partecipazioni Holding Srl (RPH) and Grinta Srl, announced that Grinta, a corporate vehicle of the Rivetti family, has announced its withdrawal from Double R. Double R is a sub-holding company controlled by RPH, a holding company ...
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Action sports veteran Shaun Neff joins X Games Ownership Group
Entrepreneur and founder of Neff Headwear, Shaun Neff, announced that he has officially joined sports and entertainment brand X Games Ownership Group as an investor and advisor to accelerate the brand’s expansive strategy. In addition to the annual Winter and Summer Games, X Games plans to expand its events and ...
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EOC launches Collective Progress Initiative, aiming to achieve net zero by 2050
With the launch of the Collective Progress Initiative, Elevate Outdoor Collective’s (EOC) global brands – K2 Skis, K2 Snowboarding, Marker, Dalbello, Völkl, Ride Snowboards, Line Skis, Backcountry Access, Atlas Snow Shoe Co, Tubbs Snowshoes, Madshus and K2 Skates – are working hand-in-hand to eliminate waste and maximize the recyclability and ...
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Nike announces 2% workforce reduction
Nike has officially confirmed a 2 percent reduction in its workforce, following months of speculation. This decision aligns with the company’s goal to streamline operations and save up to $2 billion in costs over the next three years, as announced in December. CEO John Donahoe sent an internal memo to ...
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Xponential completes divestiture of Stride Fitness
Xponential Fitness, the world’s largest franchisor of health and wellness brands, announced that it has finalized the divestiture of its Stride Fitness brand to Stride Fitness Franchising Inc., owned by Shaun Grove. Grove is currently the President of Rumble Boxing. Founded in 2017 by Misa Dugally and Katie Ownbey and ...
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Maker of VR NFL game raises $20m
StatusPro, the virtua reality (VR) company of two former NFL players, Troy Jones and Andrew “Hawk” Hawkins, is to receive $20 million in a series-A funding round led by Google Ventures (GV). The company produces first-person sports games that use “real-time player data.” Its game NFL Pro Era works on ...
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Done deal: PGA Tour announces investment agreement with Strategic Sports Group
It’s official. After weeks of speculation, the PGA Tour has announced a partnership with the Strategic Sports Group (SSG), a consortium of investors and sports franchise owners, to infuse $3 billion into the Tour. This agreement will establish PGA Tour Enterprises, a commercial venture under PGA Tour’s control. Players will ...
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Several potential buyers for SportScheck
The Munich-based law firm Müller-Heydenreich Bierbach & Kollege, specializing in restructuring and insolvency administration, announced that the search for investors for the insolvent German sporting goods retailer SportScheck is progressing successfully. According to the provisional insolvency administrator Axel Bierbach, numerous interested parties had submitted offers by the end of the ...
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Hela Apparel acquires UK-based Focus Brands from JD Sports
Sri Lanka’s Hela Apparel Holdings Plc announced on its LinkedIn page the acquisition of UK-based apparel brand licensing house Focus Brands. “This marks another major milestone in our journey towards becoming a truly comprehensive solution provider for the apparel sector and will further elevate Hela’s service offering to its customers,” ...
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Sport 2000 GmbH with stable development in 2023
The consolidated gross external sales of the Sport 2000 5-country network amounted to €2.95 billion in Germany in 2023. The purchasing network comprising Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg amounted to €4.03 billion. Due to restrained order behavior and the insolvency of some sports retailers, the purchasing volume fell ...
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Fischer celebrates 100 years
Source: © Fischer Sports GmbH CEO Franz Föttinger (2024) Source: Archive Fischer Josef Fischer in 1959 Fischer is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. The company was founded in 1924 by Joseph Fischer in Upper Austria, where the headquarters are still located today. From ...
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Counterfeit products cost EU companies €16 billion in sales each year
According to a new study by the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), counterfeit goods cost EU industries an estimated €16 billion in sales and nearly 200,000 jobs each year. The 44-page document, titled “Economic Impact of Countering in the Clothing, Cosmetics, and Toy Sectors in the EU,” reveals the ...