News Briefs – Page 219
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News briefs
Japanese sneaker platform Soda raises $56 million
Japanese sneaker platform Soda raised 6.2 billion yen (€48.1m-$56.4m) in a Series C funding. The main investor was Kream Corporation, a South Korean sneaker reselling platform that is part of the portfolio of South Korean SoftBank Ventures Asia, which in turn is also one of the Series C investors, along ...
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News briefs
Humanoo’s digital health platform raises $10 million
Humanoo, an automated B2B digital health platform used by corporations and health insurance companies founded in Berlin five years ago, has completed a $10 million round of funding involving new investors such as Sanitas and Verve and existing investors including Rocket Internet. Switzerland’s two largest health insurance companies, the CSS ...
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News briefs
JD Sports and Nike launch virtual sneaker try-on event on TikTok
JD Sports is launching an interactive social media campaign, created in close partnership with TikTok’s Creative Lab, to support the release of Nike’s new Air VaporMax. Thanks to a 3D augmented reality branded effect, any TikTok user will be able to virtually superimpose the new shoes in three different colors ...
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News briefs
ATP and WTA launch a joint marketing operation
The ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) and WTA (Women’s Tennis Association) have announced the launch of Tennis United: CrossCourt, the second season of their Tennis United digital content series. Tennis United was first launched in 2020, and transitioned to an “integrated marketing operation” in January 2021. The first episode of ...
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News briefs
Under Armour redeems bonds worth $159.1m
Starting on Aug. 23, Under Armour will be redeeming about $159.1 million worth of convertible 1.50 percent senior notes due 2024, exchanging them with certain noteholders for cash or shares. They will also be paid for accrued unpaid interest. The transaction will cover about 68 percent of the outstanding principal ...
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News briefs
Puma introduces the all-new King Platinum 21 shoe
Puma has launched the new King Platinum 21. The shoe reimagines the classic King with two editions: a black/white combination and a black/red combination. The King Platinum 21 features the new KingForm technology, a rib structure that fuses to the super-soft leather upper in key contact areas for superior touch ...
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News briefs
El Corte Inglés recovers, cuts off suppliers
El Corte Inglés, which is a major factor in the Spanish sporting goods sector through its department stores, plans to cut down by almost one-half the number of its suppliers under a program that started three years ago, according to El Economista. Meanwhile, the group has been recovering strongly from ...
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News briefsBlack Diamond hires a ski industry veteran, Mike Hattrup
Black Diamond Equipment has named Mike Hattrup business unit director for its ski category, reporting to the company’s global vice-president of product, Kolin Powick. He will cover the brand’s entire ski and snow safety business including skis, avalanche transceivers, JetForce airbag backpacks, probes, shovels, as well as snowpacks and ski ...
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News briefs
Adidas launches No-Dye golf shoes
Adidas is introducing “No-Dye” versions of its ZG21 Motion and adicross ZX Primeblue golf shoes. The naturally-colored fabric in the no-dye shoes does not require the pre-treatment phase of conventional dyeing techniques, which uses large amounts of water. The technology still requires a post-treatment step, yet achieves an average of ...
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News briefs
Vietnamese manufacturers react to the spreading virus
More than 1,000 companies operating in various sectors in the Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) region have managed to keep most of their workers on site, accommodating them in their factories or transporting them from hotels and other lodgings, to help avoid a shutdown of their operations due to the ...
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News briefs
Lululemon invests in Genomatica for plant-based nylon
Lululemon has made an unspecified investment in Genomatica to help develop renewably sourced and bio-based material for its own product line. They plan to create plant-based nylon to replace synthetic nylon, using biotechnology and fermentation to convert plant-based ingredients into chemical building blocks, like those used to make nylon, that ...
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News briefs
Globeride performs better than in 2019
Globeride, the Japanese company behind the Daiwa brand of fishing and golf products, saw a more than eightfold increase in its net income to 3,953 million yen (€30.8m-$36.1m) for its first fiscal quarter ended June 30, compared with ¥488 million last year, on a 62 percent jump in revenues to ...
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News briefs
Yonex’ sales nearly double
Yonex turned around to a net profit of 948 million yen (€7.4m-$8.7m) in its first quarter ended June 30 from a loss of ¥1,279 million in the year-ago period as its sales nearly doubled to ¥16,179 million (€126.0m-$147.9m). They almost tripled in Japan and expanded by 61 percent in the ...
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News briefs
Sumitomo’s sports revenues more than double
Sales grew by 225 percent to ¥28.1 billion (€220m-$257m) during the second quarter ended June 30 for the sports division of Sumitomo Rubber, which includes the Dunlop, Srixon and XXIO brands of tennis and golf products. The higher revenues led the division to post a profit of ¥3,050 million (€23.7m-$27.9m) ...
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News briefs
New Balance sues Michael Kors over allegedly similar “N” mark
New Balance has filed a trademark infringement lawsuit against Michael Kors, claiming that two models of its sneakers use an “N” in their design that is “confusingly similar” to the iconic “N” in New Balance footwear. New Balance specifically targeted Michael Kors’ Olympia and Pippin shoe collections. The case was ...
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News briefs
Pale Fire Capital invests US$6 million in Rouvy
Pale Fire Capital, a private equity firm based in Prague, has acquired a major stake in VirtualTraining, the Czech company behind the Rouvy indoor cycling and running software application. The deal is expected to close by the end of September. The new investment is meant to help Rouvy surpass the ...
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News briefs
Nike signs Leroy Sané for new underwear campaign
Leroy Sané, the well-known player of the Bayern Munich football club and the national German football team, is the new face and body of Nike’s new Move to Zero line of underwear and the accompanying autumn 2021 campaign. The Move to Zero collection, which is part of Nike’s sustainability program, ...
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News briefs
Saucony introduces the new Triumph 19 shoe
Saucony has announced the launch of the all-new Triumph 19 running shoe, available in men’s and women’s sizes at saucony.com and selected running specialty retailers globally. The Triumph 19 features the brand’s PWRRUN+ responsive cushioning, an upgrade from the underfoot cushioning in the Triumph franchise, as well as the brand’s ...
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News briefs
Padel Nuestro opens its first store in Belgium
Padel Nuestro has inaugurated a store in Kalmthout, in the Belgian province of Antwerp. It is the Spanish retailer’s first point of sale in Belgium. It is an “Express” store, like the one that the chain has in Rome. These stores are located within padel clubs and have smaller inventories ...
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News briefs
Spain’s Mundo Fitness posted record sales ahead of a merger
According to CMDsport, Mundo Fitness Europe posted record annual sales for 2020 of €12.78 million ahead of its merger with another company, exceeding the previous year’s sales by 138 percent. Net profits of €1,004,436 were up year-on-year by 2.5 percent. The Spanish-based retailer specializing in fitness equipment operates chiefly through ...
