Hibbett Schedules Opening For Stores
Hibbett announced the opening of two Hibbett Sports locations in Raleigh, NC, Charlotte, NC and a City Gear location in Sumter, SC.

Icebreaker Releases Fourth Transparency Report
Icebreaker, which is owned by VF Corp., released the fourth installment of its annual Transparency Report focused on its plastic-free initiative.

Nordstrom Takes Stake In Asos Brands, Including Topshop
Nordstrom and Asos announced that Nordstrom has acquired a minority interest in the Topshop, Topman, Miss Selfridge, and HIIT brands.

Report: Authentic Brands Group Out Of Bidding For Reebok
Authentic Brands Group (ABG) has dropped out of Adidas’ auction of Reebok, according to The New York Post. Wolverine Worldwide, which was expected to partner with ABG on a bid, is also reportedly no longer interested due to ABG’s exit.

FP Movement To Open In Brea
FP Movement opened a new location in Brea, CA. The boutique is the ninth FP Movement store location.

Popshop Live Announces Series A To Accelerate Livestream Commerce
Popshop Live announced it raised a Series A funding led by Benchmark and valued at $100 million with participation from TQ Ventures (Andrew Marks, Schuster Tanger and Scooter Braun), Mantis VC (The Chainsmokers), Access Industries, and SV Angel.

Mastercard SpendingPulse: U.S. Retail Sales Grew 11.0 Percent Year-Over-Year In June
According to Mastercard SpendingPulse, U.S. retail sales, excluding automotive and gasoline, increased 11.0 percent year-over-year in June and increased 10.4 percent compared to June 2019.

Retail Cargo Continues To See Double-Digit Increases Over 2020
Imports at the nation’s largest retail container ports are continuing to show double-digit growth over last year as strong consumer demand keeps up its momentum, according to the monthly Global Port Tracker report released by the National Retail Federation.

Salt Life Announces New Coastal Retail Locations
Delta Apparel Inc. announced new retail store openings for its Salt Life brand. Storefronts in Myrtle Beach, SC, and Galveston, TX, are expected to open later this year.

Anta Group Sets Five-Year Growth Plan
Anta Group announced its five-year strategic targets and a 24-month acceleration plan “Lead to Win” for its Anta brand.

OIA Appoints COO And Director Of Research
Outdoor Industry Association (OIA) appointed Arlene Charles as chief operating officer and Kelly Davis as director of research.

Michael Avenatti Sentenced To 30 Months In Prison In Nike Extortion Case
Michael Avenatti, the celebrity lawyer, was sentenced Thursday to 30 months in prison for trying to extort up to $25 million from Nike by threatening the company with bad publicity.

Anta Sees Strong Growth For Second Quarter
Anta said retail sales, in terms of retail value, of Anta branded products for the second quarter of 2021 recorded 35-to-40 percent positive growth compared to the same period of 2020.

Licensing Expo Virtual Announces 2021 Agenda
Licensing Expo Virtual, in partnership with industry trade association Licensing International, announced the agenda for its 2021 virtual event on August 24-26.

The Buckle’s June Sales Climb 18 Percent
The Buckle Inc. announced that total net sales for the 5-week fiscal month ended July 3, 2021 increased 17.8 percent to $111.7 million.