RETAIL & DISTRIBUTION
+++ On March 18, Pádel Nuestro will be opening both a second Chilean store, in Talca (following the one in the capital of Santiago in January), and a first French store, in Colombiers +++
PRODUCT & MARKETING
+++ Nox’s AT.2 Limited Edition 2023 will be the official racquet of the World Padel Tour’s Paraguay Padel Open, scheduled for March 20-26
+++ Acerbis – an Italian brand of technical apparel for football, basketball, rugby and volleyball – has moved into pádel, introducing a line of racquets as well as jerseys, skirts, caps and other products, according to Mundo Deportivo
+++ Italian teamwear firm Macron has extended its partnership deal with the Italian Rugby Federation (FIR), which debuted in 2017, until 2028
+++ Skechers and Martha Stewart have teamed up for their first footwear collaboration, titled “A Day in the Life of Martha,” which covers the U.S. lifestyle legend’s favorite shoes for everyday wear, entertaining and weekend wellness
+++ Etnies and Independent Trucks have teamed up to create a workwear-inspired collection of footwear and apparel, available globally
+++ Arena is celebrating its 50th anniversary and launched a swim capsule collection celebrating half a century of the brand’s history, featuring trends from the 80s and 90s
+++ Retailer 11teamsports and the German Football Association (DFB) have extended their licensing partnership, which has been in place since 2019, until 2026
+++ Fashion United reports that Stéphane Ashpool, founder of Pigalle, has been named artistic director and senior designer by Le Coq Sportif, the official outfitter, to dress the French athletes for the 2024 Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games
+++ Luxury menswear ecommerce platform Mr Porter and Arket, H&M’s “one-stop destination for sustainable fashion for women, men and children,” have launched exclusive limited edition menswear and childrenswear capsule collections “inspired by nature”
+++ U.S. department store chain Macy’s announced the expansion of its partnership with Reebok, saying the collection will include men’s and women’s sports and activewear, including large sizes, from fitness, lifestyle and other workout categories, as well as capsule collections exclusive to Macy’s
+++ Sotheby’s in New York will offer up Michael Jordan’s 1998 game-winning black and red Air Jordan 13s next month, for a high estimate of $4 million, with open bidding to take place online from April 3 to 11
+++ Zeal Optics is expanding its sustainability-focused sunglasses collection for the Spring/Summer 2023 season, including several additions to its award-winning See Grass and Eco-Metals collections
+++ According to ShopEatSurf, Crocs CEO Andrew Rees shared the company’s big plans to launch a whole new sandals segment
+++ The Royal Belgian Football Association (RBFA) has entered into a long-term e-commerce and merchandising partnership with Fanatics to enhance the shopping experience for fans of the Belgian national soccer team
+++ Merrell has announced that pro runner Reid Burrows has joined its international trail team
+++ Puma, through its teamwear licensee TLA, has entered a new agreement with Bowls Australia (BA), the governing body for the sport of bowls in Australia, as its official apparel partner until 2025
+++ Coros Wearables has announced Phil Sesemann as a new member of its pro athlete team, the first partnership deal that Coros has signed with a U.K.-based elite road runner +++
EXECUTIVE CHANGES
+++ Together with Katja Burkert, David Walker, who has been national director of marketing, communication and customer service at Decathlon since January 2021, will lead Intersport Digital GmbH as new managing director from April 1, 2023
+++ Peak Ski Company, founded by Bode Miller and Andy Wirth, has hired pro skier and stunt coordinator JT Holmes as senior director of innovation and business development
+++ Technology provider True Fit announced the promotion of its managing director EMEA Sarah Curran to global chief marketing officer
+++ German sustainable apparel provider Hessnatur has hired Roland Zacharias as CFO
+++ eBay Inc. announced the appointment of Shripriya Mahesh, co-founder and general partner of venture capital firm Spero Ventures and former eBay executive, to the company’s board of directors, effective immediately +++
CSR & SUSTAINABILITY
+++ Canadian Tire Corporation announced a new Women’s Sport Initiative, a multi-million-dollar investment, earmarking a minimum of 50 percent of its sponsorship dollars towards Canadian women’s professional sports by 2026, also including a dedicated media fund to increase the visibility of women’s sports across top broadcast, digital and social platforms
+++ PETA has submitted a shareholder resolution to the H&M Group calling on the board to produce a report on the slaughter methods used to source duck down for the company
+++ After more than a year of various programs to achieve certification, Otis became one of the first eyewear brands in Australia to be certified as a B Corp with a score of 91.9 (80 is the core benchmark) +++
CORPORATE AND M&A
+++ According to recent media reports, the troubled Galeria department store chain will close 52 of its locations in Germany starting in June 2023
+++ According to Reuters, Chinese online fashion giant Shein plans to raise about $2 billion in a new funding round in March and is targeting an IPO in the U.S. in the second half of this year
+++ U.S. publicly traded company The Beachbody Company, Inc. has announced the rebranding from Beachbody to BODi, along with a new digital platform and marketing campaign reflecting the company’s newly formed Health Esteem category and #HealthEsteem movement
+++ Austrian conglomerate Signa wants its partner, Thai retailer Central Group, to take a 49.9 percent stake in the property of Berlin’s luxury department store KaDeWe, subject to approval by the relevant antitrust authorities
+++ Golf Genius, a provider of cloud-based golf software solutions, has signed an agreement with Japanese-based GPS navigation supplier Technocraft that will see the two companies team up to enhance the digital golfing experience for Japanese golfers
+++ Peloton subsidiary Precor Manufacturing is laying off 123 workers after closing its Whitsett, North Carolina, plant, according to a March 9 WARN (Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification) notice +++
LEGAL & INSTITUTIONAL
+++ FIFA has confirmed that the 2026 World Cup, co-hosted by the U.S., Canada and Mexico, will have a record 104 matches instead of the usual 64 and will also expand from 32 to 48 teams
+++ Morocco’s sports minister Chakib Benmoussa has announced that the country will officially join Spain and Portugal’s bid to host the FIFA 2030 World Cup
+++ European Athletics, which met in Lausanne on March 15, used the occasion to reaffirm its position that “athletes from Russia and Belarus should remain banned from European Athletics events and activities until the war in Ukraine comes to an end” +++
DTC & E-COMMERCE
+++ Amazon has announced that it will increase multichannel fulfillment fees imposed on European sellers starting April 7 as operating costs rise in the face of inflation +++
