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Lacoste launches first padel collection
Two racquets, shoes, a bag and apparel. Lacoste is in padel, and the rackets come from a company it already owns.
News briefs
Adidas signs uniform deal with women’s league Unrivaled
The athlete-owned league carries a $650 million valuation and enters its third season. adidas has moved to join it.
Analysis
Branded Athletic Footwear Market Analysis: the giants lose control
For the first time, mid-sized brands control more of the $107.8bn sneaker market than Nike and adidas combined.
Adidas signs uniform deal with women’s league Unrivaled
The athlete-owned league carries a $650 million valuation and enters its third season. adidas has moved to join it.
Decathlon takes the future of cycling onto the train
Decathlon and Alstom picture a frictionless bike and train commute
Padel Galis opens its test court to the trade
Spanish court manufacturer Padel Galis has opened a 550-square-meter showroom and test facility in Silla, near Valencia, inviting startups and industry partners to test products under playing conditions.
Lacoste launches first padel collection
Two racquets, shoes, a bag and apparel. Lacoste is in padel, and the rackets come from a company it already owns.
PUMA signs global fragrance deal with Interparfums
Interparfums will create, produce and distribute PUMA scents worldwide through 2037, with a first launch due in 2027.
Moody’s turns positive on ANTA
The agency treats the pending PUMA stake as promising rather than risky, leaving room for more acquisitions.
JD Sports H1 operating profit falls 19.5%
Outdoor and Iberia grew margin while the US chains lost 230 basis points.
U.S. Polo Assn. hires ex-Abercrombie & Fitch designer
David Swetman spent 18 years shaping A&F menswear. Now he leads men’s and boys’ design for a brand targeting $4 billion in sales.
Polymarket to pay LeBron more than the 76ers will
NBA legend LeBron James has agreed a $15 million annual endorsement deal with prediction market platform Polymarket – nearly double the $8 million two-year contract he signed with the Philadelphia 76ers. Elite athletes are increasingly monetizing their influence beyond the court.
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Castore reportedly explores sale a decade after launch
JPMorgan is canvassing buyers for the brand Andy Murray backs, with interest from China among the approaches.
NGE fitness expands beyond UK Decathlon marketplace
A year after joining Decathlon’s UK marketplace, Northern Gym Equipment has expanded to 300+ listings and entered selected stores.
Castore at 10: From challenger to the global stage
Castore turns 10 this month, having expanded into F1, football, rugby, cricket, golf and heritage lifestyle brands.
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.
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Closing the distance: inside LTP’s clubhouse in Saigon
LTP Group has opened a dedicated development space in Ho Chi Minh City that compresses performance apparel sampling from months to fourteen days.
Moody’s turns positive on ANTA
The agency treats the pending PUMA stake as promising rather than risky, leaving room for more acquisitions.
JD Sports H1 operating profit falls 19.5%
Outdoor and Iberia grew margin while the US chains lost 230 basis points.
Investor day: On’s 2029 plan is more than football
Run, sneaker and apparel are set to supply most of On’s growth through 2029, alongside a new $1 billion buyback.
How Brooks entered football without entering the category
A running specialist is back in team sport. Not as a competitor, but as a brand partner.
Padel Galis opens its test court to the trade
Spanish court manufacturer Padel Galis has opened a 550-square-meter showroom and test facility in Silla, near Valencia, inviting startups and industry partners to test products under playing conditions.
Technogym launches its first Pilates reformer in the US
Technogym prices its US reformer at $13,670: four times what US retailers quote for professional reformers.
Onitsuka Tiger sets up in Spain ahead of Asics split
The Japanese lifestyle brand has quietly established a dedicated Iberian entity on Barcelona’s Passeig de Gràcia, signalling accelerating European ambitions as its separation from parent company Asics draws closer.
JD Sports enters Mexico with 140-store franchise
The UK retailer launches in 2027 via a license deal with Grupo Axo, marking its first entry into Mexico.
Adidas signs uniform deal with women’s league Unrivaled
The athlete-owned league carries a $650 million valuation and enters its third season. adidas has moved to join it.
Decathlon takes the future of cycling onto the train
Decathlon and Alstom picture a frictionless bike and train commute
Lacoste launches first padel collection
Two racquets, shoes, a bag and apparel. Lacoste is in padel, and the rackets come from a company it already owns.
PUMA signs global fragrance deal with Interparfums
Interparfums will create, produce and distribute PUMA scents worldwide through 2037, with a first launch due in 2027.
Basketball State of Play 2026
Basketball is where participation, fandom, footwear and fashion reinforce one another. 610 million players. 3.3 billion fans.
New York dethrones Paris in Burson’s sports cities ranking
A three-year streak by Paris ends as an NBA title and the FIFA World Cup Final lift New York to the top of Burson’s index.
APAC football fandom is massive. Merch sales are not.
The fandom is real. The conversion model most European clubs use in APAC is not built for the region.
Brands race to catch the run clubs’ wave
Running clubs surge across Asia and in cities worldwide, turning what was once solitary exercise into a collective ritual of reconnection and belonging.
Adidas cuts a tech hub in India it built five years ago
Adidas India Tech Cuts: Digital Build-Out Strategy Under Review
“Simplify to amplify”: Under Armour’s race to win runners
SGIE in conversation with UA on cutting the range and finding the runner.
adidas marketing ops VP Jochen Denninger dies at 57
Jochen Denninger, adidas Vice President of Marketing Operations since 2024, died on August 23 after 29 years with the brand.
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.
WFSGI Impact Report
WFSGI’s most systematic report yet puts the sporting goods industry’s global GDP contribution at $675 billion, supporting 28 million jobs.
Udinese Calcio pilots UEFA sustainability framework
A Serie A club is using UEFA’s sustainability manual and emissions calculator to show concrete results, not just plans.
TrusTrace lets brands ask their supply chain questions
The Stockholm company’s new tool uses AI to answer natural-language questions and surface compliance gaps as they emerge.
UTMB 2026: the access model and the backlash against it
Formula 1 sells the feeling of access. Paddock passes cost five figures. UTMB gives it free. In the street.
Decathlon takes the future of cycling onto the train
Decathlon and Alstom picture a frictionless bike and train commute
Polymarket to pay LeBron more than the 76ers will
NBA legend LeBron James has agreed a $15 million annual endorsement deal with prediction market platform Polymarket – nearly double the $8 million two-year contract he signed with the Philadelphia 76ers. Elite athletes are increasingly monetizing their influence beyond the court.
New Apple Watch ties in with US bloodwork lab
Apple has partnered with US lab-testing firm Quest Diagnostics to let users order at-home tests via the Health app for $119.
CASE STUDY: Inside Anta’s AI365 strategy
Anta built its own AI models and deployed them across design, retail and operations, at scale.
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.
New Balance sues Decathlon over Kiprun shoe logo
Boston brand claims Kiprun’s mirrored logo mark is confusingly close to its iconic N.
Alo Jewelry wins China trademark case against Alo Yoga
Alo Yoga has filed similar challenges against several other marks it considers close to its own, with mixed results so far.
PPWR: blessing or curse for sporting goods industry?
WFSGI and FESI legal counsel Dr. Jochen M. Schaefer asks whether Brussels’ packaging overhaul helps or harms the industry.
Gymshark sued over hidden influencer marketing
A New York lawsuit says Gymshark’s influencer army hid its paid endorsements behind buried hashtags and exclusive contracts.
Intelligence, analysis and advice for the global sporting goods industry.
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