VF Corp. Appoints Global Brand President, The North Face

VF Corp. announced that it has appointed Nicole Otto as global brand president, The North Face. Otto joins VF following a 16-year career at Nike and will succeed Steve Murray who is retiring and returning to the UK. The leadership transition will be effective on June 2022.

Topspin Consumer Partners Invests In Mission

Topspin Consumer Partners, a  private equity firm focused on the consumer sector, announced that it has made a growth investment in Mission, which specializes in cooling solutions used in sports, outdoor and jobsite applications.

Zumiez Sees Holiday Sales Expand 9.0 Percent

Zumiez Inc. announced that the company’s total net sales increased 9.0 percent for the nine-week period ended January 1, 2022 compared to the nine-week period ended January 2, 2021. During the same period comparable sales increased 6.0 percent.

Duluth Trading Announces Strong Holiday Results

Duluth Holdings Inc., the parent of Duluth Trading, reported sales in the nine-week period from November 1, 2021 through January 2, 2022 grew 6.4 percent year over year and 5.4 percent when compared to the same period in 2019.

Dick’s SG Receives Baa3 Rating On New Debt Issue

Moody’s Investors Service assigned a Baa3 senior unsecured rating to Dick’s Sporting Goods, Inc. proposed $1 billion unsecured notes. The proceeds will be used to repay the company’s $575 million convertible debt, add cash to the balance sheet and for general corporate purposes.

SFIA Elects New Chairman

The Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA) announced the election of Jonathan Ram, group president, Global Activewear, HanesBrands Inc., as chairman of the SFIA Board of Directors from 2022-2023.

Retail Import Growth Levels Out But Volume Remains High

After a year of unprecedented increases, imports at the nation’s major retail container ports are expected to return to normal growth rates in 2022 but volumes will remain high, according to the monthly Global Port Tracker report released by the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates.