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HYROX strikes global retail deal with Amazon
Amazon-powered storefronts go live in six markets as the fitness racing series expands retail.
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H1 2026: ANTA brand stalls as portfolio brands take over
ANTA Sports delivered record first-half revenue and profit, but growth increasingly came from elsewhere. While the core ANTA brand rose just 4.8 percent, FILA and the group’s smaller brands provided most of the momentum.
Article
The challenger hires the expert: GOFLUO taps John Zopfi
John Zopfi spent decades building wholesale networks for Patagonia and 7mesh. Now he is taking that playbook to the visibility Belgian challenger brand.
Four days to kill a $20bn plan, and put FIFA’s leadership in jeopardy
A failed bid to sell a stake in FIFA’s commercial rights to outside investors has triggered the most serious leadership crisis in the organization’s recent history, with Gianni Infantino now facing a potential no-confidence vote ahead of his 2027 re-election bid.
PSG launches We Ride Paris cycling + fitness initiative
Zwift and Wilier are providing five customized smart bikes to be auctioned for PSG’s community and Xana foundations.
H1 2026: ANTA brand stalls as portfolio brands take over
ANTA Sports delivered record first-half revenue and profit, but growth increasingly came from elsewhere. While the core ANTA brand rose just 4.8 percent, FILA and the group’s smaller brands provided most of the momentum.
Saucony powers Xtep’s growth as core brand slows
Saucony and Merrell are growing faster than the flagship Xtep brand, a shift now central to the group’s H1 2026 results.
Under Armour trades athletes for culture icons
Under Armour is testing whether cultural collaborators can outlast athlete endorsers in its turnaround.
The challenger hires the expert: GOFLUO taps John Zopfi
John Zopfi spent decades building wholesale networks for Patagonia and 7mesh. Now he is taking that playbook to the visibility Belgian challenger brand.
Foot Locker drag forces DICK’S to reset FY guidance
Shares fell after the retailer’s newest banner posted a 3.6 percent comparable sales decline.
ATHX picks New York to throw down its HYROX gauntlet
Backed by adidas, ATHX brings its hybrid fitness challenge to New York, a market where HYROX and PUMA still dominate.
HYROX strikes global retail deal with Amazon
Amazon-powered storefronts go live in six markets as the fitness racing series expands retail.
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Paddletek buys pickleball paddle maker PIKKL
PIKKL joins a portfolio spanning Bantam, Tempest and Honeyfoam, as Paddletek also signs three unrelated pro Johnsons.
Asian tennis athletes are no longer the backup option
Once an afterthought, Asian stars like China’s Zheng Qinwen now command top sponsorship dollars, rewriting who brands back.
The Slazenger brand revival is a 43-minute comedy film
Yes, comedy. Slazenger’s answer to decades of decline is a 43-minute film starring its 23-year-old creative director.
Kostyuk reaches Wimbledon quarterfinal in Wilson dress
Her second Wilson dress sold out in days. Now Marta Kostyuk has matched it with her first Wimbledon quarterfinal.
Running State of Play 2026
Nearly a third of runners started during the pandemic, motivated by health not competition – they are reshaping the sport
PARTNER CONTENT
The industry’s new benchmark for excellence: ISPO Awards 2026
With renewed ambition, the ISPO Awards step onto the world stage in 2026. Entries are now open.
Four days to kill a $20bn plan, and put FIFA’s leadership in jeopardy
A failed bid to sell a stake in FIFA’s commercial rights to outside investors has triggered the most serious leadership crisis in the organization’s recent history, with Gianni Infantino now facing a potential no-confidence vote ahead of his 2027 re-election bid.
H1 2026: ANTA brand stalls as portfolio brands take over
ANTA Sports delivered record first-half revenue and profit, but growth increasingly came from elsewhere. While the core ANTA brand rose just 4.8 percent, FILA and the group’s smaller brands provided most of the momentum.
Saucony powers Xtep’s growth as core brand slows
Saucony and Merrell are growing faster than the flagship Xtep brand, a shift now central to the group’s H1 2026 results.
Foot Locker drag forces DICK’S to reset FY guidance
Shares fell after the retailer’s newest banner posted a 3.6 percent comparable sales decline.
Stella International opens plants, exits Philippines
The Nike and HOKA supplier is adding capacity in Indonesia, Vietnam, and Bangladesh while closing a Philippines site.
Foot Locker to open new kind of neighborhood store in LA
Foot Locker opens a community-oriented store in LA’s Crenshaw on Aug. 22, co-developed with Nike, Jordan Brand and Converse, highlighting shifts at both Nike and Foot Locker under Dick’s Sporting Goods.
Intersport opens in Portugal
Intersport has entered its 41st country as Intersport France opens a flagship-format store in Felgueiras, Portugal, anchoring a new Iberian subsidiary that combines the Portuguese debut with roughly 30 inherited Spanish stores.
