It has been an unbelievable year for athletics and sport in general, despite the global recession and accompanying doom-mongering. In the trade, all sorts has happened to the multiples, culminating in the decision by the Serious Fraud Office to investigate JJB Sports and Sports Direct for their alleged involvement in a ‘cartel' involving the sale of sports good. Goodness knows what the result of this will be, and frankly it could take years for this to bear any fruit, whether it be sweet or sour. And in the meantime, there's another World Cup coming in just nine months or so, and the opportunity to not sell any England shirts because the multiples have them at such vastly reduced prices, the independent can't compete without cutting their own throats.

BrandCo Management has been appointed as Official Licensees of Six Nations Rugby Limited to design and market a complete range of supporter apparel, hats, scarves and accessories carrying the RBS 6 Nations logo with immediate effect.

Following an assessment by an independent body, Team Colours has been awarded ISO 9000 Certification. This prestigious award for quality is supported by the Government and is recognised worldwide.

Following reports that JJB Sports ‘blew the whistle' to the Office of Fair Trading over alleged cartel activity involving the sale of sports goods, Sports Direct's headquarters in Shirebrook were reportedly raided as part of the inquiry.

Lingerie brand leader Triumph was one of the first companies to recognise that a bra worn for sports must meet special criteria, so around 30 years ago the Triumph Tri-Action collection was created.  Since then, the designs have been continuously improved as technology and fabrics have advanced.

Germany's Britta Kamrau won the women's leg of the recent inaugural British Gas Great Scottish Swim in style, completing the one-mile course in a time of 18 minutes 56 seconds. She was followed by Olympic 10km champion Larisa Ilchenko (18 minutes 58 seconds) in second place and Great Britain's Keri-anne Payne (19 minutes 1 second) in third. The event was part of the Great Swim, a series of one-mile, mass-participation events taking place throughout the UK, building upon the success of the Great North Swim, Britain's biggest open-water swim. Innovative swim brand Aqua Sphere is the Official Swim Kit Partner to The Great Swim. 

Sells goalkeeping product will now be available to STAG retailers. STAG members can buy into the Sells range of top-quality goalkeeping gloves and accessories at special pre-agreed discounts.

High-profile England goalkeepers Robert Green and Ben Foster, Scotland No 1 Craig Gordon and Glasgow Rangers No 1 Alan McGregor all choose to wear Sells.

Bob Marsden has retired as an agent with J J Vickers & Sons, the UK distributor of Bushnell and Tasco optics. For many years Marsden has presented the Bushnell family of products to retailers in the North of England. His dedication to the brand was second-to-none, even re-naming himself ‘Bushnell Bob' and answering telephone calls with this appellation.

Agon Sports has joined the INTERSPORT Buying Group even before they opened their doors to the public, in Herne Hill, London, in September.

Commenting on the decision to join before the paint had dried on the store's fascia Peter Swann, Agon's owner, said: "We felt we wanted the strength of a buying group around us from the beginning and we chose INTERSPORT."

Slazenger S1 sports drinks are now available to independent retailers throughout the London area in 69p price marked packs. The new packs create an opportunity to capitalise on a previously untapped market for a branded sports drink at a value for money price point in the steadily growing sports drinks sector.

BETA International visitors can travel free by luxury coach to the leading equestrian and country trade exhibition in February.

Children in the economically and socially deprived areas of North Southwark and North Lambeth have been given a sporting chance thanks to TigerTurf and Nike.

The new facility is at the Lilian Baylis Old School project for the Sports Action Zone.

Molten, the world's leading manufacturer of inflatable sports balls, is to sponsor the Canterbury & District Sports Awards.

High-tech Australian clothing company Skins has launched its first-ever thermal garment - a long-sleeve top, ideal for those cold, dark days ahead.

The top - introduced in response to the brand's growing success and seasonal demands in Europe - uses a brand new fabric developed exclusively by Skins which makes it 200% warmer than the company's existing ‘Sport' range. 

For Spring 2010 - and already available October 2009 - SUGOI Performance Apparel presents a complete Race + Recovery (R+R) Compression product line that is centred on the brand new Piston fabric technology. Piston uses polyamide-based materials that boast the lowest weight per square inch available in warp-knit compression fabric. Engineered graduated compression through ZoneConstructiom creates specific compression rings that provide lateral forces against the body, with the greatest force at the extremities that gradually decrease as you move closer to the heart. Each item of the R+R Compression line provides balanced graduated compression at the recommended compression values for athletic purposes that range between 5-15 mm Hg.

