JD Sports Fashion Plc, the U.K.-based athletic footwear chain that owns Finish Line, Shoe Palace and DTLR in the U.S., said its North American business “had an exceptional year” in 2020. The gains were boosted by strongly developed online operations by Finish Line amid the pandemic, the benefit of federal stimulus checks and early success with the rollout of the JD chain in the U.S.
Category: Apparel

New Balance To Sponsor Boston College
New Balance will replace Under Armour as the new footwear and apparel sponsor for Boston College. The 10-year agreement begins on June 1, 2021.

Isbjörn Of Sweden Appoints E-Commerce Manager
Isbjörn of Sweden has appointed Sandra Nielsen as its e-commerce manager. She will join its team at the company headquarters in Stockholm.

Adidas Ranks High For Reputation
Adidas ranked sixth on the 2021 Global RepTrak 100, the highest among companies in the active lifestyle space. Nike was 22 and Under Armor, 45.

Rebel Sport Extends Partnership With Football Australia
Football Australia announced that it has signed an expanded and extended multi-year partnership with Rebel Sport, Australia’s largest sports retailer, to support the growth of women’s and grassroots football across the country.

PGA Tour Superstore Announces Five New Locations
PGA Tour Superstore announced plans to open at least five new stores in 2021. The new locations are slated to open in New York, Texas and Virginia.

Urban Outfitters Announces Personnel Changes And A Sales Update
Urban Outfitters Inc. reported Hillary Super has stepped down as global chief executive officer at Anthropologie Group. She was replaced by Tricia Smith, former head merchant at Tilly’s.

EcoCart Raises $3M In Funding
EcoCart, a climate and sustainability-focused e-commerce enablement startup, announced that it had closed $3 million in seed funding led by Base10 Partners’ Chris Zeoli.

Kohl’s Announces Upsize And Early Tender Results For Cash Tender Offer
Kohl’s Corporation announced the upsize and early tender results for the previously announced cash tender offer for its 9.5 percent Notes due 2025, 4.25 percent Notes due 2025, 4.75 percent Notes due 2023 and 3.25 percent Notes due 2023.

Nike Ranked Most Valuable Apparel Brand For Seventh Consecutive Year
Nike ranked as the world’s most valuable apparel brand for the seventh consecutive year, although its brand value was down 13 percent to US$30.4 billion, according to the Brand Finance Apparel 50 2021 report. Fila was the fastest-growing brand while new entrants Timberland and Converse performed particularly well.

Patagonia Will No Longer Add Corporate/Brand Logos
Patagonia announced that it is “transitioning away” from adding corporate logos to its products due to environmental reasons.

Frasers Group Warns Of £200 Million Pandemic Charge
Frasers Group, the parent of Sports Direct in the U.K. as well as Bob’s Stores and EMS in the U.S., will book a non-cash charge that could exceed £200 million ($274 million) in its 2020-21 results to account for impairment of assets during the latest COVID-19 lockdown.

Race Roster Returns as Title Sponsor Of Running USA Conference
Race Roster will continue its support of the Running USA Industry Conference. The 2022 Running USA Industry Conference will be held in person in February 2022. Event details will be announced in the next few weeks.

G-Form Announces Acquisition By Eldridge
G-Form today announced that Eldridge had acquired the brand. The transaction provides capital to scale the rapid growth of its proprietary SmartFlex impact protection technology.

Sneaker Reseller StockX’s Valuation Reaches $3.8 Billion In New Funding Round
StockX LLC said it had notched a $3.8 billion valuation by selling $60 million of new stock and letting some employees sell $195 million of their shares to investors at that price point.