Converse signed Natasha Cloud, the star guard of the Washington Mystics guard. She becomes the first female basketball player to ever ink a deal with the storied athletic brand.
Category: Footwear

Wigwam Mills Sued By Terminated CEO
Wigwam Mills Inc. has been sued by its former CEO for issues stemming from his April termination from the company.

Adidas VP Joins Cole Haan
Cole Haan Inc. appointed Andrew Rudolph as senior vice president, North American wholesale sales. Rudolph was vice president, wholesale sales USA at Adidas Group.

Dick’s SG Launches Two New Concept Stores
Dick’s Sporting Goods said it will be expanding its nationwide footprint with the opening of two new concept stores – Overtime by Dick’s Sporting Goods and Dick’s Sporting Goods Warehouse. With these openings, Dick’s will have 11 outlet and clearance centers open in nine different states.

May Retail Sales Improve Dramatically Over April, Still Below Last Year
Retail sales rose dramatically in May as retailers and other businesses closed by the coronavirus pandemic began to reopen, but remained well below spending levels seen during the same period a year ago, the National Retail Federation said.

Mall Landlords, Authentic Brands In Talks To Acquire J.C. Penney
Mall owners Simon Property Group and Brookfield have partnered with Authentic Brands to explore a purchase of bankrupt department-store chain J.C. Penney, sources told Bloomberg.

McRae Industries Q3 Sales Drop 23 Percent
McRae Industries Inc., the maker of military combat boots and western and work boots, reported revenues for the third quarter of fiscal 2020 ending on May 2 of $14.29 million as compared to $18.6 million for the third quarter of fiscal 2019. The company experienced a net loss for the third quarter of fiscal 2020 in the amount of $504,000, or 22 cents a share, compared to net earnings of $386,000, or 16 cents, for the third quarter of fiscal 2019.

Decathlon Opens Dublin Flagship
Decathlon opened a flagship location in Dublin, marking its first location in the Republic of Ireland. Over the next few years, the French sports retailer expects to open nine outlets Ireland. It already has stores in Northern Ireland.

Nike’s Phil Knight To Receive Honorary Doctorate From Oregon
Phil Knight, who graduated from The University of Oregon with a bachelor’s degree in 1959, will be given an honorary doctorate degree from his alma mater at a virtual ceremony on June 20.

USA Cycling Announces Olympic Long Team For Mountain Bike, Road And Track
USA Cycling announced the men’s and women’s mountain bike, road, and track Olympic long teams, naming the initial lists of athletes from which the final roster for the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 will be selected next summer. Athletes are still eligible to make the Olympic long teams until May 2021.

Dick’s SG Reinstates Dividend Program, Restores Most Salaries
Dick’s Sporting Goods, Inc. announced the reinstatement of its dividend program. The retailers also announced that with nearly 100 percent of its stores expected to have re-opened to the public by June 30, it has restored previously reduced salaries for all employees, except for certain executives, and has returned substantially all associates from furlough.

Boardriders Debt Ratings Lowered
The debt ratings of Boardriders Inc., the parent of Quiksilver, Billabong, ROXY, DC Shoes, RVCA and Element brands, were lowered by S&P Global Ratings. The rating agency said Boardriders recently published preliminary results showed severely negative EBITDA in the second fiscal quarter and indicated that it might need additional liquidity this year to meet its obligations.

Lululemon DTC Surges To 54 Percent Of Sales In Fiscal First Quarter
Lululemon Athletica Inc. reported that net revenue for the first quarter ended May 3 was $652.0 million, a decrease of 17 percent compared to the first quarter of fiscal 2019.

Nike Makes Juneteenth An Annual Paid Holiday
Nike is making Juneteenth, which takes place on June 19 and commemorates the end of slavery in the U.S., an official paid company holiday, CEO John Donahoe said Thursday in a letter to employees. He also said Nike will be taking further steps to ensure Black, Latino and Women are properly represented at Nike.
Adidas Boosts Investment In Black Communities
Adidas on Wednesday raised its investment in black communities to $120 million from $20 million after criticism.