JD Sports Sees “Exceptional Year” For North American Business

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.

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.

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.

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.