Over 45 of Patricof Co’s global athlete clientele, representing all major U.S. sports, have invested in Varsity Brands. This investment underscores P/Co’s commitment to “partnering with companies transforming the landscape of sports and community engagement.”
Category: Footwear

KNS International Acquires Birdies Brand; Gates to Stay as Brand President
Birdies, which launched in 2015 as a direct-to-consumer brand, will join the expanding KNS brand portfolio, which includes Journee, Taft and Vance. Co-founder Bianca Gates will join KNS as brand president.

Rupert Campbell Appointed Chief Commercial Officer for HeyDude
Campbell was, most recently, the president of Adidas North America, where he was responsible for leading one of the brand’s most critical markets and building relationships with wholesalers, partners and athletes.

EXEC: Allbirds Beats Estimates on Top-Line Decline, Shrinks Net Loss
Net revenue for the fourth quarter decreased 22.4 percent to $55.9 million, at the mid-point of the company’s prior guidance. The full-year impact of these actions was just over $22 million.

EXEC: Puma SE Expands Q4 Profits; Full Year Weakness Leads to Job Cuts Talk
Full year net income decreased 7.6 percent year-over-year to €281.6 million in 2024 and sales increased by 2.5 percent to €8.82 billion for the year.

EXEC: Puma SE Forecast Q1 Sales to Decline on Weak U.S. and China
For the first quarter, Puma said it anticipates currency-adjusted sales growth to be down in low-single-digits versus the 2024 Q1 level, primarily due to a soft performance in the U.S. and China.

EXEC: Dick’s SG Shares Decline as Street Worries About Weaker 2025 Outlook
Dick’s posted a 5.2 percent comp store sales increase for the 2024 fiscal year, cycling against a 2.6 percent comp sales gain in the 2023 fiscal year. The retailer expects full-year comp sales growth from 1.0 percent to 3.0 percent for fiscal 2025.

EXEC: February FW Factory Shipments Soar as Key Factories Post DD Growth
Yue Yuen’s manufacturing business, which boasts Adidas, Merrell, Asics and many others as key customers, posted a 14.9 percent increase in February, and Feng Tay, a major Nike supplier, returned to positive territory delivering 11.4 percent growth year-over-year after a decline in January.

Rural King Opens its Fifth Alabama Store in Saraland
The store carries a wide range of outdoor lifestyle and work brands, including Ariat, Browning, Carhartt, Columbia, Frogg Toggs, Henry Rifles, Huk Apparel, Keen Utility, Plano, Realtree, Remington, Under Armour, and Wolverine.

United Legwear & Apparel Taps Tony Lucia as President of ULAC Europe BV
ULAC is the licensee and core operating partner for all men’s Hurley apparel categories. The company is also a Puma NA joint venture partner, has distribution partnerships with Scotch & Soda and Ted Baker and maintains licensed brands including Skechers, Van Heusen, DKNY, Champion, Arrow, and Weatherproof.

Ross Stores Opens 19 New U.S. Locations
The company believes Ross can grow to 2,900 locations and DD’s Discounts can become a chain of 700 stores given consumers’ ongoing focus on value and convenience.

NRF Sees Import Cargo Levels Continuing to Rise Among Tariff Uncertainty
Imports from all trading partners could also be affected by a new fee the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative is considering that would levy a fee between $1 million and $1.5 million each time a Chinese-built ship docks at a U.S. port.

CNBC/NRF Retail Monitor Sees February Y/Y Retail Sales Growing But Moderating
The Sporting Goods, Hobby, Music & Book Stores segment increased 3.6 percent year-over-year, up from 2.8 percent y/y growth in January. Clothing, Footwear and Accessories Stores were up 3.8 percent in February, half the trend in January.

Big Peach Running Sets to Open New Gainesville, Georgia Store
Alex and Stephanie (Fe) Rodriguez previously opened Big Peach stores in Dawsonville and Cumming, Georgia, respectively, and will now own and operate the Gainesville, GA.

Wolverine Worldwide Transitions International Business to Brand Chiefs
The move will result in the elimination of the International Group president role, which has been held by Isabel Soriano since June 2021. The company and Soriano have agreed that her employment would end on March 3, 2026.