The National Retail Federation (NRF) has moved Chapter Two of its 2021 Big Show from an in-person to a virtual event.
Category: Footwear

Nike Exits 280,000 Square Feet Of Office Space
Nike is leaving its 280,000-square-foot office space in Sunset Corridor at the Tektronix campus in Beaverton, OR according to a report from the real estate firm JLL Capital Markets.

Academy Sports And Outdoors Eliminates COO Position
Academy Sports and Outdoors said in a regulatory filing that it has eliminated its COO position, resulting in the lay off of current COO and EVP Kenneth Attaway.

Belk Seeking Out-Of-Court Financial Restructuring
Belk, its major lenders and the private equity firm Sycamore Partners are nearing a deal to restructure the department store’s debt outside of bankruptcy proceedings, according to a Wall Street Journal report.

Lululemon Ranks Eighth On Glassdoor’s Best Places To Work List List
Lululemon Athletica was the only company in the active lifestyle space to land in the Top 10 of Glassdoor’s Annual Ranking of the 100 Best Places To Work in the U.S., coming in at No. 8. Other companies in the industry landing on the list include Vans, 36; REI, 48; and Nike, 49.

Running USA Survey Finds Runners Eager To Return To Live Events
According to Running USA’s 2020 Global Runner Survey, 66 percent of runners in North America plan to be back out racing as soon as an event is available in their area or within traveling distance. An additional 20 percent wanted a vaccine to be available before they raced again.

ReCircled Acquires Circlarity
ReCircled, LLC, a Denver-based industrial sustainability company serving the textile, apparel and footwear sector, announced the acquisition of Circlarity, LLC, a digital sustainability intelligence technology company.

Hari Mari Appoints New President
Hari Mari appointed Jake Szczepanski its new president. Szczepanski previously co-founded and served as CEO of menswear and womenswear label Billy Reid for 13 years.

Pentland Brands Appoints Its First Positive Business Director
Pentland Brands Limited has announced the appointment of Sara Brennan as its first positive business director.

Ebay Appoints VP Of Fashion
Ebay has appointed Charis Márquez, formerly VP for sales effectiveness at Levi Strauss & Co., to the newly created role of vice president of fashion.

Li Ning Acquires Majority Stake In Clarks
Viva China Holdings, the sports talent agency founded by Chinese gymnast-turned-entrepreneur Li Ning, has acquired control of the U.K.-based footwear brand, Clarks for £51 million ($62 mm).

Goat Group Secures Investment From Groupe Artemis
Goat Group, the online marketplace for sneakerheads, has secured a strategic investment from Groupe Artemis, the controlling shareholder of Kering, the owner of Gucci, Saint Laurent, Bottega Veneta and other luxury brands.

Report: Birkenstock Exploring Sale To CVC Capital
Birkenstock is in discussions to be acquired by CVC Capital Partners, according to a report from Bloomberg, The sale reportedly could value the nearly 250-year-old brand at $4.8 billion, including debt.

Retail Sales Drop In December For Third Straight Month
Retail sales, excluding automobiles and gas, slid 0.7 percent in December compared to November, according to the Commerce Department, as a surge in coronavirus cases kept consumers away from stores during the critical holiday shopping season.

NRF Says 2020 Holiday Sales Grew 8.3 Percent Despite Pandemic
Retail sales during the 2020’s November/December holiday season grew an unexpectedly high 8.3 percent over the same period in 2019 to $789.4 billion, exceeding the National Retail Federation’s (NRF) holiday forecast despite the economic challenges of the coronavirus pandemic, NRF said. The numbers include online and other non-stores sales, which were up 23.9 percent at $209 billion.