New Balance signed Boston Celtics rookie, Aaron Nesmith, to a multi-year sponsorship deal, representing the brand’s fifth NBA player endorsement since returning to the sport of basketball in 2019.
Category: Footwear

Backcountry Appoints New CFO
Backcountry.com announced the hiring of Jim Bell as its new chief financial officer, effective April 19, further strengthening Backcountry’s leadership team as it capitalizes on growth in e-commerce while preparing to expand its brick & mortar retail footprint.

REI To Relocate Mountain View Store To Sunnyvale
REI Co-op, which has over a dozen locations in Northern California, will relocate its Mountain View, CA store to Sunnyvale in fall 2021.

Emerald Launches B2B E-commerce Platform
Emerald Holding Inc. announced the launch of its Digital Market B2B e-commerce platform that supports product sourcing and ordering across a broad range of brands. The platform also provides a more streamlined and collaborative buyer/supplier experience at its in-person events, including Outdoor Retailer and Surf Expo.

Heelys Sold To BBC International
Sequential Brands Group Inc. announced that it has closed on the sale of its Heelys brand to BBC International for $11 million in cash proceeds.

Craft Sportswear To Sponsor Tough Mudder
Tough Mudder said Craft Sportswear has entered into a multi-year global partnership to become the “Official Performance Apparel and Footwear” of the series. Previously, Merrell was the footwear sponsor and Alanic was the apparel partner.

Columbia Sportswear Appoints SVP, Omni-Planning & Fulfillment Operations
Columbia Sportswear Co. appointed Emily Rompala to a new position of senior vice president, omni-planning & fulfillment operations.

Caleres Sets Ambitious Goals For Next Five Years In Inaugural ESG Report
Caleres published its first environmental, social, governance (ESG) report, Caleres Cares … Feet First. The report covers Caleres’ activities in 2020 and establishes ambitious commitments for the next five years.

Skechers’ Profits Surge In First Quarter
Skechers U.S.A., Inc. saw earnings double in the fourth quarter as sales grew 15.0 percent. International Wholesale sales grew 23.8 percent while direct-to-consumer sales jumped 18.1 percent. The company also predicted sales will advance about 26 percent in 2021.

Vans Commits To Make Core Materials 100 Percent Regenerative, Responsibly Sourced, Renewable Or Recycled By 2030
Vans announced its global commitments to environmental sustainability and responsibility by 2030. The company plans to create circular products and systems that use regenerative and recycled materials to reduce waste and keep products in use and out of landfills.

The North Face Announces Environmental Commitments
In honor of Earth Day, The North Face is introducing a new sustainability-focused “vision” it calls “Exploration Without Compromise,” which outlines a series of actionable commitments the company will implement over the next few years. The North Face plans to use a seal to identify its sustainable products which it defines as having been made with “75 percent or greater recycled, organic, regenerative and/or responsibly-sourced renewable materials by weight” on its website and in its stores.

VF Corp Appoints CFO
VF Corp. announced that it has appointed Matt Puckett to the position of executive vice president and chief financial officer. He was formerly VF’s VP, global financial planning & analysis.

Mytheresa Appoints President, North America
Munich-based online luxury-fashion retailer Mytheresa appointed Heather Kaminetsky as its president of North America, effective June 1.

Activist Investor Group Vexes About Delayed Annual Meeting
Legion Partners Asset Management LLC, the Activist Investor Group that has nominated seven directors to sit on Genesco’s board, criticized the decision to delay Genesco’s annual shareholder meeting in an open letter to the retailer’s board of directors.

Vans Appoints Global Chief Marketing Officer
Vans announced that Kristin Harrer has joined the company as global chief marketing officer. Harrer joins Vans from Dollar Shave Club.