Well what can you say about the last month, what a bizarre reflection of the business we are all in, sport.

It’s the lifestyle look that everyone wants and it’s as at home on the high street as it is on the beach…

We take a quick look at the new wave of summer sessions providing outdoor potential!

Chlorine resistant apparel, in built sun protection, catwalk design collaborations and fully loaded functional goggles. Swimming kit is going to great and dynamic lengths to make impact.

adidas has been granted global sponsorship rights to UEFA EURO 2008 for the first time, whilst also extending its UEFA Champions League partnership by becoming the Official Ball Supplier until 2009. The long-term partnership is to continue on both the flagship European national team and top European club competitions.

1% For The Planet (1%FTP or 1%) is a network of businesses committed to leveraging their resources to create a healthier planet. Members donate at least 1% of their annual turnover to environmental organizations worldwide and display the 1% logo on their products and marketing material. Worldwide, member companies range in size from USD $250 MM in sales to small sole proprietorships. They are united by their common wish to use their businesses as a tool to affect change. Joining the 1% For The Planet business alliance increases visibility in a crowded marketplace. It identifies environmentally committed companies to each other, and creates opportunities for collective marketing and information sharing. Since the end of December 2004, membership in 1% club has grown by more than 400% from 76 companies to now nearly 400 members around the world. Most of these companies are located in North America but a growing number are in Europe as well. Of the current 40, 24 are based in the UK, 3 in Germany, 6 in France. The total amount of grants given by companies, members of this club, is today over 10 million USD.

Retail-J is one of the UK’s leading providers of software for EPoS with an integrated EPoS and Back Office software solution, with a blue chip customer base including B & Q, French Connection UK, Bhs, Specsavers, Monsoon, Harrods, TieRack and Vodafone. With the acquisition of Retail-J, Torex Retail has also appointed Retail-J’s founder and managing director, Mike Carrell as Chief Technology Officer, joining the company board with immediate effect. Carrell brings with him a wealth of experience in the retail software industry and was previously the CTO of Real Time Control PLC and NSB Retail PLC.

The Nevica Group will be launching a new skiwear brand for the 2007/2008 winter season, designed to achieve key retail price points in the medium to upper end of the technical skiwear market. The new brand concept will be officially unveiled in September 2006 followed by a roll out campaign to key distributor and retailer points world-wide. In light of the focus now being placed on this new project, Nevica has decided not to renew its Killy licence agreement which expires after the deliveries have been made for the 2006/2007 winter season.

Wilson has joined forces with a leading monofilament string company Luxilon Sports to serve as the exclusive world-wide distributor for Luxilon monofilament strings (tennis, badminton and squash). As a result of this and to further improve their service to ATP and WTA tour players, Wilson has set up a dedicated stringing house near Wimbledon with six machines and stringers in operation. The stringing house was an integral part of The Championships not only for the Wilson contracted players, but also for all those players using the popular Luxilon strings. Each player is assigned their own personal stringer to ensure that consistent levels of stringing are maintained to the high standard that the players require. Ron Rocchi, Principal Designer and Global Tour Equipment Manager commented: “Wilson has similar stringing set ups at all four Grand Slams and we will be the official stringers on site at this year’s US Open for the first time.”

Prince O3 racquets come in colours such as red, blue and silver, but this year they have a new tint of bronze. Prince O3 Engineered Technology is the winner of the Bronze Industrial Design Excellence Award (IDEA) in the Consumer Products category. Decisions for the 2006 (IDEA) were based upon design innovation, benefit to the user, benefit to the business, ecological responsibility and aesthetics and appeal. The IDEA competition, sponsored by BusinessWeek and the Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA), awarded a total of 499 entries this year.

Evans Cycles has joined with British Eurosport in a cross-promotional partnership for the 2006 Tour de France. Evans Cycles will be promoting British Eurosport in-store with a range of point-of-sale materials and promotional activity. In exchange, British Eurosport will be including Evans Cycles in on air and online media impacts during their official coverage of the world's most famous and prestigious cycling event.

The European Business Awards is open for entries to companies from across the European Union until the 31st July. Entrants of any size and from any sector will be judged on the basis of three underlying principles of success, innovation and business ethics, ensuring that young innovative businesses will compete alongside giant corporations with equal chances to lift the award. Winners from the relevant categories of the UK based National Business Awards will qualify for The European Business Awards ensuring a first class British participation to the programme which now has AXA on the sponsor panel together with Grey EMEA, CMS, Siemens, Société Générale and the Official Media Partner The Wall Street Journal Europe Group Director Mike Faulkner said: "Often companies are shy or think they are too small to compete. That is wrong! This is the chance for every successful business in Europe to shout about their achievements. We want to hear inspirational stories of entrepreneurial spirit, business leader attributes and innovative thinking. The winners will stand as a model for the whole of the European market." A registration form can be downloaded at www.businessawardseurope.com or obtained by post by calling the entries team on +44 (0) 20 7378 1188.

Recently restored Saltwell Park, Gateshead has received funding for a new multi-use games area as part of Gateshead Council's £1million scheme to develop fixed play areas in the borough, with backing from Barclays Spaces for Sports through a new three-year £30m community sponsorship programme, to create and improve sports facilities in communities across the UK. The programme is a partnership between Barclays, Groundwork and the Football Foundation. The new facilities have been provided by Lightmain Leisure.

David Beckham was voted World Cup ‘player of the week’ by a nationally representative sample of UK females questioned on Sponsatrak – Sports Marketing Surveys weekly online survey. The England skipper received more than twice as many votes from females than from males, who instead went for Steven Gerrard as their player of the week. Respondents were also asked about the craze for placing England flags on cars and gave a mixed reaction. Whilst 30% thought it was ‘great to get behind the England team’, 21% ‘wouldn’t be seen dead with a flag on their car’. Sports Marketing Surveys have been asking the UK public for their World Cup ‘player of the week’ and ‘moment of the week’ as well as exploring other topical World Cup issues throughout the tournament.

With continuing rumours of a Foot Locker sale, it is now believed that Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. is a lead contender to buy the footwear company in the next two or three weeks, possibly in a bid with Apollo Management. The bid price could be higher than the $30 mentioned in recent weeks when first reports appeared of Foot Locker being targeted for a leveraged buyout. Apollo and Thomas H. Lee Partners were initially stated as being interested parties and the Blackstone Group was also named as a possible bidder.

Speedo’s SS07 collection is its biggest yet, combining designer collaborations, ‘Speedo by Comme des Garcons’ and ‘Speedo by Rosa Chá’ with other new and exciting ranges.

Lowe Alpine is launching a significant new line of expedition and backpacking packs for 2007, it’s 40th anniversary year.

Summer is well and truly here, ‘thank goodness’ the cry no doubt rises from many of you, it certainly has here at the SGB Outdoor office and what an action packed time we are in for.