June Weather Heats Up Retail Sales Results…

Warm weather forced consumers out of their homes and into the malls in June, as the long-overdue shift in the weather sent people to stores to buy shorts and other summer-related goods. According to an ICSC survey of 70 chain stores, June's chain sto

Zappos.com Lands More Financing…

Zappos.com received an additional $15 million round of equity funding from Sequoia Capital, a technology-based private investment fund that has been involved with several internet companies, including Google, Cisco Systems, Kayak.com, and PayPal. The fund

Sugoi Acquired by Cannondale…

In a move that took many in the specialty run and bicycle apparel industry by surprise, Cannondale announced that it will acquire Sugoi Performance Apparel for an undisclosed amount. This is an especially curious move by Sugoi, who has been consistently g

Confluence Solidifies Brand Positioning…

Following their recent acquisition or Watermark’s watersports division, Confluence has finalized the positioning for its brands, creating a structure that is designed to allow the company to distribute multiple brands across multiple channels. For any man

Confluence Solidifies Brand Positioning…

Following their recent acquisition of Watermark’s watersports division, Confluence has finalized the positioning for its brands, creating a structure that is designed to allow the company to distribute multiple brands across multiple channels. For any man

LL Bean Changes Ad Agency, Strategy…

L.L. Bean caught the eye of the advertising and media trade this week with their decision to hire Pile and Co., an advertising consultant firm, to review their advertising program. For the past five years, L.L. Bean has held a contract with Martin/William

Action Sports See Wall Street Action…

Zumiez continued its string of impressive same-store sales gains, posting a 10.7% increase in June on top of a 9.0% increase in the year-ago period. The gain was attributed to a mid-single-digit increase in comp store transactions and a mid-single-digit