News Topics
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December 8, 2023
Sportswear Brand Castore Lands $184M Investment
Sportswear brand and digital platform Castore has secured a £145 million ($184 million) investment in a round led by Raine Partners, a firm specializing in media, entertainment and sports. The apparel brand has an ecommerce site as well as two shops in its headquarters in Liverpool and London and reports...
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December 8, 2023
Lululemon Expects to Launch Men’s Shoes in First Quarter of 2024
After officially entering the footwear game in early 2022 with a sneaker designed specifically for the needs of female athletes, Lululemon is ready to expand the category to include men. On the company’s third-quarter earnings conference call with analysts on Thursday evening, Lululemon CEO Calvin McDonald announced that the company...
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December 8, 2023
Trail Running Participation Is on the Rise and Brands Are Releasing Innovative Shoes in 2024. But Are They Worth the Investment for Retailers?
Trail running participation is on the rise, and leading footwear brands are looking to capitalize. According to the Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA) 2023 Topline Participation Report, total trail running participation has increased for the fifth straight year. There were 13.3 million total trail running participants in 2022, according...
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December 7, 2023
Can AI Find Your Perfect Fitting Running Shoe?
A shoe can make or break your run, no matter your fitness level. Ill-fitting shoes can cause blisters so bad you can’t run anymore or rub your toenails right off. Or the shoe just doesn’t serve your specific gait, compromising your performance. That was the case when pro marathoner Nell...
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December 7, 2023
Ford claims its new van can solve the issue of “cyclists getting doored” by drivers and passengers
It took only until 2020 for Ford, the American auto-industry behemoth partially behind populating the country's suburban streets with large vehicles (often used by walking-distance locals going to the supermarket to buy a pint of milk) to acknowledge that cyclists exist, with its Emoji Jacket — that was a thing, remember? And it seems Ford has...
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December 7, 2023
Pierer announces agreements to sell its Felt Bicycle and Raymon brands
Pierer Mobility AG said it has agreements to sell Felt Bicycle, which it acquired in 2021, to a consortium led by a current manager. The Austrian motorcycle and e-bike company also has agreed to sell its Raymon e-bike brand to its founders, Susanne and Felix Puello, and focus on its KTM,...
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December 7, 2023
Shimano bike parts ‘made by modern slaves’ sold to commuters
Shimano, a bicycle-parts manufacturer that supplies commuters and Tour de France competitors, has allegedly sold gears produced by ‘modern slaves,’ the Telegraph can reveal. The multi-billion pound Japanese company sources the components from a Malaysian supplier that has been accused of exploiting migrant workers from Nepal. The biking giant provides...
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December 6, 2023
The ‘Super Shoe’ Will Thrive in 2024 — How Nike, Puma, New Balance and Other Running Brands Will Capitalize
The “super shoe” has been a dominant topic in run market conversations in recent years, and leading brands showcasing 2024 footwear at The Running Event (TRE) proved the best has yet to come. Last week at TRE, the annual trade show held in Austin, Texas, seemingly every company competing in...
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December 6, 2023
Cyclists Race Up America’s Steepest Street
The Dirty Dozen is a very cool race format. Rather than being a mass start race, There are waves of riders who softly pedal between the hills and race on the climbs. It is sort of like a reverse enduro! The course is intense. Twelve hard efforts like that are...
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December 6, 2023
Nike and Lululemon Post Epic Retail Traffic Surges on Black Friday
Lululemon will report fiscal third-quarter results after the market closes on December 7 and Nike will report fiscal second-quarter results after the market closes on December 21. Today, LULU shares are up 27x from its adjusted IPO price on July 1, 2007, while NKE shares are up 7.9x over the...
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December 5, 2023
BowFlex Risks NYSE Delisting Over Low Market Cap
BowFlex, the Washington-based fitness equipment maker formerly known as Nautilus, has received notice from the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) warning the company that it isn’t in compliance with continued listing standards, which requires it to maintain an average global market capitalization of at least $50 million over a 30-day...
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December 5, 2023
Valencia Marathon to offer one million dollars for a world record
It’s no secret that the Trinidad Alfonso Valencia Marathon in Spain boasts one of the fastest courses and deepest marathon fields in the world. For the second consecutive year, the men’s and women’s winner in Valencia has recorded a time under 2:01 and 2:16. While Valencia isn’t part of the...
