EXECUTIVE CHANGES
+++ US activewear brand Vuori has hired former Levi Strauss CMO Karen Riley-Grant as Chief Marketing Officer, effective Jan. 22, 2024
+++ Following the resignation of CFO and Company Secretary Jessica Moelands, effective Dec. 31, Globe International has promoted Samantha Cook to Company Secretary and appointed Karen Browne, who just recently joined Globe, as the new CFO, effective Jan. 1
+++ Following Ronald L. Nelson’s decision to retire as Chairman and member of the Management Board at the end of the year, HanesBrands’ Management Board has appointed William S. Simon, who has been a member of the Board since 2021 and previously served on the Talent and Compensation and the Governance and Nominating Committees, as Chairman of the Management Board, effective Dec. 31
+++ Effective Jan. 1, Crocs has appointed John Replogle and Neeraj Tolmare to its Board of Directors to bring “new skill sets and extensive brand building experience in consumer-facing businesses” to the Board
+++ Peloton announced the appointment of Chris Bruzzo, a former executive at Electronic Arts, to its Board while current member Jonathan Mildenhall is stepping down
+++ Andy Ingram is taking over from Val Franklin as the new president of Wales Golf
+++ Spain’s Supreme Council for Sports (CSD) has a new chairman: José Manuel Rodríguez, a jurist who has served; among other things, as Minister of Culture and Sport, Director General of Support for Victims of Terrorism and Ambassador to UNESCO
+++ The International Padel Cluster (CIP) has appointed to its board Sergio Tello, CEO of Portico Sport, and Fernando Canovas, CEO of Padel Courts Deluxe +++
CORPORATE AND M&A
+++ According to Reuters, Golden Goose wants to raise around €1 billion from an IPO in Milan
+++ The European Commission, according to CMDsport and others, has approved JD Sports’ proposed acquisition of Poland’s Spolka Akcyjna (Marketing Investment Group), finding that it presents “no risks” to the European economic space
+++ After leasing a 650-sqm store last year as its first flagship in Hong Kong, Chinese company Li Ning has now bought a 25-story office and retail building in North Point from real estate developer Henderson Land for HK$2.2 billion (€258 million) to house the group’s Hong Kong headquarters
+++ Authentic Brands Group has transferred the business activities of the Boardriders brands Quiksilver, Billabong, Roxy, RVCA, DC Shoes, Element and Von Zipper in Japan and Taiwan to the newly founded company BRJ Group, in which the financial investor SMBC Capital Partners holds a majority stake +++
RETAIL & DISTRIBUTION
+++ Madrid-based Redipro has struck a three-year deal with license holder A. Mode SpA to distribute Everlast’s Lifestyle and Iconic lines in Spain, Portugal and Andorra, according to TradeSport
+++ California-based activewear brand Vuori has opened second stores both in New York City (Upper East Side, 1153 Madison Avenue) and Chicago (Southport Corridor in Lakeview)
+++ Authentic Brands Group has expanded its strategic partnership with Liberated Brands to manage Quiksilver, Billabong, Roxy, RVCA, DC Shoes, Element and other brands in Australia, New Zealand, Thailand and Indonesia
+++ Danish footwear and lifestyle brand Ecco, celebrating its 60th anniversary this year, has opened its first store in New York City with 300 sqm at 110 Grand Street, corner of Broadway and Grand, in SoHo
+++ Paris Saint-Germain has opened a flagship store in Toronto, the club’s first in Canada, in collaboration with Lids and Fanatics
+++ FitFlop has opened a 65-sqm store in Malaysia with retail partner Vintage Sports Pte Ltd., located in the newl Tun Razak Exchange, a premium shopping destination in Kuala Lumpur
+++ Concluding the year 2023 with the opening of its 100th store and over 950 sales touchpoints in India, Asics is eyeing expansion in the country by adding 50 new stores by 2025 and opening its first mono-brand store in 2026, giving Indian consumers access to an expanded global product portfolio
+++ Indian DTC sports brand Cult.sport has opened its second offline flagship store in the country, in Indiranagar in Bengaluru +++
LEGAL & INSTITUTIONAL
+++ According to The Guardian, Fitbit has to pay an AUS$11 million fine in Australia after misleading customers about returns and warranties
+++ The membership of the International Padel Cluster (CIP) has expanded by four companies: Sali Sport Integral Service (court installation and maintenance), Matchi AB (bookings), Sevilla Padel Experience (pádel excursions) and Padel VR (virtual-reality pádel games)
+++ The British Basketball League (BBL) has launched its new foundation, called the London Lions Foundation, aimed at fostering access to basketball, the UK’s second-most-played sport, for underserved communities in the British capital city +++
PRODUCT & MARKETING
+++ Boardsport Source reports that Nidecker Snowboards has teamed up with NDK Group’s Flow brand to create a giant line of bindings that covers all styles of binding entry
+++ Lacoste has announced 19-year-old French tennis player Arthur Fils as a new brand ambassador
+++ Swiss sportswear brand On has welcomed British middle-distance runner and Olympian Revée Walcott-Nolan and Spanish middle-distance runner Mohamed Attaoui to the On Athletics Club Europe, led by head coach Tomas Dreissigacker
+++ New Balance has announced 17-year-old Brazilian striker Endrick as a new member of the brand’s athlete roster
+++ Titleist and the Ladies European Tour have extended their three-year partnership deal, which started at the beginning of the 2021 season, for a further three years
+++ Padel brand Nox has released a trailer for its documentary on Agustín Tapia, the World Padel Tour’s number-one player
+++ Slazenger Padel is the official ball supplier for the inaugural Hexagon Cup, which will be held at Spain’s Madrid Arena from Jan. 31 to Feb. 4, 2024
+++ Manchester-based Castore has been announced as the official outfitter to New Zealand Cricket in a new six-year agreement starting in October 2024
+++ Italian teamwear brand Macron and the Football Federation of Armenia (FFA) have extended their technical partnership deal, which started in 2018, until 2029 +++
