Studies arrived last week on the growth of customization in footwear and apparel, omnichannel order tracking, online-ad spam, mobile pay, the important of brand’s values and retailers paying off hackers.
Category: Footwear

Brand Vision: Collabs Boost Backcountry’s New Private Label
Online outdoor retailer Backcountry isn’t the only beneficiary of product collaborations the company has undertaken with Black Diamond, DPS, Flylow and Smartwool on a new touring collection due out in the fall. The brands themselves and especially customers stand to gain from these new partnerships.
NRI Distribution Names Jason Brooks GM, NRI East
NRI Distribution has hired Jason Brooks as general manager, NRI East. Brooks will be based in Montreal and lead NRI’s East Coast operations.
Gearhead Outfitters To Open In Tulsa, OK
Gearhead Outfitters has opened the company’s 11th store at Utica Square in Tulsa, OK.
JD Sports And Finish Line Complete Merger
The Finish Line Inc. and JD Sports Fashion Plc announced that they have completed their merger.

CrossFit Sues Reebok For Breach Of Contract
CrossFit Inc. filed a lawsuit against its exclusive licensing partner Reebok. The dispute stems from a change Reebok made in how it calculates royalties
Deckers Brands Appoints CFO
Deckers Brands announced the appointment of Steve Fasching to chief financial officer effective July 16, 2018. Fasching previously served as the company’s senior vice president, corporate strategy, planning & investor relations. He succeeds Tom George, who will transition concurrent with Fasching’s appointment.
Ebay Announces First-Ever Community Sneaker Drop
Ebay kicked off the company’s first-ever community sneaker drop, inviting enthusiasts everywhere to list their most coveted pairs. As part of the drop, select styles at special pricing will be able to purchase direct from Adidas, Stadium Goods and Reebok, all with free shipping.
Converse Appoints New Media Buying Agency
Converse has tapped IPG Mediabrands-owned Initiative to handle the company’s global media planning and buying, according to Advertising Age.
Iconix’s CEO Resigns
Iconix Brand Group, Inc. announced that Peter Cuneo, executive chairman of the board of directors, will serve as interim CEO, effective immediately. John Haugh has resigned as chief executive officer, president and a member of the board to pursue other opportunities, also effective immediately.
Macy’s Appoints CTO
Macy’s Inc. announced that Naveen Krishna will be appointed chief technology officer. She was vice president of technology for The Home Depot.

Can Cherokee Stick Landing After ‘Disruptive’ 24 Months?
Cherokee Global Brands ended fiscal 2018 with a loss due to difficulties with the integration of the Hi-Tech brand into the company’s portfolio. And now the start to fiscal 2019 is being marred by the sale of Flip Flop Shops. Can the Tony Hawk brand and others save the company?

Aisle Talk Week of June 11
Top headlines from the active lifestyle industry you may have missed this week, including Eddie Bauer and PacSun combining under a new operating company.
Reports: Puma To Sign Marvin Bagley
Puma, marking the company’s return to performance basketball this year, has signed top NBA draft prospect Marvin Bagley III to a five-year endorsement deal.

Eric Sprunk Discusses Nike’s Sustainability Journey
Speaking recently at the Copenhagen Fashion Summit, Nike Inc.’s COO Eric Sprunk said Nike now knows “sustainability drives innovation and improves the performance of everything we make.” But he spent a large chunk of his keynote session discussing the brand’s shortfalls in the past and its long “journey” to embracing that mindset.