BUSINESS NEWS
Want to stay up to date on the latest press releases and business news in the running, cycling and triathlon industries? Scroll below to view all endurance sports business news.
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October 31, 2021
From Nike to Peloton, Supply Chain Issues Unavoidable
Global supply chain issues have affected major corporations, forcing them to rethink their manufacturing strategies. Some companies have even considered shifting to a more domestic approach. Read more to understand the current predicament corporations are faced with. Front Office Sports
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October 29, 2021
Inside The Call: Hoka One One Again Stars For Deckers
Deckers Brands reported sales and earnings missed Wall Street’s targets in its fiscal second quarter ended September 30 as numerous supply chain challenges slowed Ugg’s growth in the quarter. However, the company still maintained its revenue outlook for the full year, driven by its projected 50-plus percent growth at Hoka...
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October 28, 2021
Skechers Slightly Lowers 2021 Outlook On Q3 Miss
Profits at Skechers USA surged 61.0 percent in the third quarter ended September 30 on a 19.2 percent revenue gain, but both sales and earnings came were below guidance. The footwear giant slightly lowered its EPS and sales targets for the full year. Skechers achieved a new third quarter sales...
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October 28, 2021
Facebook Rebrands to Meta, Rolls Out VR Fitness Apps
Facebook is looking to become a different type of company, starting with its name: The social networking giant is rebranding its parent company to Meta. Meta will oversee Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Oculus, the latter of which is of growing importance to Facebook’s ambitions in the metaverse — hence the name. The rebrand was revealed by...
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October 28, 2021
Olympics Draws $1.8 Billion in Revenue, But Comcast Mum on Profit
The long-delayed Tokyo Olympics paid off handsomely for NBCUniversal, as the company booked $1.76 billion in revenue over the course of the 17-day event. That marked a 9% increase compared to the $1.62 billion NBCU generated during the 2016 Summer Games in Rio. However, Comcast did not confirm that it had made a...
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October 27, 2021
Fitness Segment Boosts Garmin’s Revenue to $1.19B
Garmin reported $1.19 billion in third-quarter revenue Wednesday — with net sales for its fitness segment growing 4% to more than $342 million. During the first three quarters of 2021, the company’s net fitness sales increased 26% from the same period last year. Known for its GPS devices, Garmin is making strides...
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October 27, 2021
Shimano sales up 54% through first 9 months
Sales in Shimano's bicycle division were up 54% in the first three quarters of the company's fiscal year, compared to the same period last year. "Strong demand for bicycles remained at high levels in all markets, against a backdrop of the global cycling boom, triggered by the spread of COVID-19,"...
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October 26, 2021
NPD Sees Performance Footwear Sales Climb 15 Percent In Third Quarter
The NPD Group reported total U.S. performance footwear sales grew 15 percent in the third quarter while leisure footwear sales climbed at a slightly lower rate. Fashion footwear sales continued to underperform, decreasing high-single-digits. The 15 percent gain in performance footwear marked a slow down from the 31 percent jump...
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October 26, 2021
Apple Expands Fitness+ as Brick-and-Mortar Gyms Bounce Back
Apple Fitness+ is expanding to 15 new countries as the at-home fitness movement persists alongside the return of gyms. The company has paired its subscription workout program with its signature wearable, offering six months of Apple Fitness+ with an Apple Watch purchase. The Watch tracks biometrics such as heart rate,...
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October 24, 2021
Italy have bikes stolen at UCI Track Cycling World Championships
A total of 20 bikes belonging to Italy’s cycling team and valued at several hundred thousand euros have been stolen during the International Cycling Union Track Cycling World Championships in French city Roubaix. Thieves stole 15 track bikes and five others on Friday evening (October 22) from a hotel in...
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October 22, 2021
Shimano warns that ‘clearance’ web store is fake
Shimano says a website that appears to be offering clearance Shimano bike and fishing gearing is not legitimate. The company said consumers should beware of shimano-clearance (dot) store. BRAIN
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October 22, 2021
Paris To Become 100% Cycling City Within Four Years, Reveals New Plan
Paris is to increase the number of protected cycleways in the city as well as boost bicycle parking spaces, reveals the 2021-2026 cycling plan published October 21 and billed as Plan Velo: Act 2. The desire is to make the French capital—not that long ago a city that was toxic...
