October 2015

AWARD WINNERS

Strauss, Adrenalin Source for Sports
Win Bauer Retail Honors

Longtime National Sporting Goods Association member Strauss Skates & Bicycles and NSGA member Adrenalin Source for Sports were winners of Bauer Retailer of the Year Awards. They received the awards at the annual BauerWorld in late September in Montreal.

Strauss received the U.S. Specialty Retailer of the Year Award. Strauss, which is located in the Minneapolis-St. Paul suburb of Maplewood and has been in business since 1887, is part of the hockey collaboration with Sports Distributors of Canada.

Adrenalin, which is located in Calgary and is also a member of SDC, won the Canadian Specialty Retailer of the Year Award.

INDUSTRY NEWS

Pure Hockey Acquires Hockey Giant

Pure Hockey announced it has acquired all of the assets and ongoing business of California-based SportsGiant, LLC. Sports Giant includes ice hockey retailer Hockey Giant and online property HockeyGiant.com (among other online properties). HockeyGiant.com was one of the original online sellers of hockey gear and related product and remains among the largest online retailers.

Pure Hockey began discussions to acquire SportsGiant, LLC this summer and with the acquisition, Pure Hockey strengthens its position as the largest ice hockey retailer in the U.S.A, operating 31 retail locations and multiple websites.

"This is a transformational acquisition for Pure Hockey; one which allows us to provide more value to our customers and increases our presence in some excellent hockey markets," said David Nectow, President of Pure Hockey parent company TSG Enterprises, LLC. "It also allows us to better compete in an evolving competitive environment. We are beyond excited to introduce ourselves to all of the valued HockeyGiant customers in the U.S.A."

In conjunction with the acquisition of Hockey Giant, Pure Hockey has also announced the relocation of its Corporate Headquarters to a 345,000 square foot building in Holliston, MA. According to Nectow, the move to the state-of-the-art office and distribution facility will accommodate the Company's plans for current and future growth.

Bauer Opens New Innovation Center

Bauer officially opened its new Innovation Center in Blainville, Quebec, a suburb of Montreal, as the facility hosted approximately 350 of the company's top global retail partners for its annual BauerWorld event. The 100,000-square foot facility features state-of-the-art product testing labs, industry-leading design tools, a real ice surface to evaluate new product and a custom pro shop to host elite athletes.

"Our new facility in Blainville matches our premium product with a premium research facility to continue elevating performance and protection at all levels," said Rich Wuerthele, executive vice president of Bauer Hockey.

The Bauer Innovation Center was previously located in St. Jerome, Quebec, for more than 44 years. The new center in Blainville is 25 percent larger and has more than 150 testing and research and development machines.

Roustan Ends Fight for Seat on Performance Sports Group Board

Former Bauer Chairman Graeme Roustan gave up his fight for a seat on the board of directors of Performance Sports Group, which owns Bauer, in late September. Roustan was Bauer chairman from 2008-2012 and planned to nominate himself as a candidate for director at the company's annual meeting Oct. 14 because of his dissatisfaction with PSG's plans.

Roustan voiced his opposition to Bauer's foray into retail by opening its "Own The Moment" stores in the U.S. and Canada. The first store opened in suburban Boston in August and the second will open in suburban Minneapolis-St. Paul later this fall.

The PSG Board of Directors publicly released a letter to company shareholders, signed by board chairman Bernard McDonnell, that questioned Roustan's qualifications to be a director. The New York Post reported that Roustan could make a takeover bid for PSG that could surpass $1 billion.

Click here to read more.

EQUIPMENT BEAT

Adidas Signs Penguins Star
Sidney Crosby

Adidas announced a multiyear partnership with NHL star and captain of the Pittsburgh Penguins Sidney Crosby. A Stanley Cup Winner, World Championships Gold Medalist and two-time Olympic Gold Medalist, Crosby joins adidas to collaborate on apparel and equipment design and development. The Penguins center will also take a leading role in marketing with adidas, which will become the official outfitter of all NHL on-ice uniforms, licensed apparel and headwear in the 2017-18 season.

"Since I started playing hockey I have had a passion for the sport. I am excited to have the opportunity to collaborate with adidas and have an influence on products that matter to hockey players and all athletes in their training and preparation," said Crosby. "adidas and I share the same drive to be the best at what we do. It's an exciting time to be a part of the energy the brand has and the future of the sport."

Crosby notched his 800th career point last season, becoming the sixth fastest player in NHL history to reach 800 points. Along the way, Crosby has taken home the Art Ross Trophy (leading scorer) twice, made eight Stanley Cup playoff appearances and been named an NHL All-Star five times.

