Bandier Secures $34M In Funding
New York City-based Bandier, the women’s activewear retailer, has raised $34.4 million in funding. The investors included C Ventures and Eurazeo Brands, which is taking a minority stake in Bandier. Adrienne Lazarus, who formerly led
Frye and Intermix, has been hired as CEO.
Report: Under Armour To Lay Off 50 At Headquarters
Under Armour is laying off 50 people at a headquarters in Baltimore as part of the cuts it announced last year.
Century 21 Stores Celebrates FUBU
Century 21 Stores announced an exclusive collaboration with FUBU, the sportswear brand of the ’90s. The capsule collection will introduce 10 styles, based on classic pieces that redefined streetwear over 25 years ago.
Iconix Appoints CFO
Iconix Brand Group Inc. announced that John T. McClain has been appointed chief financial officer.

Foot Locker Scores Best Quarterly Comp Since 2014
With hot sellers ranging from Adidas Yeezy to Jordan, Nike’s Max Air, Fila and Champion, Foot Locker Inc. belted out a 9.7 percent same-store gain in the fourth quarter – its best quarterly gain since the fourth quarter of 2014. Fourth-quarter earnings and 2019 guidance also arrived well ahead of expectations. Some setbacks include the planned closing of its SIX:02 women’s chain and more impairment charges for Runners Point, but a bigger investment has been made into in Carbon38, the women’s activewear upstart.

5.11 And Velocity Outdoor Deliver Double-Digit Growth For CODI In 2018
Compass Diversified Holdings’ (CODI) reported 5.11’s 2018 revenues expanded 12.2 percent in 2018 while Velocity Outdoor’s revenue increased 10.3 percent. Liberty Safe saw a 10.1 percent decline last year.

Foot Locker Smashes Wall Street’s Targets In Q4
Foot Locker Inc.’s fourth-quarter earnings came in well above Wall Street’s consensus estimate as same-store sales surged 9.7 percent. Said Dick Johnson, CFO, “The fundamentals of our core business remain strong and led to meaningful improvement in our financial results, not only during the fourth quarter but throughout 2018.”
Adidas Signs NFL Draft Prospects
Adidas announced new multi-year partnerships with Marquise Brown, WR from Oklahoma and Hakeem Butler, WR from Iowa State.

Athleta Becomes Prime Growth Engine With Old Navy’s Exit
Gap Inc.’s move to spin off Old Navy is expected to accelerate growth opportunities for Athleta, the already fast-growing women’s activewear chain. The fourth quarter for Athleta marked a two-year comp hike of nearly 30 percent.
Nordstrom’s Q4 Impacted By Weakness At Full-Price Stores
Nordstrom reported earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) slid 4.9 percent in the fourth quarter due to soft sales at its full-price stores that led to markdown pressures.
Gap To Spin Off Old Navy
Gap Inc. announced plans to create two independent publicly traded companies: Old Navy and a yet-to-be-named company which will consist of the iconic Gap brand, Athleta, Banana Republic, Intermix and Hill City.

Golf Rounds Played Show Gains In January
According to Golf Datatech, golf rounds played in the U.S. were up 2.8 percent in January.

U.S. Polo Assn. To Outfit USPA College Polo Teams
USPA Global Licensing Inc. (USPAGL), the official licensing arm and national broadcaster of the United States Polo Association (USPA), announced that U.S. Polo Assn. will be outfitting college polo players through a new nationwide collegiate outreach program.
Fanatics Hatches Deal With South Korea’s Coupang
Fanatics reached an agreement to become the exclusive provider of fan merchandise on Coupang, South Korea’s largest internet marketplace. The deal marks Fanatics’s second global marketplace deal after an agreement with Walmart was announced last month.

JCPenney’s Q4 Earnings Tumble
JCPenney Co. reported a steep drop in earnings in the fourth quarter ended February 2 although they were better than Wall Street’s expectations.