Latest Headlines – Page 326
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Harvard compares ‘barefoot’ shoes with traditional running shoes
A recent study conducted at Harvard led by professor Daniel Lieberman evaluated the performance of minimal, or “barefoot,” shoes in running. It looked at the effects minimal shoes versus traditional shoes had on running economy, and found that minimal shoes have the edge. The study collected data on knee flexion, ...
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Sporting goods stocks rise by 2.7% globally
Sporting goods suppliers are retailers around the world were worth $191.3 billion on stock exchanges at the end of 2011, just 2.7 percent higher on a weighted average basis than at the end of 2010, according to an annual study by Sporting Goods Intelligence.The industry's stock market capitalization remained flat ...
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Blacks has received some takeover offers
The leading outdoor retailer in the U.K. had announced just before Christmas that it had not received any firm offers for its takeover, but this was evidently due in large part to the weight of its net debt, which amounted to about £36 million (€43.5m-$55.9m) as of last Dec. 5. ...
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JJB’s holiday boost doesn’t mean smooth sailing
In the four-week holiday season through Dec. 26, sales at JJB Sports rose by 5 percent on a like-for-like basis, as compared to the same period a year earlier, and its cash gross margin grew by 6 percent. However, analysts have warned against too much optimism, noting that the comparable ...
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Under new ownership, American Golf looks beyond the U.K.
American Golf, the leading British golf retailer, intends to rapidly move into the rest of Europe after it was acquired by Sun Capital Partners, a U.S. private equity firm. A majority stake in the company was divested last month by Lloyds Development Capital (LDC), the private equity arm of Lloyds ...
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Scandinavian retail battle heats up with XXL’s expansion
The battle among leading Scandinavian sports and outdoor retailers is heating up, as the XXL Sport chain of megastores has gone on a leasing spree that will increase its total retail space by about 35 percent this year. Adding 30,000 square meters of extra space, the second-largest Norwegian sports retail ...
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Hot Tuna should find a buyer this month
Two months after announcing its sale, Hot Tuna expects to announce a firm offer by an unidentified buyer for the acquistion of its brand of surfwear and surf-Inspired streetwear later this month. While it has registered strong interest in the purchase, the management said it would investigate funding solutions and ...
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Yue Yuen sees margins shrink
The world's largest shoe manufacturer reported a 2.5 percent drop in net earnings to US$483.5 million after minority interests for the financial year ended last Sept. 30, in spite of a 21.7 percent increase in its total revenues to $7,045 million, as its gross margin declined by 2.3 percentage points ...
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Head works directly with Brazil’s biggest retailer
Heavy direct taxes charged by the Brazilian government, combined with high import duties and the high value of the Brazilian real, have caused Head's racquet sports products to cost between 80 and 100 percent more there than in the U.S. To help reduce the gap, Head signed a direct distribution ...
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New sports marketing strategies at Asics
Asics is starting a new global brand campaign focusing on everyday athletes. Showing the regular effort, dedication and team spirit of sportspeople, the campaign will use TV, print and digital media. Titled “Made of Sport,” it was created by 180 Amsterdam and will be broadcast in Europe, Asia and Oceania.Meanwhile, ...
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Bridgepoint acquires Infront
Infront Sports & Media is a major distributor of media and marketing rights, media production, hospitality and other services related to sports events, totaling more than 3,300 event days per year. It has partnerships with 120 clients and hundreds of sponsors and media companies.Bridgepoint Capital, a major European private equity ...
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Spanish children need to lose weight
There are now proportionately more obese children in Spain than in the U.S., according to a new Spanish study conducted among 2,000 people over the last five years.Based on international standards, 26.1 percent of the Spanish children up to the age of 18 are overweight. Another 19.1 percent of the children are obese, ...
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Buoyant quarter for Nike, in spite of sluggish European sales
Nike is bulldozing its way through the economic rubble, as its sales soared by 18 percent to $5.7 billion for its second fiscal quarter, until the end of November, with an increase of 16 percent in constant currencies.On the other hand, the company's gross margin was down by 2.6 percentage ...
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All systems go at Adidas Group
The American Institute for Contemporary German Studies at Johns Hopkins University in the U.S. awarded Herbert Hainer, chief executive of Adidas Group, with the Global Leadership Award a few days ago. The German executive was hailed for using sports to “bring the world together,” and credited his executive team with ...
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Blacks in disarray after Sports Direct’s walkout
Blacks Leisure appeared to be in disarray this week after Sports Direct International (SDI), the leading British sports retailer and wholesaler, said that it would not issue a bid to acquire the debt-ridden owner of the Blacks and Millets outdoor stores. Blacks put itself up for sale earlier this month ...
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SDI lifts half-year sales and underlying profits
Aided by several acquisitions and store openings, Sports Direct International (SDI) managed to lift its sales by 8.4 percent to £888.6 million (€1,062m-$1,387m) for the half year until Oct. 23, in spite of the tight economic situation in the U.K. and some of its other markets.The company's British retail sales ...
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German Intersport struggles against weather conditions
Most likely, the German Intersport organization will not repeat its record results of last year, mainly because it has been suffering from negative weather conditions most of the year. Snowfalls stopped abruptly from one day to the next in early January, spring was too warm and the autumn has been ...
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Intersport’s Swiss branch takes lessons from a very special year
Intersport PSC Holding, the Swiss licensee of the banner in the country, suffered remarkable declines in sales for its last fiscal year, ended Sept. 30. Revenues were down by 6.1 percent reaching 252.7 million Swiss francs (€207.4m-$270.5m). Gross profit was up by 35.6 percent to CHF 15.4 million (€12.6m-$16.5m), while ...
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Intersport Austria is an exception in the European landscape
Estimates for Intersport's performance in the entire European sporting goods market this year will only be available around mid-January. Sources at Intersport International Corporation indicate that European retail sales were down overall in the first 10 months of this year, and that it will be really hard to match the ...
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Italian Everlast licensee buys stake in Dimensione Danza
Alessandro Bastagli, the businessman who holds the Everlast license for the Italian market, has reached an agreement to buy a 40 percent stake in Dimensione Danza, the Italian producer and retailer of dance equipment, and to help promote the brand in foreign markets.Under the agreement, Bastagli's company, A.Moda, will acquire ...
