Latest Headlines – Page 503

  • Article

    Adidas Sings Victories In World Cup

    2006-06-30T00:00:00Z

    While announcing an expansion of its long-standing partnership with the European football authority, UEFA, the Big a reported gains in market shares and new records in sales of football products in connection with the current FIFA World Cup ahead of the quarter finals later this week, where it will have ...

  • Article

    Adidas Establishes New Rules In European Merchandising

    2006-06-30T00:00:00Z

    After several months of preparations, Adidas has embarked on a round of talks with leading retailers to impose a more distinct presentation of its product ranges in European stores. Taking an unusually tough stance, the company warns that it will cut back or downgrade its offering to retailers who are ...

  • Article

    New Appointments At Adidas

    2006-06-30T00:00:00Z

    André Maestrini, a long-time marketing executive at Kraft Jacobs Suchard, Danone and Coca-Cola, will take over as general manager of Adidas France from Aug. 16. The position is currently filled by Roland Auschel, head of Adidas Europe, who stepped in temporarily after Antoine Saticq’s unexpected switch to Le Coq Sportif. ...

  • Article

    Adidas Takes Over Reebok’S Distribution In China

    2006-06-30T00:00:00Z

    Control of the distribution and licensing rights of Reebok in China have been secured by Adidas following termination of Reebok’s existing joint venture, distribution and licensing agreements with New Point Industrial Ltd. Adidas will effectively take over the distribution of the brand from next Jan. 1 onwards. Financial details of ...

  • Article

    Quiksilver Partners With Sprandi In Russia

    2006-06-30T00:00:00Z

    Sprandi is a major player in the Russian sports footwear and clothing market, with a strong presence throughout the country, although it operates in a lower price segment than Adidas or Quiksilver. Covering the running, football, tennis, fitness and lifestyle categories, it has 90 single-brand stores in Russia, and it ...

  • Article

    Ashley Buys Original Shoe Company

    2006-06-30T00:00:00Z

    Mike Ashley, the secretive and acquisitive owner of Sports World, took over the Original Shoe Company at an undisclosed price earlier this month. The acquisition of this British young fashion shoe chain marks an unprecedented foray by the hungry British entrepreneur into general footwear and fashion retailing, which is likely ...

  • Article

    Stag Expands

    2006-06-30T00:00:00Z

    STAG, the UK-based buying group whose name stands for the Sports Traders Alliance Group, will add an outdoor division, an equine division and a shoe division to help negotiate special conditions with brands that specialize in these product sectors. Some existing retail members already fall within one of the three ...

  • Article

    Cricket Brand Turns Attention To Golf

    2006-06-30T00:00:00Z

    Woodworm, a UK-based cricket brand that has made a huge impact on the market since its launch four years ago, is moving into the golf sector with a range of apparel endorsed by the world’s #5 player, Ernie Els. With Ernie Els, who has signed a 5-year contract with the ...

  • Article

    Oakley Is Ready For Turnaround In Europe As It Becomes The Second Largest Eyewear Retailer In The Usa

    2006-06-30T00:00:00Z

    While improving and expanding its brand development efforts and seeking more efficient operations, Oakley is implementing new initiatives as it restructures its footwear and apparel businesses, making them more technical, while refocusing on its core business in sunglasses and optics in general. As previously reported, Oakley’s restructuring plan for ...

  • Article

    The Global Branded Sports Shoe Market Was Up By 9.9% In 2005

    2006-06-14T00:00:00Z

    The major sports brands increased their footwear sales by 9.9 percent in 2005 to a total of $24,155 million, with Europe recording the biggest growth at 10.2 percent, helped by the boom going on in Russia and other emerging markets. Sales rose by 7.8 percent in the U.S. market, or ...

  • Article

    World Cup Brings 30% Growth For Intersport’S Sales Of Football Products

    2006-06-14T00:00:00Z

    Just as the FIFA World Cup got underway last week, the Intersport Group made a forecast that its retail sales of football products will grow by at least 30 percent to a level of more than €700 million in 2006, based on the estimated retail sales achieved over the last ...

  • Article

    Finland’S Sportia Changes Hands And Management

    2006-06-14T00:00:00Z

    Sportia is the Finnish partner of Sport 2000 International and it had a retail turnover of €44 million before VAT last year. With revenues of only about €26 million last year and a network of just about 50 affiliated stores, it was small fry for its previous owner, Wihuri Oy, ...

  • Article

    K2 Buys Karhu And Line In North America

    2006-06-14T00:00:00Z

    The acquisition of Karhu’s North American cross-country ski business, which was spinned off by the Finnish sports company by the same name in the ‘nineties, complements nicely what K2 did a while ago by taking over Madshus, the Norwegian Nordic ski specialist. In practice, K2 has bought the North ...

  • Article

    LOTTO IMPROVES MARGINS AND HOPES TO IMPROVE SALES Lotto...

    2006-06-14T00:00:00Z

    LOTTO IMPROVES MARGINS AND HOPES TO IMPROVE SALES Lotto Sport Italia managed to improve its profitability in 2005, raising its net income to €3.0 million from €0.4 million in the previous year, in spite of relatively stable revenues of €144.1 million. Adding up sales under license, the brand’s global ...

  • Article

    Puma Appoints New Managers For France And The Uk

    2006-06-14T00:00:00Z

    Tony Ward, former head of footwear at Foot Locker Europe, has just started as general manager of Puma UK, and in France the new country manager is Claude D. Cohen, a former executive of the LVMH luxury goods group. Both report to Miguel Andrade, who became last January general manager ...

  • Article

    Krug Becomes Stride Rite’S Eurochief

    2006-06-14T00:00:00Z

    Stride Rite Corporation has appointed Stephen Krug as general manager of Europe, where he will oversee all the company’s brands including Saucony, the athletic footwear brand it acquired last November. His main task will be to stimulate higher revenues for all the brands of the group in this part of ...

  • Article

    The Three Stripes Win A Set

    2006-06-14T00:00:00Z

    Adidas has been allowed to leave its Three Stripes on the garments of endorsing tennis professionals at the Wimbledon tournaments starting June 26, and it should be able to do the same at the U.S. Tennis Open in August, following a decision by Britain’s High Court. A senior judge in ...

  • Article

    Head Launches Women’S Racquets

    2006-06-14T00:00:00Z

    While introducing yet another new weight-saving technology for its tennis racquets, called Metallix, Head is launching the first women-specific range, called Airflow. Developed in collaboration with Steffi Graf, the former champion who has a new long-term endorsement contract with the brand, the Airflow line is being shipped from next month ...

  • Article

    Babolat Challenges The Leaders

    2006-06-14T00:00:00Z

    Babolat continues to record single-digit sales increases in its initial core business of tennis strings, while its all-out diversification into tennis racquets, balls, shoes and clothing is supporting the brand’s image and sustaining a continuous double-digit improvement in total revenues. Racquets have come to represent 50 percent of the French ...

  • Article

    Rossi Helps Quik’S Top Line, Not Its Bottom Line

    2006-06-14T00:00:00Z

    Quiksilver is on plan or slightly ahead of plan with the integration of the Rossignol Group, but its net income was off by 89 percent to $3,729,000 during the 2nd quarter ended Apr. 30 on 21 percent higher total revenues of $516,928,000, largely because of charges of $3.7 million related ...