Ross Stores Inc. reported earnings per share for the 13 weeks ended February 1, 2020 grew 7 percent to $1.28 on net income of $456 million. Sales for the fourth quarter of 2019 were $4.4 billion, with comparable-store sales up 4 percent on top of a 4 percent gain in the prior-year period.
Category: Footwear

Urban Outfitters’ Q4 Earnings Slump
Urban Outfitters Inc. reported earnings on an adjusted basis fell 45.6 percent in the fourth quarter. Comparable Retail segment net sales increased 4 percent, driven by growth in the digital channel, partially offset by negative retail store sales

REI Closes Corporate Campuses Over Coronavirus Precautions
REI, based in Seattle, is temporarily closing three corporate campuses in Washington state to conduct a deep cleaning process after learning that two headquarter employees may have been exposed to coronavirus. REI’s King County and Alderwood stores are also undergoing a deep cleaning.

Decathlon’s Sales Grew 9 Percent in 2019
Decathlon, the French-sporting goods chan, reported sales rose 9 percent in 2019, to over €12.4 billion ($13.78 bn).

Kohl’s Q4 Earnings Top Wall Street Targets
Kohl’s Inc. reported a small decline in earnings in the fourth quarter on flat same-store sales but both EPS and sales exceeded Wall Street’s targets. Michelle Gass, Kohl’s CEO, said, “We are encouraged by the acceleration of traffic and new customer acquisition in our stores and online driven by the unprecedented level of new brands and partnerships we launched during the year.”

Dick’s Sporting Goods To Open Four Stores In March
Dick’s Sporting Goods set plans to open two Dick’s Sporting Goods locations in Chattanooga, TN; and Hagerstown, MD; as well as two Golf Galaxy locations in Warwick, RI; and Berwyn, PA.

Nike And Columbia Sportswear Take Emergency Coronavirus Precautions
Nike closed its Oregon headquarters over the weekend and is closing European headquarters in Amsterdam on Monday and Tuesday for deep cleaning in response to the coronavirus outbreak. Columbia Sportswear also over the weekend thoroughly disinfected its offices in Portland, OR.

Shaun White Ends Olympic Skateboarding Bid
Shaun White, the three-time snowboarding champion, said he won’t try to qualify for the U.S. skateboarding team in that sport’s Olympic debut later this year in Tokyo.

Coronavirus Threatens U.S. Mall Traffic
According to a survey from Coresight Research, nearly three-quarters of U.S. consumers would stay away from malls or shopping centers if the coronavirus outbreak worsens in the U.S.

Gannett/EnMotive Names John Smith As VP Of Partnerships
Gannett and its EnMotive Company division announced that industry veteran John Smith has joined the company as vice president of partnerships, effective immediately.

Skechers Partners With Carlsbad 5000
Groundwork Endurance has announced its partnership with Skechers for the 35th annual Carlsbad 5000 presented by National University.

Puma’s Former CEO Becomes Acting CEO Of Harley-Davidson
Harley-Davidson Inc. announced that Jochen Zeitz, the former chairman and CEO of Puma, has become acting president and CEO. His appointment comes as Matthew Levatich stepped down as president and CEO.

Foot Locker Q4 Comps Slide 1.6 Percent
Foot Locker Inc. saw fourth-quarter earnings that topped Wall Street’s consensus target but same-store sales were down 1.6 percent and were below expectations. Dick Johnson, CEO, said, “While we had leading positions in key on-trend footwear styles, this was not enough to offset softer than expected demand during the compressed holiday season, a very promotional marketplace for apparel, and tougher launch comparisons.”

New Balance And NBA Announce Multiyear Global Agreement
The National Basketball Association (NBA) and New Balance Athletics, Inc. announced a new multiyear agreement that will make the global athletic brand an official marketing partner of the NBA.

Columbia Sportswear Warns Of Significant Impact From Coronavirus
In an update, Columbia Sportswear said it its 2020 results “to be significantly affected” by the coronavirus outbreak as the epidemic impacts both its business in the Asia region and its supply chain.