The NJ marketer of table games, dart boards and other gaming products filed for bankruptcy protection on Dec. 30. The action came some 16 days after being sued by its principal Chinese supplier, Hierarch Intl. Corp., for breach of contract.

While the league has moved to have prior legal complaints consolidated into a single federal action in Philadelphia, two more similar cases were filed by former NFL players against the National Football League and its NFL Properties arm late last month.

The parent of Sears and Kmart, which last week announced it would be shuttering 100-120 doors due to poor holiday sales, has hired Ron Boire, the former CEO and president of Brookstone, as its new Chief Merchandising Officer.

Epic Cycles, of Clermont, FL, filed for bankruptcy protection on Dec. 23.

The founder of Lansing (IL) Sport Shop and buying group Team Athletic Goods, who was a past president of the National Sporting Goods Association, died Dec. 31.