TRADE FAIRS & CONFERENCES
+++ The next edition of the invitation-only trade show SportsInnovation – scheduled for March 20-21, 2024, at the Merkur Spiel-Arena in Düsseldorf, Germany – expects to draw 1,200 guests, 60-some exhibitors and 55 speakers to its program of conferences and live, in-stadium demonstrations of sports tech
CORPORATE & M&A
+++ Spain’s multichannel retailer Fútbol Emotion has acquired France’s Ekinsport, a top retailer of sporting goods for clubs that generated some €20 million in revenues last year, according to CMDsport +++
LEGAL & INSTITUTIONAL
+++ The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and 17 state attorneys general have sued Amazon, alleging that it engages in “exclusionary conduct” – “stifling competition” on price, product selection and quality and preventing current or future rivals from “attracting a critical mass of shoppers and sellers” – in both its “online superstore market” and its “online marketplace”
+++ David Haggerty was re-elected as President of the International Tennis Federation (ITF) until 2027 with 72.94% of the votes at the ITF 2023 Annual General Meeting in Cancun, Mexico, on Sept. 24
+++ Joma’s marketing head, Martina López Arellano, has joined the board of Fundación Deporte Joven, part of Spain’s Consejo Superior de Deportes (National Sports Council)
+++ Poland, which has never organized the Games, has announced its intention to bid for the 2036 Olympic and Paralympic Games +++
PRODUCT & MARKETING
+++ Nautica’s Chinese partner Tristate has launched the campaign on Chinese social media platform Weibo for its latest White Sail collection, designed by Japanese designer Hiromichi Yumoto, which includes oversized T-shirts and pants, casual sweaters and more
+++ As the successor to Deporvillage, the Swiss company On will be the technical sponsor of the Barcelona Marathon for the 2024 and 2025 editions
+++ New Balance signed an agreement with USA Lacrosse to be the official apparel supplier of the National Team Development Program (NTDP) through the end of 2024, which sees NTDP athletes outfitted with New Balance apparel during practice and competition, and the brand producing and selling co-branded merchandise
+++ Austrian slalom specialist Michael Matt will compete in the next World Cup season on Blizzard skis and Tecnica ski boots
+++ Puma has released the second product from its Black Forest collection, initiated jointly by Sport 2000 and the tourism marketing agency Saint Elmo’s Tourism and its client Schwarzwald Tourismus GmbH, announcing this week a new sneaker inspired by the black forest gateau
+++ Le Coq Sportif is releasing a range of fragrances, set to launch in spring 2024, in a license agreement with Extend Beauty, a French family-owned SME founded in 1992 which develops, manufactures and distributes fragrances
+++ Adidas Basketball has announced the release of NBA All-Star Anthony Edwards’ first signature shoe +++
RETAIL & DISTRIBUTION
+++ Puma has implemented an IoT solution across its 582 stores in India to improve indoor air quality and provide a sustainable shopping experience for customers during the festive month of October
+++ According to Retail Gazette, New Balance has opened the doors to a new retail store concept at Westfield Stratford City, London
+++ Decathlon has opened a 1,200-sqm store in Chennai, India, at Marina Mall, Egattur, the company posted on LinkedIn
+++ Bär, a German supplier of zero-heel footwear with wide toe clearance founded in 1982, pushes its marketplace offensive by also being available at Decathlon from August 2023 +++
CSR & SUSTAINABILITY
+++ Nike has expanded its Nike Refurbished initiative to its e-commerce site after more than two years of in-store testing as part of its Move to Zero mission +++
