Marking its first licensing agreement with a university, Fanatics inked a 10-year deal with the University of Oregon to license, manufacture and sell its sports gear beginning on January 1, 2020.
Category: Apparel

Wall Street Reacts: Under Armour’s Investor Day
Most analysts applauded the progress Under Armour is making instilling greater operational and financial disciplines under its transformation efforts. Some were also encouraged by the innovation on display Wednesday at the company’s Investor Day in Baltimore. But growth concerns, particularly in North America, and overall execution issues in the competitive landscape continued to worry many on Wall Street.
Fanatics Forms Strategic Partnership With Jakprints
Fanatics Inc. and Jakprints Inc. announced a new five-year partnership deal that will allow Jakprints to support the domestic production needs of Fanatics. With this partnership Jakprints also announced the opening of a new 140,000-square-foot facility in Eastlake, OH, which includes a $7 million investment in state-of-the-art equipment and the creation of over 100 new jobs.

Farfetch To Acqure Stadium Goods
Farfetch Limited, a leading technology platform for the luxury fashion industry based in London, announced its definitive agreement to acquire Stadium Goods, the sneaker and streetwear marketplace, for an enterprise value of $250 million. Following the acquisition, Stadium Goods will continue to operate as a standalone brand on the Farfetch platform and will be led by its existing management team.

Under Armour Predicts Slow Recovery On Investor Day
At its Investor Day Wednesday in Baltimore, Under Armour officials touted early paybacks in its Transformation efforts and the brand’s ability tap into a Focused Performer consumer that globally represents $92 billion in revenue potential. But shares of Under Armour fell sharply on the day as Under Armour forecast only modest growth in the years ahead, including little pickup in North America.

Under Armour’s Shares Slide On Weak Guidance
Under Armour Inc. at its Investor Day on Wednesday introduced the company’s 2023 strategic growth plan that calls for a return to a low double-digit growth rate by 2023. But shares of Under Armour fell $2.32, or 10.5 percent, to $19.80 as the company said it expects only low single-digit revenue growth on average over the next five years, including 3 to 4 percent growth in 2019 as gains overseas offsets flat sales in North America.

Report: Dick’s Among Companies Interested In Buying Some Stores From Sears
According to a report from Bloomberg, Dick’s Sporting Goods is among the companies that might be interested in buying some stores from Sears Corp. following that company’s bankruptcy. Sears is still weighing a $4.6 billion bid from its chairman, Eddie Lampert, but selling stores that Lampert needs as part of his turnaround plan would jeopardize that deal.
Mammut Partners With Jackson Hole Mountain Resort
Swiss-based outdoor brand Mammut has announced its appointment as an official partner of Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, Jackson, WY.

Columbia Sportswear Hires Peter Ruppe To Drive Footwear Growth
Columbia Sportswear has hired Peter Ruppe, a footwear industry veteran most recently at Under Armour, as VP of footwear. According to the Oregonian, Ruppe will guide an effort to double Columbia’s footwear sales within three years.
Stio To Open Store In Park City
Stio, the mountain lifestyle brand based in Jackson Hole, WY, announced the opening of its next Mountain Studio retail store in Park City, UT. The brand has leased a historic Main Street building and plans to open in mid-February.
The Buckle Sets Special Dividend, Hires General Counsel
The Buckle’s board authorized a $1.00 per share special cash dividend. The company also announced that Brady M. Fritz has been appointed to the position of general counsel and corporate secretary.

Eastbay Unveils Lookbook Cover Featuring Nike Women’s Basketball Stars
Eastbay unveiled its December lookbook cover and women’s holiday campaign, featuring five top WNBA stars :Sue Bird, Elena Delle Donne, Jewell Loyd, Breanna Stuart and Diana Taurasi.
VF Corp. Appoints Stefano Saccone To Vans’ EMEA Post
VF Corp. on Tuesday announced that Stefano Saccone has been appointed to the position of vice president, general manager of Vans, EMEA. Saccone will lead the brand and its business across the EMEA region beginning April 1, 2019.
Imports Set Another Record In October
Imports at the nation’s major retail container ports have set another new record, reaching 2 million containers in a single month for the first time as retailers continued to bring merchandise into the country ahead of a now-postponed increase in tariffs on goods from China, according to the monthly Global Port Tracker report.

Report: Under Armour Ousts Ryan Kuehl And Walker Jones
Ryan Kuehl, Under Armour’s SVP of global sports marketing, and Walker Jones, the brand’s senior director of sports marketing, both left the company last week following an internal review of their department’s spending, according to the Wall Street Journal. The exits come after reports of a past practice of letting employees expense strip club visits.