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December 4, 2023
Xponential Fitness Acquires Lindora Weight Loss Clinics
Focused on weight management and metabolic health, Lindora clinics offer GLP-1s like Ozempic, IV drips, hormone replacement therapy, and cold laser therapy, among other treatments. Expanding its empire beyond exercise, XPOF will acquire Lindora’s intellectual property and take over 31 existing clinics, with plans to franchise the brand globally. Fitt...
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December 4, 2023
Strava introduces messaging feature
As of Monday, the messaging feature will be available for all Strava users (on mobile only). Look for the speech bubble icon in the top right corner of the Strava home screen and group tabs. If you can’t find it, restart your Strava app and make sure you have version...
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December 4, 2023
Brooks CEO Jim Weber and President Dan Sheridan on Fueling Growth in China and Europe, Tapping into the Retro Running Boom + More
Late last week, CEO Jim Weber and president Dan Sheridan spoke with FN on the final day of The Running Event (TRE), the annual running industry trade show held in Austin, Texas. During the event, Brooks revealed several products it expects to impress all types of running consumers throughout 2024,...
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December 3, 2023
Malibu appears to have dumped Super League and given the triathlon race permit back to the previous race director
In a crazy turn of events it appears that the former race director/ owner of the Malibu Triathlon, Michael Epstein, who sold the race to Super League Triathlon in 2020, has somehow managed to win back the only triathlon permit granted in the city, leaving Super League without a race....
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December 1, 2023
Runna Raises $6.3M for Running Coach App
Runna, a personalized running coach app that debuted in 2021, has closed another venture capital round, raising £5 million ($6.3 million), bringing Runna’s total raised funds to over £8 million ($10 million). JamJar led the latest funding, which included participation from Eka Ventures, Venrex and Creator Ventures. Since its launch,...
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December 1, 2023
Insurance companies push back against e-bikes
E-bikes are flying off the shelf, and for good reason. Not because they're cited as the solution for everything from reducing traffic congestion to improving diabetes. But because they help riders go farther and faster than a traditional bike, cost less than a car, and emit 99 percent less carbon...
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December 1, 2023
Japan’s Miho Nakata Sets Women’s 24-Hour World Record
Japan’s Miho Nakata jumped into the spotlight in the ultrarunning world on Saturday, December 2, setting the women’s 24-hour world record of 167.996 miles (270.363 kilometers) at the 2023 IAU 24-Hour World Championships in Taipei. She beat the previous record set by Camille Herron of 167.842 miles (270.116k) at the...
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November 30, 2023
Where is The Line Between Athlete and Influencer?
"If a brand is not working with content creators or engaged in influencer marketing, they are behind,” notes Izzy Seidel, a content creator, recreational runner, running influencer, and co-creator of the meme account Sad Girl Track Club. As running brands invest in social media influencers and professional athletes, runners face...
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November 30, 2023
20 Most Fit Countries in the World
According to the WHO, the worldwide prevalence of obesity and overweight tripled between 1975 and 2016. While some countries proved to be fit, with a significant portion of their population exhibiting normal weight, a substantial portion of the world's population still struggles with the repercussions of being overweight and underweight. In...
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November 29, 2023
Runners are swallowing data-tracking pills to create better watches
Researchers at the National University of Singapore’s (NUS) Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, in collaboration with Samsung Singapore, are experimenting with a new generation of wearables that estimate with more accuracy the impact of heat strain on runners. The teamwork between NUS and Samsung will pave the way for...
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November 28, 2023
PEARL iZUMi and Nathan owner, United Sports Brands, acquired by Norwest Equity Partners
Norwest Equity Partners (NEP), a middle market investment platform founded in 1961, has acquired United Sports Brands (USB), which has a diverse portfolio of sporting goods and active lifestyle brands. The transaction closed on November 20, 2023, and financial terms were not disclosed. United Sports Brands’ (USB’s) six brands are: PEARL iZUMI,...
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November 28, 2023
Tonal Sues Smart Home Gym Rival Speediance
Tonal, the smart home gym company, has filed a lawsuit against competitor Speediance, alleging the rival brand infringes on its patents and is engaging in false and misleading advertising. The China-based Speediance is also alleged to tout itself as the “Tonal killer” and alter and/or delete reviews on its website...
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November 28, 2023
PEARL iZUMi and Nathan owner, United Sports Brands, acquired by Norwest Equity Partners
Norwest Equity Partners (NEP), a middle market investment platform founded in 1961, has acquired United Sports Brands (USB), which has a diverse portfolio of sporting goods and active lifestyle brands. The transaction closed on November 20, 2023, and financial terms were not disclosed. USB products are sold by leading retailers...