E-Commerce and DTC
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Article
Snowleader raises €15 million
Thomas Roualt, founder and CEO, has announced on his LinkedIn page that Snowleader has raised €15 million in a fourth round of financing in 15 years (the company turned 15 years old last year). According to Fusacq and others, half of the funds stem from equity capital and half from ...
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Vaude launches second-hand online shop
Vaude has launched the sale of second-hand products at www.rent-secondhand.vaude.com – currently only in Germany. The offer is meant to provide an environmentally friendly, yet inexpensive alternative to buying new clothing and equipment. The second-hand web shop offers a large selection of used outdoor equipment in great condition. As a ...
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Swedish Supreme Court confirms reorganization plan for Sportshopen’s parent
On 15 April, the Swedish Supreme Court confirmed the restructuring plan for Swedemount Sportswear & Fashion AB. The majority of Swedemount’s suppliers and creditor groups had already voted to confirm the restructuring plan in December last year, which was subsequently approved by both the District Court and the Court of ...
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Isbjörn chooses Lignin Net Zero Bags for e-commerce
Source: Isbjörn of Sweden Lignin Industries’ Net Zero Brown Bag Swedish outdoor children’s clothing brand Isbjörn is partnering with Lignin Industries, also from Sweden, as part of its sustainability commitment, which includes bold Net Zero targets. By choosing Lignin Industries’ Net Zero Bag for its e-commerce deliveries, ...
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Bike-flipping: to boost sales and encourage sustainability
Alejandro Pons sees great potential for reconditioned bicycles both in his company’s domestic market of Spain and abroad. Pons is the founder and CEO of Tuvalum, an online platform for the sale of second-hand bicycles, and has expounded his views to CMDsport. His enthusiasm contrasts with the current gloom in ...
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Decathlon Germany expanding e-bike range with refurbisher Rebike
After sporting goods chain Decathlon Sportartikel GmbH & Co. KG (Decathlon Germany) recently announced that it would be adding the “hip (e-)city bikes” from Sushi Bikes maker Sushi Mobility GmbH to its portfolio, the bike-affine sporting goods giant is now also joining forces with the largest German e-bike refurbisher Rebike ...
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Kuiu continues international DTC expansion with ESW
California-based DTC outdoor brand Kuiu has expanded its global reach to 37 international markets in partnership with global direct-to-consumer e-commerce company ESW since its inception in 2011. Due to the high demand for its products – mainly ultralight hunting apparel and gear designed to be as affordable and accessible as ...
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The Russian outdoor goods industry is preparing to replace imports
Russian players in the outdoor goods market believe the mass exodus of Western brands from the country provided local industry ample growth opportunities. Although exports no longer seem to be in the cards and manufacturers complain about inconsistent state support policy, the potential to plug the gap in the internal ...
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Bergfreunde revenue grows by 12%, more investments in ESG
Consumers’ reduced willingness to spend was once again reflected in a significant drop in total sales in German e-commerce in 2023. According to the German E-Commerce and Distance Selling Trade Association (bevh), overall gross sales of goods fell 11.8 percent to €79.7 billion. Despite this difficult environment, the sales trend ...
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Ethicamper: New 'fair' online store for outdoor enthusiasts and campers
Elisa Fuchs and Patrick Lenzbauer from Graz, Austria, have launched a sustainable, German-language online store for outdoor enthusiasts, called Ethicamper. Environmentally friendly materials, produced as locally as possible and in a resource-saving manner: “Ethicamper offers a carefully selected range of products and solutions for a better future,” ...
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Bergzeit supports POW with €12,000 from returned products sale
With its second-hand store “Bergzeit RE-USE,” started in 2022, the mountain sports specialist from southern Germany wants to contribute to significantly increasing the product life cycle of clothing and equipment. “In a joint campaign with Protect Our Winters, we called on mountaineers in winter to sell their used mountain sports ...
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Insolvent WiggleCRC’s new business model focuses on the UK
In the wake of the insolvency of Signa Holding, the British subsidiary WiggleCRC of Signa Sports United (SSU) also had to file for insolvency on Oct. 24. The appointed administrators Anthony John Wright and Alastair Rex Massey of London-based management and restructuring consultancy FRP Advisory have now announced a new ...
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Bergfreunde changes ownership
Bergfreunde GmbH, the German online specialist retailer for mountain sports, climbing and outdoor equipment, has a new strategic partner: French sporting goods manufacturer and retailer Decathlon is acquiring the German company from US outdoor retailer Backcountry. The purchase agreement was signed on Nov. 24, 2023. The completion of the transaction ...
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Footwear brands launch collective to drive the transition to a circular economy
Athletic and outdoor footwear brands Brooks Running, New Balance, On, Vibram, Crocs and Ecco, along with US lifestyle brand Reformation and US retailer Target, have partnered with EarthDNA to launch The Footwear Collective (TFC), a non-profit initiative dedicated to uniting the global footwear industry to accelerate the ...
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ThredUp reports 21% sales increase in Q3
California-based online resale platform ThredUp Inc. reported a 21 percent year-over-year increase in revenue for its third quarter ended Sept. 30, 2023, reaching $82.0 million. Adjusted Ebitda loss was $3.6 million, or negative 4.4 percent of revenue, compared to $11 million, or negative 16.2 percent of revenue, in Q3 of ...
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VSSÖ: Austria’s outdoor market remains stable
Despite the economic challenges in the 2022/2023 season, the Austrian outdoor industry was able to maintain its sales at a high level according to the latest market figures published by ARGE Outdoor (the specialized interest group of the Austrian outdoor sporting goods industry, which was founded in January 2023 and ...
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SSU: What has happened so far – and what may still come
In a joint statement, the two insolvency administrators appointed, Dr. Christian Gerloff from the Munich law firm Gerloff-Liebler Rechtsanwälte and Stefan Meyer from Ulm-based Pluta Rechtsanwalts GmbH, point out that the operational business of the two insolvent Signa Sports United (SSU) spin-offs Tennis-Point GmbH and Internetstores GmbH (alias Internetstores Group, ...
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Swedish sports retail sales down 1.7 percent in Q3
The Sportindex, compiled by industry organization Svenskt Sportforum in collaboration with HUI, shows that Swedish sports retail sales fell 1.7 percent in the third quarter of 2023 – the seventh consecutive quarter of negative performance. A heat wave in September was a setback for sporting goods retailers as fall sales ...
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Wave of insolvencies at SSU seems unleashed
While Signa Sports United (SSU) offshoot Internetstores GmbH (Addnature, Bikester, Brügelmann, Campz, Fahrrad.de, Probikeshop) is said to have informed its suppliers of impending insolvency in self-administration and British affiliate WiggleCRC is believed to have done the same in its home country, German Tennis-Point GmbH has already filed for insolvency on ...
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Signa Holding sells Sport Scheck to British Frasers Group
On Oct. 17, Signa Retail Department Store Holding GmbH announced the sale of the German sporting goods chain SportScheck to British sporting goods and fashion retailer Frasers Group. Frasers runs, among other brands, Europe’s largest retailer of sports and fitness footwear, apparel and equipment, Sports Direct. No details were given ...