A summer with two test series and a Twenty 20 world cup ensures a high profile for cricket, but when it includes an Ashes win, cricket finds its way to the front pages. The industry as a whole is expecting the resulting publicity to attract new young players. Manufacturers in general are also reporting sales of cricket products showing resilience to the recession so expectations are uniformly positive for 2010. Congratulations, as well, go to the ECB whose development programme is bringing the game to ever more youngsters. Cricket is no longer a niche sport.

Polaroid invented polarising lens technology in the 1930's and consumers can purchase confidently knowing that all Polaroid sunglasses block virtually all glare. No more squinting and straining - just clear vision, true colours and clear contrasts.

Pioneers with the revolutionary iFit interactive training software, which brought a virtual personal trainer to your home, Icon launch a superb range of six new machines this autumn including two brand new categories.

New products from Reebok include the CV range, the AbPump and Heritage 65 range. The entry level CV series includes the i-Bike with 8 levels of resistance and fitness programmes. The i-Trainer 1.1 elliptical which takes up a small amount of floor space and the i-Run Music treadmill which has an integrated MP3 player speaker output and offers all the attributes of a treadmill twice it's size. And finally, the i-Rower 2.5E which has 16 levels of electronically adjustable resistance with a wide range of pre-set programs.

It all seemed like a good idea and I'm sure I'll think so again once things have calmed down but for now I'm totally traumatised. During the summer a cunning plan was hatched with the intention of making life easier by moving; not our house but of moving the sports shop to premises nearer to our house. Any mention of my having a "cunning plan" is like setting off a thousand alarm bells in my partner's mind and a smiling face quickly clouds over with a misty expression, so looking for sympathy from that quarter is getting pretty short shrift right now.

From next issue (October) we're doing something quite radical to SGB - Sports and Outdoor. We're going to stop sending it out, unless you opt in to having it posted to you; instead, we'll email you a free copy of the digital publication. This means we can cut drastically down on the amount of paper we use, which can only be a good thing!

Anatom, the Edinburgh based distributor of specialist outdoor products, has expanded its product portfolio further and will be introducing the innovative KOR water bottle at the Outdoor Trade Show on stand 15.

The KOR water bottle, srp £29.95, features a "no-worry cap" is really easy to use and opens at the touch of a button then swivels back to stay out of the way as you drink.  

GoLite has gone live with its new-look website. The revitalised site provides the perfect platform for GoLite to launch its 2009 Fall / Winter collection of equipment and clothing to consumers.

CÀRN, is to attend this year's Outdoor Trade Show at Stoneleigh Park in Warwickshire. CÀRN will be located in Hall 2 on Stand Number 20 where retail buyers will be able to view the whole range of trail, trek and approach footwear as well as having the opportunity to talk to the CÀRN sales and management team.

 Following a very successful show at OutDoor in Friedrichshafen this summer, the EOG Association for Conservation is continuing to celebrate. Not only have new members joined from as far afield as India and Ukraine, but the Association has just welcomed its 50th member - and the numbers are still rising!

It may be relatively small, but the Kendal Outdoor Retail Show punches above its weight when it comes to visitor quality. The organisers of the show, which ran 11-13 August, report that visitor numbers were up on the previous year and exhibitors were delighted with the results.

Research from a recently published Camping Market Survey by Profile Outdoors confirms growth is likely to continue in the family camping market. The in-depth consumer survey reveals 30% of consumers who were surveyed intend to purchase a new tent in the next 12 months and of those, 76% expect to purchase a family tent.

Following a launch event mid-September, the National Skills Academy for the Outdoors is now open for business in Penrith, Cumbria.

This Christmas, over 17,000 walkers of all ages are expected to wrap up warm, get out and enjoy Britain at its most magical, on one of the hundreds of walks taking place around the country during the 10-day Ramblers Festival of Winter Walks with Nature Valley.

Joan of Arctic

Function alongside fashion: that's the effect of the Joan of Arctic boot. Pumps, ankle boots or ballet flats are all very pretty, but in the harsh winter season they rarely succeed in keeping our feet warm. However, thick winter boots often don't pass the fashion test. We all want warm feet, but we definitely don't want to look like Santa! Luckily Sorel has this covered, providing you with waterproof, warm and fashionable boots. Affordable Hot Couture!

