SGB Executive Footwear

EXEC: Saucony’s New President Looks to Lean Into Innovation

Saucony, which is celebrating its 125th anniversary in 2023,  in June named Rob Griffiths president. Here, Griffiths talked with SGB Executive about the brand’s authenticity and commitment to innovation, opportunities away from the run business, and his message to the run specialty community.

EXEC: Lululemon Lays Off 100 Employees at Mirror Business

Lululemon confirmed with SGB Media reports that it has laid off 100 employees from Lululemon Studio, which represents its Mirror connected fitness business. In mid-April, reports arrived that Lululemon was working with an advisor to explore the sale of Mirror.

Yue Yuen Manufacturing Business Revenues Falls 24.2 Percent in June

Yue Yuen Industrial (Holdings) Limited, a subsidiary of Pou Chen Corporation that manufactures a large percentage of global athletic and outdoor footwear, reported that its net consolidated operating revenue for June was $676.8 million, an 18.9 percent decline year over year.

EXEC: Jordan Brand Shines For Nike In FY23

On Nike’s fourth-quarter analyst call, John Donahoe, president and CEO, Nike, Inc. talked up progress and untapped opportunities for Nike Brand around global football (soccer), basketball and running categories, but Jordan Brand was by far the star performer for Nike’s fiscal year ended May 31.

EXEC: Nike Delivers Rare Quarterly EPS Miss, Cloudy Outlook

Nike missed on earnings for the first time in three years as compressed margins weighed on profits during its fiscal fourth quarter ended May 31. The sportswear giant also forecast first-quarter revenue below Wall Street targets as North America softness  overshadowed China’s recovery. On the positive side, Nike indicated demand remains healthy across regions and inventories have been rebalanced to position the company for profitable growth going forward.

Report: Asics Cutting Ties with Smaller U.K. Specialty Retailers

Independent sports retailers in the U.K. are reportedly reeling from a move Asics Corp. is making to narrow its distribution in the region. In a recent article published by The Guardian, Asics was said to be “cutting off supply to hundreds of small U.K. outlets…”

EXEC: Stalking Horse Bidder Emerges In Rockport Bankruptcy

The Rockport Company’s stalking horse bidder in its bankruptcy auction has signed a purchase agreement that sets the value of the company’s intellectual property and the buyer’s right to purchase the company’s equity interest in certain subsidiaries and puts in place a formula for valuing inventory purchased at closing.