UCM Athletics Extends Apparel Contract with BSN/Nike
The University of Central Missouri Board of Governors approved a five-year contract extension with BSN and Nike to provide apparel for the University’s Athletic department.
Liberated Brands Gets Nod from Authentic to Manage Boardriders Brands Down Under
Authentic expanded its partnership with Liberated Brands to build the Quiksilver, Billabong, Roxy, RVCA, DC Shoes, Element, VonZipper, Honolua, and other businesses in Australia, New Zealand, Thailand, and Indonesia.
Kohl’s Expands Board of Directors to 13 Members with Latest Appointment
Wendy C. Arlin, who, most recently, was the CFO for Bath & Body Works, Inc., reportedly brings more than three decades of experience in corporate finance, financial reporting, oversight and accounting, with deep expertise in the consumer industry.
Frasers Group Acquires Matches
Frasers Group, the parent of Sports Direct, agreed to acquire luxury e-tailer Matchesfashion, recently renamed Matches, for £52 million ($63 million).
EXEC: Rip Curl and Oboz See Trailing 4-Month Sales Down Despite Solid Black Friday
Group sales were reportedly down 12.5 percent year-over-year for the four-month fiscal year-to-date period, reflecting “ongoing weakness in consumer sentiment.” Wholesale sales were disappointing for Rip Curl and Oboz brands.
PrimaLoft Promotes Cavassa to CEO, Joyce to Retire
Compass Diversified appointed Anne Cavassa as CEO of its subsidiary, PrimaLoft Inc., effective January 1, 2024. This move follows Cavassa’s recent appointment as president and as former president and CEO, Mike Joyce, steps into retirement at year end.
Salewa Adds Indie Sales Agency for Pacific Northwest
Salewa hired Katie Borgen and her company, Skadi Collective, to represent the brand in the Pacific Northwest (Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, and Alaska).
SFIA names Chief Operating Officer
The Sports & Fitness Industry Association hired Glenn Horine as chief operating officer, effective January 1, 2024, reporting to SFIA president and CEO Tom Cove.
Study: Retailers See Big Online Sales Declines After Closing Brick & Mortar
ICSC found that closing a store reduced online sales in the trade area surrounding that store by 11.5 percent. For emerging retailers, there was reportedly less of an impact, as online sales for largely DTC brands that closed a store decreased by 5.2 percent.
Asics Sells Haglöfs to PE Firm
Asics reported that it sold Swedish outdoor brand Haglöfs AB to the Hong Kong fund LionRock Capital, which acquired 100 percent interest in the company. Terms were not disclosed.
Nordstrom Rack to Open Store in Omaha
Nordstrom announced plans to open a new Nordstrom Rack in Omaha, NB in fall 2024, representing the company’s first store of any kind in Nebraska.
Crocs Adds Two Board Members
Crocs, Inc. appointed John Replogle and Neeraj Tolmare to its board of directors, effective January 1, 2024. The footwear maker said the appointees “bring new skill sets and extensive brand-building experience in consumer-facing businesses to the Crocs board.”
Study: The Retailers Getting the Most Online Benefit from New Stores
According to the analysis of the ICSC’s survey of 850 shoppers, department stores had a 50.6 percent increase in online spending, followed by apparel retailers with an 11.6 percent increase in e-commerce sales.
EXEC: Authentic’s Reebok Europe Partner Acquired by Korean Retailer
Coupang, Inc., a Korea-based global retailer, reported plans to acquire the business and assets of online luxury retailer Farfetch, Authentic’s partner chosen to manage Reebok in Europe.
Golden Goose Aims to Raise $1.1 Million in IPO
Golden Goose is seeking to raise about €1 billion ($1.1 billion) from an Initial Public Offering (IPO) in Milan.