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Be Prepared for UPS, FedEx Rate Increases in 2020 This content is provided by Partnership, the endorsed shipping partner of the National Sporting Goods Association. UPS and FedEx rates are slated to go up in 2020 by an average of 4.9%. The changes took effect for UPS on December 29, 2019 and while the FedEx rates went into place on January 6, 2020. If you’re planning to budget for your costs to go up 4.9% in the next year, you better think twice. The announced average doesn’t paint a complete picture. The rates for some packages will be increasing less than 4.9%, but that means the cost to ship other packages is increasing far more. What you’re shipping, where you’re shipping it to, and what service you’re using will ultimately determine how much you should budget for your shipping costs in the new year.

FedEx and UPS Surcharges The rates, however, are only one part of the equation. You also have to take into account the additional fees that UPS and FedEx tack on. It’s more important than ever to be mindful of what could qualify your packages for these surcharges. Not only do the costs increase year over year, but the carriers also make adjustments to how the charges are defined – making it more likely that your packages will be hit with them. A prime example of this is the change both FedEx and UPS made to their Additional Handling fee for 2020. They’ve lowered the weight threshold to 50 pounds from 70 pounds, which means your costs could go up significantly if you ship packages within that window.

Industry Trends Online shopping has had a profound effect on the parcel industry and the way that FedEx and UPS operate. The carriers are moving more residential deliveries and an increased amount of larger packages, as consumers have become accustomed to being able to order almost anything online and receiving it in two days or less. The changes FedEx and UPS have instituted in recent years and are making in 2020 are a direct response to these industry trends. In the past several years, they’ve broadened the use of dimensional weight pricing, added new peak surcharges and drastically increased the surcharges for larger packages.

Understanding the 2020 Rate Increases We know how daunting it is to analyze the 2020 FedEx and UPS rates, so PartnerShip has done the hard work for you. PartnerShip produced a free white paper where it breaks down the new rate charts and simplifies some of the complex changes. It is a great way to find out what will cost you most in 2020. PartnerShip can also help with ways to offset the rate increases. To find out more information about the NSGA Shipping Program through PartnerShip, contact NSGA Membership Manager Brian Van Acker at bvanacker@nsga.org or go to https://www.nsga.org/ membership/discounted-services/shipping/.

Hibbett Sports Selects Longo as New CEO Hibbett Sports Inc., did not have to look far to select Michael Longo as its new CEO. Longo has been in charge of City Gear for the last 13 years. City Gear was acquired by Hibbett a little more than a year ago. Effective December 16, Longo succeeded Jeff Rosenthal, who announced his planned retirement in March. Also effective with his appointment as CEO, Longo will replace Rosenthal on Hibbett’s board of directors. Rosenthal had also served NSGA as Board Chairman. “I am humbled and extremely honored to be appointed President and CEO of Hibbett Sports,” Longo said in a statement. “It’s a very exciting time for Hibbett as we continue our mission of improving the productivity of our store base while also growing the omnichannel business to deliver a differentiated customer experience to underserved markets. I look forward to working with the company’s board of directors, leadership team and all Hibbett employees to further that mission.” Longo served as CEO of Memphis, Tennessee-based City Gear, where he oversaw the successful acquisition of the company in 2018 by Hibbett. Establishing the company in 2006, he was instrumental in creating a unique brand in city specialty retailers and grew the business through various acquisitions.

Gert Boyle and Jake Burton Carpenter Pass Away

Gert Boyle and Jake Burton Carpenter, both Class of 2003 inductees into the Sporting Goods Industry Hall of Fame, passed away in November. Boyle, the first woman inducted into the Hall of Fame for her role in building Columbia Sportswear Company into a global brand, passed away on November 3, 2019 at age 95. Carpenter, who modernized the snowboard industry and formed Burton Snowboards, passed away after a battle with cancer on November 20 at age 65.

>> Columbia Sportwear's Gert Boyle was the first woman inducted into the Sporting Goods Industry Hall of Fame.

“The sporting goods industry lost two legends in Gert Boyle and Jake Burton Carpenter and we extend our sincerest condolences to their families, friends and everyone they worked with at Columbia Sportswear and Burton Snowboards,” said NSGA President & CEO Matt Carlson. “Gert was a fighter and the title of her autobiography, One Tough Mother, exemplified the determination and spirit she had to build Columbia from adverse circumstances into the company it is today. Jake exemplified the entrepreneurial spirit of our industry and worked so hard to grow and promote the sport of snowboarding.” Boyle held many roles at Columbia, from seamstress of its first fishing vest, to president and Chairman of the Board of Directors. She helped lead the company from near-bankruptcy in the early 1970s to a global multi-brand company with nearly $3 billion in annual net sales in 2018.

