Price Deflation Impacts Athletic Shoes…
According to The Monthly Mall Merchandise Index, maintained by the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC), sales/square foot in mall-based Athletic Footwear stores were $41 in December, a gain of 1.5% versus December LY. Sales for 2002 declined
Pacific Sunwear Takes to the Street…
Pacific Sunwear has certainly turned the tide in the operations area and is now riding a wave of good fortune thanks to strong merchandising, operational efficiencies and aggressive growth. While many other mall retailers continue to suffer from weak com
Benetton Unloads Rollerblade as Family Purged Over Sportsystem Failures…
Benetton Group announced last week that Chief Executive Luiggi De Puppi will step down at April's annual shareholders meeting. His decision followed the successful completion of his mandate, which included selling off Benetton's unprofitable sp
Genesco Loses Out on Athletic Opp…
An over-reliance on softening some casual brands and the lack of a key athletic footwear component conspired to rob Genesco of the growth opportunity other retailers are experiencing in the mall. With athletic footwear now representing 28% of the Journey
U.S. Team Keeps Fila Dream Alive…
The U.S. Fila team was obviously still driving to the hoop in 2002, even as the European business fell to pieces. Fila Holding posted its first yearly operating profit in recent memory on the backs of a strengthening U.S. business and the conversion of t
Weather Slows Gart Growth…
Gart Sports sees a near-term hit to earnings from its pending merger with The Sports Authority, but the deal may help smooth out the moguls it encountered in its fiscal 2002 fourth quarter sales…
Finish Line Takes Full Advantage of Nike Shift…
The regional managers we spoke with last week were nearly giddy with the way business has grown since the Nike / Foot Locker spat delivered unto The Finish Line key Nike marquee product that until this last quarter resided mainly at its mall competitor’s
Morton Leads Gart to Next Level
Doug Morton fixates on all that's wrong at his company — what will save money, improve service, sell more baseball gloves.
“In retail, you wake up every day and say, 'We have to be better than last year,'” says th
Oakley Tries to Diversify in Weak Economy
Oakley is known for making quality sunglasses for serious athletes. Oakley is also known for making sunglasses with $100-$300 price tags, which has hurt the Foothill Ranch company in this soft economy where consumers are looking to save a buck…
When Does a Good Show Get Too Big???
Lesson One in trying to kill the golden goose trade show – make the show so big that you have to trek all over town and then shoo away all the retailers with bad timing. Blow into a balloon long enough and it will pop!…
Warnaco Back on the Street…
The Warnaco Group Inc., the parent of industry brands Speedo and Authentic Fitness, emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy Tuesday as scheduled. The company said it closed on a $275 million exit financing facility in connection with its bankruptcy emergence
LL Bean: Tough Economy, Cut Jobs…
The outdoor brand founded on the basic principle of reacting to the needs of the consumer announced the second-largest round of layoffs in its 91-year history…
A Roller Coaster Week at Footstar…
Footstar saw shares close lower for the week, erasing a strong mid-week gain on news that it will expand distribution of its Thom McAn product to up to 1,500 Wal-Mart stores. The move was initially seen as a boon to the retailer that has been hit hard in
Oakley Pushes Pre-Earnings Press…
Based on the number of press releases Oakley sent out this past week, we would not be surprised by a less than stellar year-end and Q4 report to be released mid-week…
SmartWool Founders Sell Interest…
SmartWool reported that the company’s controlling shareholder, RAF Industries, in late January acquired the remaining minority interest of company founders, Peter and Patty Duke. RAF has been invested with SmartWool since 1995 and has held majority inter
