PERSONNEL CHANGES
+++ Firewire Surfboards and Slater Designs appointed Ben Hope as the new General Manager – Australia/New Zealand, based in Firewire’s Australian headquarters on the Gold Coast, effective May 6, 2024 +++
ATHLETES
+++ Austrian eight-time overall World Cup winner Marcel Hirscher, who has a Dutch mother and officially retired in 2019, has announced that he is coming back to compete for the Netherlands on Van Deer skis
+++ GoPro added eight athletes ranging from 9 to 17 years old to its pro athlete team selected through its Grom Quest Challenge: Australian surfer Ned Hart, Japanese skater Ema Kawakami, US BMX biker Connor Stitt, US Freeride skier Duke Woodman, US wakeboarder Zoey Carroll, French surfer Axel Dominguez, UK mountain biker Finley Davies and US motocrosser Jaydin Smart +++
E-COMMERCE
+++ E-commerce giant Zalando is investing in a physical space, Arena by Zalando, on St Paulsgatan in central Stockholm, Sweden, for a pop-up concept showroom where products can only be purchased online to be opened on May 3
+++ Twothirds, the ocean-inspired sustainable-fashion brand from Europe founded in 2010 by surf enthusiasts and a B Corp since 2022, announced its official launch in the US via twothirds.com
+++ Alibaba Group has taken a minority stake in South Korea’s Ably, serving as the Chinese e-commerce giant’s latest investment in the Korean market +++
RETAIL
+++ Hoka will open a new store in May at the Ala Moana Center open-air mall in Honolulu, Hawaii +++
BRANDS
+++ London-based fashion designer David Koma has launched Let’s Swim, a new eco-focused swimwear and lifestyle brand offering a first collection drawing inspiration from swimwear in the 1980s, featuring ten bikinis and five swimsuits alongside eight beachwear cover-ups
+++ Pvolve, the workout method that pairs low-impact, functional movement with resistance equipment to build strong, mobile bodies, has released a limited edition equipment bundle and companion workout calendar curated by actress Jennifer Aniston +++
FINANCIAL REPORTING
++++ The European second-hand fashion marketplace Vinted recorded revenue growth of 61 percent to €596.3 million, adjusted Ebitda of €76.6 million and a net profit of €17.8 million (2022: net loss €20.4m) in 2023 +++
Click here to access our Short Stops archive
