REI has announced plans to open new stores in Cincinnati, OH and Medford, OR as well as plans to relocate its current location in Cary, NC. The REI in Cincinnati, slated to open next fall is the co-op’s first location in Ohio. It will be located at Rookwood Commons, with a nearly 22,000 square-foot, one-story building. REI claims they have 5,000 active members in the area.

Sherpa Adventure Gear has named Bradshaw Taylor as its new distributor for the United Kingdom, Scandinavia and mainland Europe. The agreement allows Bradshaw Taylor to manage sales, marketing, distribution and logistics for the European countries except Italy and Austria. Products from the brand will begin arriving in stores next fall.

Eyewear brand Revo has announced a partnership with The North Face, offering a selection of its sunglass styles through The North Face Flagship store locations.

Revo was founded in 1985 and features products designed to be innovative for adventure and travel enthusiasts. The sunglasses brand features high contrast polarized eyewear and the offering at The North Face stores will reflect this. Included in the product selection will be Revo's new Water lens, a polarized lens designed to optimize colors on bodies of water.

Nantahala Outdoor Center (NOC) unveiled The North Face retail concept shop on October 22^nd. NOC is housing the brand specific shop within its Gatlinburg, Tennessee retail store. The opening was celebrated with free admission for the public and door prizes from The North Face and NOC plus a number of product demonstrations.

The NPD Group has published its Global Sports Estimate 2011, showcasing market research on the global sports market. The data suggests that the sports market has returned to growth in 2010, with sales of sports equipment, active apparel, athletic footwear and bicycles valued at $315 billion USD for 2010. This is a four percent increase from 2009. This is a positive sign of recovery after a 2 percent decrease in 2009.

La Sportiva N.A. announced the completion of their newly expanded distribution warehouse in Boulder, CO. The expansion will support the brand's launch into ski mountaineering for Fall 2011 and Winter 2012 and is also in response to strong growth in recent years. According to Jonathan Lantz, President of La Sportiva North America, the company has seen a 56 percent increase in sales over the last three years.

Geartribe, a model that harnesses the power of group buying will be launching in new markets, Hood River and Bend, Oregon; Seattle, Washington and Summit County, Colorado starting Aug. 29. This collective buying model focuses on outdoor lifestyle interests, presenting promotions for outdoor adventures, products and services. Geartribe isn't just for the consumer, but can also benefit outdoor merchants as a sales and marketing platform to reach new customers.

Global investment firm Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co L.P. (KKR) has completed the acquisition of Academy Sports + Outdoors (d/b/a Academy) announced in May. The Texas-based retailer has 133 locations throughout 11 states in the Southeast U.S. with approximately 16,000 associates and generated more than $2.7 billion in revenue in 2010.