STX Signs Six NHL Players

Baltimore-based STX signed six NHL players to multi-year deals to compete with STX equipment. J.T. Miller (New York Rangers), Adam McQuaid (Boston Bruins), Matt Martin (New York Islanders), Colin McDonald (Philadelphia Flyers), Shawn Thornton (Florida Panthers) and Vincent Trocheck (Florida Panthers) join other STX players, including Matt Moulson (Buffalo Sabres) and Jiri Hudler (Calgary Flames).

The addition of the six players is expected to help drive brand awareness as STX continues to expand its ice hockey line, including the recent launch of the completely redesigned Stallion 600 stick.

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HOLIDAY PLANNING

Six 'Musts' For Holiday
Marketing Campaigns

The holiday shopping season is right around the corner and you want your customers spending with you and not your competitors. A lot of thought must go into a holiday marketing campaign and here are six "musts" to make it successful.

Click here to read the full story.

NRF Forecasts Slower
2015 Holiday Sales

The National Retail Federation said U.S. holiday sales will increase by 3.7 percent in 2015, which will be slightly slower growth than last year. The NRF forecast sales for November and December at $630.5 billion (excluding autos, gasoline and dining out). The growth rate is higher than the 10-year average of 2.5 percent but below the 4.1 percent increase of 2014.

Click here to read more.

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HOCKEY BUSINESS

2015 Business of Ice Hockey Report

Now Available

HDA members received an electronic copy of "The Annual Business of Ice Hockey Report: 2015 Edition," which includes data on consumer purchases of equipment, trends in participation and a look at the cost of doing business. It's a great resource to help you with your business and is one of the great benefits of your HDA membership.

If you are interested in becoming an HDA member and receiving this report, or if you are a member and would like a printed copy, please contact HDA managing director Marty Maciaszek at (800) 815-5422, ext. 1260 or by email at mmaciaszek@nsga.org.

The report costs $395 for non-members.

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JOIN OR RENEW NOW!

Now is the time to become a new member or renew your membership with the Hockey Dealers Association. You can do it easily by clicking here to fill out an application and learn more about the benefits of being a part of the voice for hockey dealers.

Sincerely,

Marty Maciaszek
mmaciaszek@nsga.org

In This Issue

AWARD WINNERS: Strauss, Adrenalin Source for Sports Win Bauer Retail Honors

INDUSTRY NEWS: Pure Hockey Acquires Hockey Giant

EQUIPMENT BEAT: Adidas Signs Penguins Star Sidney Crosby

HOLIDAY PLANNING: Six 'Musts' For Holiday Marketing Campaigns

HOCKEY BUSINESS: 2015 Business of Ice Hockey Report Now Available

Apply Now for HDA/SDC

Hockey Collaboration

The collaboration for the purchase of hockey equipment by U.S. hockey dealers between the HDA and National Sporting Goods Association (NSGA) and SDC (Sports Distributors of Canada) continues to grow as it enters its third year.

Click here to learn more about how the collaboration works and to fill out an inquiry form to start the process. Members of the collaboration take advantage of access to various products and discounts to help their bottom line.

There is no obligation to complete the form. Criteria used by SDC to determine participation may include a minimum sales volume of $200,000 in annual wholesale hockey products, credit rating, proximity to existing members and meeting certain store standards.

Don't delay and inquire today!

NSGA Research Now Available!

NSGA recently released the 2015 Editions of its Sports Participation and Sporting Goods Market reports - must-have documents for any organization looking for key insights into the Sporting Goods Industry.

For more than 30 years, NSGA has been the Industry's leader in providing reliable research and information to sporting goods executives.

Read the topline results.

How many sporting goods shoppers visit a physical store prior to purchasing a product? What about the technology-savvy Millennial generation?

Find out the answers to these questions and get an overview of the topics covered in NSGA's first-ever sporting goods shopper insight study by clicking here.

Did you know?

Tiger Williams holds the record for most career penalty minutes in the NHL. He spent approximately 2.7 days (3,966 minutes) of his 14-year NHL career with five teams in the penalty box. Williams also had 241 goals and 272 assists.

What's your beef?

Have an issue or problem related to the hockey industry? A concern about equipment or rules that you'd like to share with everyone?

Click here to let us know about it.

We want

your news!

We want to stay on top of the latest industry news and information, so if you have something to share please send an email to Marty Maciaszek.

Join HDA now!

Become a member of the Hockey Dealers Association and help us build a voice for the independent hockey dealer. Visit our website

by clicking here or calling (800) 815-5422, ext. 1260 to join today.

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Hockey Dealers Association

c/o NSGA