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October 21, 2021
How Hoka One One Digitized Its Product-to-Market Process
Before the pandemic, Hoka traveled to other countries to bring together global teams of designers, developers, product managers, merchandisers, marketers and salespeople to review prototypes, finalize a go-to-market strategy, and ultimately celebrate a launch. All that changed when Hoka took its major milestone meetings virtual and was able to offer...
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October 19, 2021
Fleet Feet Adds Florida Locations With Acquisition Of FITniche
Fleet Feet announced that it has successfully acquired specialty running retailer FITniche and its three locations in the Tampa, FL area. Under company ownership, these locations will bring Fleet Feet’s count of Florida stores to ten as the brand launches its personalized services and community outreach programs to a new...
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October 19, 2021
The Transformation of the Fitness Industry
While the pandemic drags on, club executives are trying to fully understand how fundamentally Covid-19 has transformed their industry, which generated $96.7 billion in global revenue in 2019. NYT
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October 19, 2021
Scott Morris responds to SafeSport suspension and USA CRITS departure
Former USA CRITS managing director says newspaper clipping from 15 years ago - 'something I was found not guilty of' - was the cause for his SafeSport suspension. VeloNews
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October 18, 2021
USA Crits teams and races withdraw after managing director dismissed over SafeSport ban
USA Crits teams L39ION and Aevolo Cycling have both announced that they won't compete anymore in the series, while partner races Boise Twilight Criterium and Tulsa Tough have both discontinued their association with the national series too, following the recent suspension regarding USA Crits' long-time managing director, Scott Morris over...
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October 17, 2021
Google’s Fitbit Purchase Under Regulatory Scrutiny
Google's $2.1 billion purchase of wearable company Fitbit, finalized in January, is under regulatory scrutiny in the U.S. and Australia. The company is appealing an antitrust fine from the European Commission regarding privacy issues about the tech giant’s huge store of consumer data. Front Office Sports
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October 14, 2021
Mindbody Acquires ClassPass, Raises $500M
Wellness technology platform Mindbody has acquired subscription-based fitness marketplace ClassPass and secured a separate $500 million investment in the combined company from Sixth Street. Financial terms of the all-stock acquisition were not disclosed, though ClassPass was valued at $1 billion after a $285 million funding round in January 2020. FOS
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October 14, 2021
Patent Watch: Trek, Canyon and others patent bike boxes for the D2C market
A box designed for consumers is precisely what Trek has targeted in a recent patent application, Bicycle Packaging System. The Detailed Description section of the patent filing is surprisingly clear (unlike the broad language common in patent descriptions) about this: “Described herein are methods and systems for packaging bicycles that are to be...
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October 13, 2021
SoftBank Invests $400M In Vuori Activewear
The investment marks one of the largest ever in a private apparel company and allows the California-based company to expand its reach to markets outside the U.S. Vuori has thrived as an online retailer — its nine brick-and-mortar locations account for roughly 10% of total sales. With SoftBank’s investment, Vuori plans to...
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October 13, 2021
Pear Sports Acquires Aaptiv
Pear Sports announced the acquisition of Aaptiv, the workout app. Aligned with the acquisition, Life Fitness has added to its equity investment in Pear and will distribute Aaptiv through its sales and marketing partnership. Aaptiv, with “13 million downloads and more than 36 million classes taken,” is expected to complement...
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October 12, 2021
Mary Cain suing former coach Alberto Salazar, Nike
On Monday, The Oregonian reported that former Nike Oregon Project athlete, Mary Cain, has reportedly filed a $20 million lawsuit against Nike and her former coach, Alberto Salazar, over alleged abuse. Cain is accusing Salazar of publicly shaming her over her weight, leading her to depression, an eating disorder and self-harm....
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October 11, 2021
Nike, Adidas Face Supply Chain Threats
The world’s biggest athletic shoe manufacturer — which works with Nike and adidas — is facing massive labor shortages in Vietnam related to the pandemic. Around 40,000 workers did not return to a Ho Chi Minh City facility owned by Taiwanese company Pou Chen Corp. when it reopened on Wednesday. The facility...
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October 11, 2021
Dorel Sports bought by Pon Holdings in $810 million deal
Dorel Industries has offloaded its Dorel Sports division in an $810 million cash deal with Pon Holdings. Marking a coming together of two goliaths in the bike business, the joining of portfolios is yet to be detailed in full, but would more than likely merge the likes of Cannondale, GT,...