The chain of eight Running Fit running stores in Michigan - which includes two Traverse City locations at 300 East Front Street and 3301 South Airport Road - has been sold to Denver-based Running Specialty Group (RSG), according to co-owners Randy Step and Steve Angerman. RSG, a partnership between The Finish Line Inc. and Gart Capital Partners, is one of the largest specialty running retailers in the U.S., with nearly 60 stores across the country.

"As far as changes, the major change will be in the back end of the store, the way buying and receiving is done," Step said in a statement on Running Fit's website. "The brand Running Fit will stay Running Fit. Our customers...will be greeted by the same Running Fit store managers and staff and the Running Fit culture will carry on."

Step added that Running Fit's approximately 100 staff across Michigan will remain in place, and that the acquisition "will help out in the H.R. area, offering better and more affordable benefits." He also said the deal "will allow Running Fit to have a wider selection of inventory, more colors and more styles due to the collective inventory and resources (RSG) will bring to the table."

Running Fit first opened in downtown Ann Arbor in 1984. In addition to its Ann Arbor and Traverse City locations, the company has stores in Northville, Novi, West Bloomfield and the Detroit Metro Airport.