SGB Executive Footwear

EXEC: Designer Brands CEO Shares 2025 Plans for DSW, Topo Athletic, Keds and Private Label
The parent of DSW, The Shoe Co., and Rubino, and the Topo Athletic, Keds, Le Tigre, Hush Puppies, and other footwear brands, plans to focus on a larger athleisure assortment at retail and more focus on Topo Athletic, Keds and Private Label in the Brand Portfoloio.

EXEC: The Footwear Brands Bringing the Heat in 2025
L.E.K. said the athletic footwear brands tend to engender the most excitement from consumers overall, and other surveys and analysis over the last year have seen even more excitement as Nike stumbled and left the door open for others.

EXEC: Citi Survey Sees Nike Perceptions Slip, Adidas Gain
The February survey saw Nike retaining the highest Net Promoter Score of all the brands surveyed at +43 in February (down from +46 in December), followed by Adidas in the No. 2 spot (up from the No. 4 spot in December).

EXEC: Wall Street Lays Out Expectations Ahead of Nike’s Fiscal Q3 Results
Margins are a concern in the near term, given the need for Nike to liquidate inventory. While the company continues to pull back promotions on its website, outlet stores will continue to see increased pressure.

EXEC: Sports Direct Parent to Make Another Run at Nordic Retailer XXL ASA
It appears that Frasers Group plc (Frasers), the UK-based parent of the Sports Direct global sporting goods retailer, is making another run at Norway-based sporting goods retailer XXL ASA.

EXEC: Saucony and Merrell Grow 57 Percent in China in 2024; Saucony Hits Benchmark
In 2024, revenue from the combined Merrell and Saucony brands segment realized a year-over-year growth of 57.2 percent, accounting for 9.2 percent of the Group’s total revenue.

EXEC: L.L.Bean Posts Flat Revenue in 2024; Employee Bonus Falls to 6.5 Percent
The company said it continued to navigate a challenging retail environment in 2024, in a year impacted by inflationary headwinds and a decrease in spending in the outdoor sector.

EXEC: Another Authentic Licensee Files Bankruptcy as Forever 21 to Close in U.S.
Authentic Brands Group continues to own the intellectual property associated with the Forever 21 brand and could license the brand to other operators. The non-U.S. Forever 21 store locations and international e-commerce sites are expected to continue operating as normal.

EXEC: Golden Goose Spikes 2024 Revenues with 24 Global Store Openings
Retail drove DTC performance with 23 percent growth, supported by 24 net new store openings and high single-digit comp sales growth and double-digit comp growth in Q4. Wholesale channel sales declined 4 percent year-over-year.

EXEC: Zumiez CEO Details Strong Q4 Progress Across Softgoods Categories
The Men’s category maintained its positive momentum through year-end, delivering growth for the fifth consecutive quarter. The women’s category, became the largest growth category for the quarter. Skate Hardgoods were a drag.

EXEC: Tilly’s, Inc. Expects Little Tariff Impact; Merchandising is Bigger Issue
Total foruth quarter comparable net sales, including both physical stores and e-commerce, decreased by 11.2 percent relative to the comparable 13-week period ended February 3, 2024, but have turned positive as weather improves.

EXEC: New Kohl’s CEO Kicks Off Turnaround Effort; Sees Private Label as Key
Asked about the balance between private label and national brands by an analyst, new CEO Ashley Buchanan emphasized that the customer will ultimately determine the mix, with a focus on delivering quality and value.

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.