CORPORATE AND M&A
+++ Alpine-X, a developer of indoor snowsports facilities across North America, is partnering with M BAR W Enterprises, a consulting and services group co-founded by ex-ski racer Bode Miller who serves the company as chief innovation officer, to “promote snowsports for all and democratize snowsports with a focus on inclusivity”
+++ The board of directors has authorized Callaway Golf on Dec. 13 to repurchase up to $50 million of the company’s common stock in the open market or in private transactions, replacing the pre-pandemic repurchase program terminated by the board
+++ Following the recent approval of the companies’ boards of directors, the respective shareholders of publicly-traded special purpose acquisition company Yucaipa Acquisition Corporation and Signa Sports United (SSU) have also approved the business combination between Yucaipa and SSU announced on June 11, which includes the acquisition of WiggleCRC Group, the world’s second-largest online bicycle retailer after SSU, currently owned by Bridgepoint
+++ Adidas has announced the launch of yet another share buyback program that will involve investments of €4 billion until 2025, starting in January 2022 +++
CSR & SUSTAINABILITY
+++ EOCA announced that a newly funded project with Yaysan Orangutan Sumatera Lestari will support the conservation of Sumatran orangutans by restoring critical habitat with the help of a local women’s group and the planting of 20,000 tree seedlings
+++ Following December’s devastating tornadoes in the U.S. state of Kentucky, Keen donated $100,000 and footwear to support frontline responders
+++ 15 of its member brands participated in the U.S. The Conservation Alliance’s November fundraising campaigns, raising a total of $78,000 for the protection of wild places
+++ Ortovox has just achieved Leader status for the fourth time in a row since joining the Fair Wear Foundation (FWF) in 2015
+++ Jack Wolfskin’s Wolftrail 28 Recco hiking backpack, which will be launched in summer 2022, has been awarded the German Sustainability Award for Design
+++ Vanishing Lines is Patagonia’s new snow activism documentary that focuses on the advancing tourist development of the Alps, primarily through ski resorts and their infrastructure +++
EXECUTIVE CHANGES
+++ U.S. company Footwear Unlimited has named former Amer Sports sales director Jon Hanson executive vice president and general manager for its Spyder Footwear brand
+++ Strava has announced the appointment of Gustav Gyllenhammar, Spotify’s vice president of markets and subscriber growth, to its board
+++ Zalando has restructured its management board as of March 1, 2022, with the current CFO David Schröder taking on the newly created role of COO and Dr. Sandra Dembeck assuming the new role of CFO +++
PRODUCT & MARKETING
+++ Vermont-based sock manufacturer Darn Tough has signed skier Michelle Parker snowboarder Jake Blauvelt to its team of athletes
+++ Supreme is continuing its major collaboration series, returning with its latest collaborative range with fellow VF Corp brand The North Face for Fall 2021, available via Supreme’s website on Dec. 16 in the U.S. and Dec. 18 in Japan
+++ Dahlgren Socks, a Canadian company founded 1978 and known for its patented Dri-Stride technology combining Alpaca and Merino wool with synthetic fiber, is back with a new collection after it was purchased earlier this year by In-Sports Fashions, a Montréal, Québec-based North American distributor
+++ French freeskier Sam Favret has signed with Chamonix-based ski brand Black Crows as a new ambassador
+++ Adidas Terrex has begun selling the Nothing Left Behind Free Hiker Gore-Tex on adidas.com, an unusually colorful hiking boot with an upcycled upper and breathable, waterproof Gore-Tex membrane and featuring Three Stripes Boost technology and a Continental rubber outsole
+++ Bollé has officially signed a 3-year partnership with the Club des Sports de Val Thorens and will equip all club staff during this period, while regularly offering young skiers the opportunity to test new racing products
+++ La Sportiva, since spring 2021 official equipment partner of the Swiss Alpine Club (SAC), founded in 1863, has also become technical sponsor of the Swiss national ski touring team, starting this winter season
+++ Forloh, a 100 percent made-in-America technical outdoor brand, has introduced women-specific rain gear incorporating the brand’s proprietary Airadigm Pulse Plasma technology, which uses only one percent of the DWR treatment traditionally used in rainproof garments
+++ Norwegian helmet, goggle and protective gear specialist Sweet Protection is the official helmet and goggle partner of Jackson Hole Mountain Resort in the Rocky Mountains of Wyoming until October 2023
+++ Due to incorrectly stated UV protection values on various styles, Schöffel is recalling part of its S21 and W21 collections – (German) details available here +++
E-COMMERCE & DTC
+++ Shimano said that a fake website (www.shimano-clearance.store) posing as one operated by the company itself has been shut down for good
+++ California-based social news aggregator Reddit filed confidentially with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Dec. 15 a draft registration statement on Form S-1 relating to the proposed initial public offering of its common stock +++
RETAIL & DISTRIBUTION
+++ After the closure of the original Vaude store in Erlangen in August 2021, the local retailer Freilauf bike&outdoor opened a new Vaude franchise store on two floors and 182 square meters in the southern German city in late November, which is complemented by a wide range of hardgoods from Freilauf’s portfolio and shop-in-shop areas from Patagonia and Endura
+++ Covid doesn’t seem to be making much of an impact on U.S. ski tourism: Vail Resorts has released updated information on its season passes, reporting that sales in North America are up 47 percent year-over-year and even up 76 percent compared to 2019
+++ After deciding that Black Friday 2021 is a day to give back to local communities, Decathlon Canada will donate CA$132,000 from purchases made Nov. 26 to organizations selected by the country’s Decathlon store and e-commerce teams +++
LEGAL & INSTITUTIONAL
+++ The Spanish Association of Sporting Goods Manufacturers and Distributors (Afydad) has joined the ModaEspaña Association to strengthen the steps towards a complete unification of the national textile sector and a stronger positioning of the “Brand Spain” in the fashion world +++
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