Columbia Sportswear in an internal memo said it will be closing all its stores for two hours during George Floyd’s memorial service, make donations to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and the Marshall Project, and double-match contributions by employees to non-profits addressing racism.
Category: Apparel

MLS, Players Reach New Agreement, Sets Stage For Resuming 2020 Season
MLS and the MLS Players Association completed a new collective bargaining agreement on Wednesday after the MLSPA voted to approve a revised plan, paving a way for a return to play in July.

Nike Renews Sponsorship Of Stade Toulousain
Nike has renewed its sponsorship deal with Stade Toulousain, the French rugby club.

Rab and Lowe Alpine Join Fair Wear Foundation
British outdoor brands Rab and Lowe Alpine, owned by Equip Outdoor Technologies UK Ltd., are now an approved member of Fair Wear Foundation.

Adidas Business In Greater China Returns To Growth In May
Adidas said that in Greater China, the company’s first major market on the road to recovery, all own- and partner-operated stores have been open since mid-April. While store traffic remained below the prior year level in May, targeted efforts to revitalize retail have led to sequential improvements since stores reopened

Nike EYBL Cancels 2020 Events
The Nike EYBL, one of the most prominent AAU basketball organizations in the country, announced that it is canceling all of its scheduled events for 2020.

NBA Expected To Approve 22-Team Plan To Restart Season
The NBA plans to resume play on July 31 with 22 of its 30 teams competing for the final seeds of a 16-team playoff, according to a report from ESPN.

Tilly’s Inc. Looks To Rebound From Ugly Q1 With 67 Percent Of Stores Now Reopened
Tilly’s, Inc. saw total net sales decline 40.7 percent the first quarter of fiscal 2020 ended May 2 as store closures halfway through the period cut into sales for the period. Total net sales were $77.3 million compared to $130.3 million in the prior-year quarter.

L.L. Bean Repens Flagship In Freeport
L.L. Bean announced it is opening its flagship store in Freeport, ME along with outlets also in Freeport, Bangor, and Ellsworth, ME respectively.

Duke’s Sporting Goods Merges With H+W Sports
Duke’s Sporting Goods and H+W Sports, two team-sports retailers based in Kentucky, have decided to merge.

Golf Emergency Relief Fund Delivers Over $4 Million In Phase 1 Grants
In the face of overwhelming need from workers across the golf industry suffering hardship due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Golf Emergency Relief Fund has awarded over $4 million to more than 3,300 individuals seeking assistance during Phase 1 of the initiative. Registration limits were reached within 24 hours after the fund was opened on April 15.

Delta Apparel Joins Cotton Leads Program
Delta Apparel Inc. has joined the Cotton Leads program signifying its commitment to sustainability and acknowledging the ongoing improvements U.S. and Australian cotton growers continue to make under both countries’ strict regulatory environments.

More Than Three Million Athletes Compete In Spartan’s Virtual Race
Spartan succeeded in hosting its biggest event yet in collaboration with World OCR – with more than 40,000 athletes posting results in 24 hours cross the virtual finish lines in more than 100 countries during “Project Unbreakable: The World’s Largest Virtual Race, powered by Rakuten.”

Asics Study Shows Uplifting Power Of Running Amid Pandemic
Timed for Global Running Day, June 3, Asics released a global survey showing that more than a third (36 percent) of regular exercisers are more active now than they were before lockdown.

Wigwam Mills Lays Off Employees Due To COVID-19
In a letter to the Department of Workforce Development, Wigwam Mills said approximately 121 of its 142 employees will be laid off due to the “adverse impact” COVID-19 has had on its operations and sales.