A multi-functional winter jacket is an essential wardrobe item for any outdoor enthusiast. The Result Performance Tech Performance Extreme Soft Shell Jacket is designed for a comfortable fit with its padded three layer soft shell composition. It includes four large pockets with waterproof pocket zips. In addition, there's a three-way adjustable hood including storm bill and an internal removable snow belt for added defense against extreme conditions.

Bramwell International presents its Source Clear Wraptank Bladder, which is suitable for a multitude of outdoor pursuits in a variety of weather conditions due to its robust construction and outer insulation protection. The bladder boasts an easy fill aperture with Source's patented anti-bacterial grunge guard and glass-like liner technology.

The new Campingaz Fargo portable gas barbecue takes you further, to the campsite, to the park, to the beach, wherever your travels take you thanks to its clever, compact design. A versatile and intelligent design, it features handles that fold down to form its legs, raising the appliance off the ground for greater cooking convenience. The compact design is ultra-portable, packing down neatly for transport and storage thanks to the sturdy, foldable side tables that form a protective lid when not in use. A healthy way to cook, the large, family-sized cooking surface of 1500cm_ has a very even heat distribution from the high powered burner, so that you will have your favourite meals whipped up in minutes.

At first glance, the Zippo Hand Warmer is sleek and compact, fitting easily in your pocket. It produces heat on demand to warm cold hands and assist insulated clothing, exactly what you need for outdoor activities such as hiking and skiing to stay comfortably warm and keep winter at bay.Available from November, the Zippo Hand Warmer will keep you toasty for up to 24 hours and comes in a fleece bag to keep you comfortable all day long. A personal message to someone special can be engraved on the back of the Hand Warmer too.

After the apparent success of last year's Outdoor Trade Social in the Strollers Restaurant, in the foyer of the exhibition hall at Stoneleigh, the event will be repeated for the 2009 show. A great chance to network after a busy day, the social takes place after the doors close on the first day, Monday September 28th.

Robens continues its tradition of providing extreme value to its customers that are looking for a technical product at a great price. The entire range has seen a number of new product launches in addition to updates and modifications to its existing collections of sleeping bags and rucksacks.

OTS is the first chance to view the 2010 summer collection from Olang. With the focus on keeping kids active even stronger than ever, Olang have really upped their game in their junior section. New this year is the Rocky; it features a 100% waterproof/breathable Sympatex liner, an extremely grippy dual density rubber Vibram sole and is available in a choice of three great colour options.

We all know toddlers love exploring and who can blame them? It's how they learn about the world. The LittleLife Toddler Daysack range lets them feel free while giving parents control over their safety and ensuring peace of mind.

2010 sees the re-launch of Easy Camp, with funky new colours, a revamped logo and an entirely new look.

TEKO is showing its new sock collection for Spring-Summer 2010 at the Outdoor Trade Show. Every sock in the range now features the unique TEK-FIT construction, including the tekoCOTTON styles.

 For 2010 Outwell is launching a comprehensive range of sleeping bags, travel bags, daysacks and camping furniture and accessories.

OTS will see a number of innovative developments from top British sleeping bag manufacturer Snugpak. 

A host of brand new equipment and apparel pieces have been added to GoLite's portfolio for 2010 along with an exciting and innovative Adventure Travel range.

In July 2008, The Coleman Company purchased Sevylor; for 2010, the Sevylor range of PVC, inflatable water sports and recreation products has been extended and the Coleman sales team is keen to widen the brand's distribution among outdoor retailers.

There's plenty of crossover between military equipment and camping, but with recent growth Highlander has decided to clearly mark the lines between the two fields. Moving forward, the military side will be known as Pro-Force, while Highlander remains the name to know in the outdoor side.

Chamonix is my spiritual home. It's a place I can easily get to often for adventure, high mountains and inspiration. I met my wife there too despite the competition. It's quoted that there is only one woman for every ten blokes. The actual summit dome of Mont Blanc is set back from the town and not that impressive, nevertheless the massif dominates the valley. At 4810m high - nearly 4000m above the bars and boulangeries - Mont Blanc is truly Himalayan in scale. I've climbed it five times over 20 years, from three different routes on the French side, including a traverse with my future wife when I proposed on the summit. (On hearing our news her dad quipped, "Are you sure he didn't say "will you carry me?"). I've also skied up and down it with my much younger chum and polar expert Tim Burton. Another ascent beckoned but this time my goal was to fly off by paraglider.