Running brands bet on Europe to win the DTC race
On, HOKA and New Balance lead a wider field, including Asics and Saucony, investing in Europe’s community-led retail boom.
PSG launches We Ride Paris cycling + fitness initiative
Zwift and Wilier are providing five customized smart bikes to be auctioned for PSG’s community and Xana foundations.
Under Armour trades athletes for culture icons
Under Armour is testing whether cultural collaborators can outlast athlete endorsers in its turnaround.
Aerospace-grade carbon fiber debuts in Xtep racing shoe
The fiber once reserved for deep-space and medical uses now sits under a runner’s forefoot in Xtep’s new racers
ASICS chases New York energy with new tennis shoe
The GEL-Challenger 15 extends the Stability logic from ASICS’ Playing Styles system to a lower price point, and to a second use this year.
US women’s sports audience and ad spend are booming
US audiences watched 46 billion minutes of women’s sports in 2025, while brands poured in record ad dollars, per Nielsen.
Running footwear sales climb 13% as US market stalls
US footwear sales inched up 1 percent in H1 2026, but running shoes grew 13 times faster.
Running State of Play 2026
Nearly a third of runners started during the pandemic, motivated by health not competition – they are reshaping the sport
How SE Asian local brands find a competitive edge
A Bali brand built on surplus fabric from global labels. A Brunei brand built on repairs. How Southeast Asian local brands compete.
Lululemon comms chief Bill Chandler exits Sept. 4
Chandler’s exit follows Lululemon’s AI chief and strategy chief departures ahead of O’Neill’s Sept. 8 CEO start.
New Balance UK factory gets a garden by a jeweller
London jewellery brand Bleue Burnham, founded by a self-taught gardener, designed the space for New Balance’s 300 UK shoemakers.
Macron: the brand that grew by saying ‘no’
Macron’s Chief Brand & Communications Officer Angelo Marino explains why 22 years of organic growth start with knowing when to refuse.
TrusTrace’s cofounder Rajan on the cost of compliance
Hrishikesh Rajan, co-founder and chief growth officer at TrusTrace, in conversation with SGI Europe.
PSG launches We Ride Paris cycling + fitness initiative
Zwift and Wilier are providing five customized smart bikes to be auctioned for PSG’s community and Xana foundations.
Oberalp Contribute Report 2025: circularity data
The mountain sports group’s own numbers cut against its circularity growth story.
How SE Asian local brands find a competitive edge
A Bali brand built on surplus fabric from global labels. A Brunei brand built on repairs. How Southeast Asian local brands compete.
Chori: more than a supplier, a strategic textile partner from yarn to garment
With nearly 180 years in textiles, Japan’s Chori has evolved from fibre trader to fully integrated development and manufacturing partner — and is now making a direct pitch to European performance brands seeking consolidated supply chains backed by verified sustainability data.
Worldly appoints Senior VP of Growth
On Aug. 11 Worldly appointed Léyoh Goodall Senior Vice President of Growth, tasking her with aligning the supply-chain platform’s commercial and customer teams around “verified data” – rather than “estimates or averages” – in an era of “tariff pressure, tightening regulation, and multi-tier complexity.”
Prediction markets carve into the sports rights pie
Prediction markets are entering sports rights. Same package. New buyer.
Trail-running app RacePace builds prep on race history
The update pulls a runner’s full ITRA history into prep, not just fitness data - sharper plans for those returning from a break.
Fanatics brings some financial plumbing in house
Better known for jerseys and memorabilia, Fanatics is acquiring the exchange and clearinghouse behind its prediction markets.
Hainan duty-free partners with Lululemon
The Hainan duty-free retailer is expanding a sports portfolio that now includes Lululemon, Salomon, Under Armour, adidas and Nike.
Nike may pocket the tariff refund. Consumers want it back.
Footwear giant raised prices by up to $10 to offset $1bn in import costs. Now the tariffs are gone — and so is its commitment to refund shoppers.
Trump tariff refunds: are you in the queue?
$127 billion enters the queue — but not all at once
US Customs race to build IEEPA tariff refund system
Around 330,000 US importers await refunds on $166bn in IEEPA tariffs as CBP builds a new processing system under court supervision.
Whoop wins FDA closeout on blood pressure feature
The FDA dropped its 2025 enforcement action after Whoop modified its interface and the agency updated its wellness guidance.
UK: adidas, Uniqlo and CK ads banned for greenwashing
The UK advertising regulator banned Google ads from adidas, Uniqlo and Calvin Klein for unsubstantiated recycled material claims.
Gildan faces class action probes after short-seller report
Levi & Korsinsky, Kalloghlian Myers and Howard G. Smith open investigations after Gildan shares drop 18.8%
Gildan’s growth story meets an activist short seller
Activist short seller Jehoshaphat Research alleges channel stuffing, a $510m inventory overhang, and governance red flags
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