Carpenter started Burton Snowboards in 1977 and built it into the largest snowboard brand in the world. Carpenter was also instrumental in snowboarding becoming an Olympic sport in 1988. >> Hall of Famer Jake Burton Carpenter

NSGA, HDA Member Stores win Bauer Retailer Awards Two Sports Distributors of Canada (SDC) stores, Sports Etc., and Prince Albert Source For Sports, won the Bauer Specialty Retailer of the Year award. The stores were recognized for their retail success at Bauer World in Miami, Florida.

Sports Etc., a member of the Hockey Dealers Association (HDA) located in Arlington, Massachusetts, won the Bauer retail award for the United States. Sports Etc., has been a fixture in the hockey-rich Boston area since 1980 and is one of the original participants in the U.S. hockey products collaboration between SDC, HDA and NSGA. >> Photo from left, Paul Stanton, Jr., and Paul Stanton of Sports Etc., and Mike Musselman and Scott Rogers of Prince Albert Source For Sports.

Prince Albert Source For Sports, an NSGA member in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, won the Bauer retail award for Canada. Prince Albert is home to one of more than 150 Source For Sports locations in Canada and is a member of NSGA.

>> Photo from left, SDC President Brad Hause and Bauer’s Bryan McDermott.

CCM, Bauer win Source For Sports Awards CCM Hockey extended its streak to seven as the winner of the Source For Sports/Sports Distributors of Canada (SDC) Hockey Vendor of the Year and Bryan McDermott won the inaugural SDC President’s Choice Award. The awards were presented during the Source For Sports/SDC Buying Show and Marketing Convention on Nov. 17-20 at the Scotiabank Convention Centre in Niagara Falls, Ontario. CCM won the Vendor of the Year award by a vote of SDC members, which factors in attributes such as product innovation, marketing support and customer service and terms. McDermott, the North

American Business Manager for Bauer, received the President’s Choice Award to recognize his years of supporting SDC and Source For Sports in its drive to be the No. 1 hockey retailer in the world.

Step Skating to Stop Selling Replacement Steel for Bauer TUUK Lightspeed Edge Blade Holder Bauer Hockey announced an agreement to resolve STEP Skating’s sale and manufacture of replacement blades for the Bauer TUUK Lightspeed Edge bladeholder. STEP Skating will stop selling replacement steel for the Bauer skates to retail accounts by April 30, 2020 and stopped selling to professional leagues on Dec. 31, 2019.

Augusta Launches New Sublimation Design Platform Augusta Sportswear Brands launched FreeStyle Sublimation, its new sublimation design platform, for users to design custom apparel via desktop or mobile devices for all four of its brands (Augusta Sportswear, Holloway, High Five and Russell Athletic). FreeStyle Sublimation was scheduled to be available in January 2020 and gives users a 3D-360 degree garment view with more than 1,000 design options.

sought after and a natural addition to EMC’s product mix. We believe their high-quality cheer footwear, innovative bags and clothing will add value to all of our retail and team stores from coast-to-coast.” EMC was scheduled to receive its first containers of Rebel product in January.

OrderMyGear, Sports, Inc., Form Technology Partnership Sports, Inc., made an investment into technology to allow team dealers to receive additional access to pre-released OrderMyGear product features and discounts on various services to provide a more robust Ecommerce solution for team dealers. “We are excited to partner with OrderMyGear in shaping the future of what’s possible for our industry,” said Travis Elam, Director of the Team Sports Division at Sports, Inc. “We are thrilled to announce this expansion of our partnership with Sports, Inc., and look forward to continuing our efforts in enabling the industry with scalable and intuitive technology,” commented Dave Dutch, CEO at OrderMyGear. “Building products and features that advance team dealers’ ability to grow revenue and stay ahead of their competition are benefits we provide to our clients while improving the end-user experience as their demands and expectations grow.”

Rebel Athletic Partners with Eric McCrite Company The Eric McCrite Company (EMC) will be the first and exclusive distributor of Rebel Athletics shoes and bags, including the iconic Rebel Dream Bag, through its many dealer networks and Amazon. “We are excited to be representing Rebel Athletic and distributing their products to the sporting goods dealer trade and through Amazon,” said Eric McCrite, President of EMC. “Rebel products are

Mueller Sports Medicine Partners with Pro Orthopedic Devices Mueller Sports Medicine has been appointed the worldwide exclusive distributor of Pro Orthopedic Device, Pro Compression Bandage and Scissors products. The Pro Scissor lineup “This is a great partnership between two of the iconic companies in Sports Medicine,” said Mueller Sports Medicine president John Cayer. “The Pro Scissors and Pro Compression Bandage products are a perfect complement to the extensive Mueller Sports Medicine line of very high-quality products and will now be available worldwide.” The Pro Scissor lineup offers evolutionary features such as offset handles, large finger rings, non-stick coating and extra-sharp diamond-honed blades that make these scissors indispensable on the field or in the training room. The Pro Compression Bandages are tubular knits that are cut-to-fit to allow precise sizing on various body parts. This knit compression bandage also features a heavier knit that doesn’t easily stretch out, making the product machine washable, uniquely reusable and ideal for the demands of today’s athletes.