New Balance Signs Sprinter Gabby Thomas

New Balance has signed Harvard sprinter Gabby Thomas to a multi-year endorsement contract. Thomas won the 200m 2018 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships and took 2nd in the DI NCAA Outdoor National Track and Field Championships.

Express Expands NBA Partnership

Express Inc. expanded the company’s partnership with the NBA. The chain also unveiled the company’s second “NBA Game Changers” campaign and Performance Collection featuring NBA All-Star Victor Oladipo (Indiana Pacers), Mo Bamba (Orlando Magic) and Trae Young (Atlanta Hawks).

Report: Sears Hires Bankruptcy Professionals

Sears Holdings Corporation, the parent of Sears and Kmart, is considering filing for bankruptcy protection as soon as this week as it faces a large debt repayment on Monday, reports The Wall Street Journal. Advisory firm M-III Partners LLC has been hired to prepare the bankruptcy filing, according to the report.

Adidas CEO Sees U.S. Share Gains Continuing

In an interview Tuesday on CNBC, Adidas CEO Kasper Rorsted admitted that Nike has improved its competitive positioning in the U.S. marketplace but he said the Adidas Brand is still gobbling up share in the region. Said Rorsted, “For the third year in a row, there’s no doubt that we are taking share in America.” Rorstead also discussed tariffs, Kanye West and Colin Kaepernick.

DTG2Go Acquires SSI Digital Print Services

Delta Apparel Inc. announced that DTG2Go LLC, the company’s wholly-owned subsidiary, has acquired substantially all of the assets of Silk Screen Ink Ltd. d/b/a SSI Digital Print Services, a leading provider of digital print services, for $12 million.

Polygiene Makes New Hires

Polygiene, the provider of “stays fresh” technology, said Rebecka Harvyl joined the office in Sweden as the new marketing manager, and Bobby Howell will come on as the commercial director of North America, located in Vancouver, Canada.

How To Navigate The Trade War

Companies that are subject to new tariffs on Chinese-made products might be able to mitigate some or all of the financial impact, according to David Cohen, a Washington, DC-based international trade lawyer, who spoke at the recent SFIA Industry Leaders Summit. “You’re not sitting ducks. There are ways, there are countermeasures, that companies can take.”

Community Engagement Pays Off

Whether its coaches for BSN Sports, runners for Fleet Feet or the local Latino community for WSS, the benefits of engaging communities was spelled out loudly at a session featuring a number of retailers at the SFIA’s recent Industry Leaders Summit in Denver. The challenges in driving consistent engagement were also heard.