SGB Executive Footwear
EXEC: Lowa Appoints General Manager Operations
Germany’s Lowa Sportschuhe GmbH appointed Giuseppe De Biasi as its new general manager of operations. Most recently, he was at Luxottica as general manager, retail Greater China.
EXEC: Dass Group to Close Argentina Footwear Factory, Affecting 150 Jobs
Dass Group, the Brazilian-based manufacturer of athletic footwear and apparel, announced plans to close its footwear manufacturing facility in Eldorado, Misiones Province, Argentina, leading to the layoff of 150 employees.
EXEC: Grassroots President Sees Outdoor Specialty in Best Shape Since Pandemic
In a LinkedIn post, Gabe Maier, president of Grassroots Outdoor Alliance, shared financials from the association’s retail members for 2025 and the first five months of 2026, showing that the independent outdoor specialty channel has recovered from the inventory corrections of 2023 and 2024 and appears to be outperforming big-box chains.
Adidas Appoints New GMs for Central and Southern Europe
Adidas appointed Claus-Peter Mayer as general manager for Central Europe and Olivier Gianina to general manager of Southern Europe.
EXEC: Pou Sheng’s China Retail Business Accelerates Declines in June 2026
Net consolidated operating revenue for June 2026 declined 2.7 percent year-over-year to RMB 1.46 billion, compared to RMB 1.35 billion in April 2025. Pou Sheng trades and reports in the Chinese Yuan (RMB) currency.
EXEC: Top Asia Footwear Factories Continue Shipments Slide in June 2026
Yue Yuen’s manufacturing business, which boasts Adidas, Merrell, Asics, and other footwear brands as key customers, posted an 11.8 percent decline in June 2026, roughly double the May decline, and Feng Tay, one of Nike’s oldest manufacturing partners, saw revenue decline 3.9 percent year-over-year.
EXEC: Coresight Research Highlights Athleisure as Top Back-To-School Trend
Coresight Research’s “U.S. Back to School 2026” survey identifies Athleisure as the leading fashion trend for the 2026 BTS season, with 37.6 percent of parents citing it as the trend they are most excited about for their school-age kids. Similar to last year, Nike and Adidas lead BTS apparel brand preferences, with Old Navy, Levi’s and Under Armour rounding out the Top 5 most sought-after apparel brands.
EXEC: On Holding Names New Chiefs for Global Markets and DTC/Customer Loyalty
On Holding AG promoted Rebecca Cai, currently general manager of APAC, to chief global markets officer, and tapped Alice Delahunt, formerly at Ralph Lauren and Burberry, as chief customer officer. Both moves will be effective in September.
EXEC: Anta Sports Forms Partnership to Expand to Israel
Anta Sports signed a five-year franchise deal with Israel-based fashion retailer Castro to officially distribute Anta products and open standalone stores in Israel starting in 2027.
EXEC: Rip Curl Parent KMD Brands Appoints Independent Board Director
KMD Brands, the parent of the Rip Curl, Oboz and Kathmandu brands, has appointed Ian Morrice as an independent non executive director to the Board of Directors (Board), effective August 20, 2026, The move comes following the Board renewal process announced in May 2026.
EXEC: Polygiene Appoints Head of Commercial Growth for Addmaster
Dr. Kurt De Meyer has been tapped as head of commercial growth for Addmaster, one of the textile company’s business segments.
EXEC: Asics to Open Second Japan Flagship
The flagship will also introduce “Asics Create,” the brand’s first apparel customization service at a directly operated store, for customers to personalize garments with embroidered designs.
EXEC: Nike Sued by 7-Eleven Over Air Max 95 Big Bubble Colorway
The convenience store giant believes the Air Max 95 trainer colorway due for launch on July 11 “copies its trademarked ‘Tri-Color Mark.'” The retailer claims it has used the orange, green and red stripe combination commercially since at least 1987 and that it holds multiple federal trademark registrations for the pattern.
EXEC: Rip Curl Parent Completes 1-for-25 Reverse Stock Split, Refinances Debt
KMD Brands has also reportedly completed the refinance of its existing debt facilities with NZ$2.08 billion ($1.2 bn) of syndicated sustainability-linked multi-currency revolving facilities.
EXEC: Adidas Scores Stock Price Upgrades on Expected World Cup Boost
Adidas received several analyst price upgrades in recent days, including from Goldman Sachs, HSBC, Deutsche Bank and Citi Research, due to signals that the brand’s underlying momentum continued through spring selling and expectations that World Cup sales are coming in better than expected.
