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.

VF Corp. Data Breach Impacting Ability to Ship Orders
The company detected a cybersecurity breach in its systems on December 13 that is “reasonably likely to continue to have a material impact on the company’s business operations,” including its ability to fulfill online orders.

Jordan Brand President Joins Albertsons Board
Albertsons Companies, Inc. reported that Sarah Mensah, president of the Jordan Brand for Nike, Inc., had joined the supermarket chain’s Board of Directors.

Shoe Carnival Sets $50 Million Share Buyback Program
Shoe Carnival, Inc.’s Board of Directors authorized a new share repurchase program for up to $50 million of its outstanding common stock, effective January 1, 2024.

Wolverine Transforming Saucony and Merrell Model in China; Sells Asia Leathers Business
Wolverine World Wide, Inc. said it plans to shift its Merrell and Saucony businesses in China from a joint venture model with with Xtep to a license and distribution rights model. It also agreed it sell its Asia-based Wolverine Leathers business. Both actions are expected to simplify Wolvderine’s business model and generate $70 million in proceeds.

Report: Sycamore Partners Exploring Bid For Macy’s
Private equity firm Sycamore Partners is reportedly eyeing making a bid for Macy’s, Inc., according WWD. The speculation comes after the Wall Street Journal, on December 12, reported that Arkhouse Management and Brigade Capital Management made a $21 a share, or $5.8 billion, offer for the department store chain.

Yeezy Hires Head of Design
Kanye West’s fashion brand Yeezy hired Russian designer and former Adidas collaborator Gosha Rubchinskiy as head of design.