H&F Biz / Interbike pledges $1 million match for Katrina aid; NBDA lists job, housing offers; Hibbett's losses

VNU, the international management company for trade shows including Health & Fitness Business, Interbike, Fly Fishing Retailer and Outdoor Retailer summer and winter trade shows, has pledged to match up to $1 million in donations made by VNU employees.

In addition, it is promoting direction donations online via the Red Cross to Hurricane Katrina relief and promoting employment and housing offers by members of the NBDA.

• To view the information on the Health & Fitness Business website, click here.
• To view the information on the Interbike website, click here.
• To go directly to an online link to make donations to the American Red Cross, click here.
• To view a long list of current offers of housing, employment, and other assistance by members of the National Bicycle Dealers Association, click here

Other store losses:
Hibbett Sporting Goods (Nasdaq: HIBB) said it lost three stores due to Hurricane Katrina and an additional seven stores are currently closed, six of which sustained minor damage and are expected to open shortly. It added that approximately 50 to 60 of Hibbett’s 508 stores have been affected by the hurricane to varying degrees with sales interruptions related to power outages in Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi. Hibbett said it will be assessing insurance claims related to the three lost stores, one of which is expected to re-open within the next six to eight weeks.

In other news:
YogaFit, a training organization for yoga instructors, has asked for assistance to pets in the area. “A family member who works in a hospital in Shreveport, La., told us last night that the National Guard and police are shooting dogs in the streets. This you won’t see on the news! Victims of Hurricane Katrina are being forced to leave their animals to die.”

YogaFit points to PETA (www.peta.org), NOAHS WISH (www.noahswish.org), and the Humane Society of the United States (www.hsus.org) as outlets for aid offerings to animals. 
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