
Archive Raises $30M Series B Funding to Expand Resale Intelligence Software
Archive said it has launched new partnerships with New Balance, Fjällräven and Dr. Martens, among others, in addition to expanding existing resale programs with The North Face, DVF, Faherty, and M.M.LaFleur.

JCPenney Launches B2B Website for Commercial Bulk Orders
The department store retailer said its new business-to-business website offers current and potential bulk order customers exclusive access to JCPenney’s vast catalog of products across several divisions.

Black Diamond Wilderness Exchange to Host Grand Re-Opening
The store’s renovation has been ongoing since October 2024, during which BDE reportedly invested in much of the related costs. The newly branded Black Diamond Wilderness Exchange store will host a grand reopening from February 8-16, 2025.

Timberland Appoints New Global Creative Director of Marketing
Drew Villani is responsible for bringing the company’s creative vision to life, including brand marketing, art direction, photography, store design, styling, and video production. Villani joined Timberland from Calvin Klein, where he was the senior director of global creative.

EXEC: Liberated Brands Files for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Protection
Liberated Brands LLC, the former licensing arm for Authentic Brands Group’s collection of action sports lifestyle brands, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware.

Caleres Appoints Brian Costello as Chief Merchant at Famous Footwear
Costello was, most recently, the footwear DMM at Nordstrom. He will oversee all buying and merchandising, including women’s, men’s and kids’ athletic and fashion footwear and accessories, for the brand’s U.S. and Canada stores and e-commerce sites.

Berghaus Adapts Program Removes Barriers to Outdoors for Disabled
Through Berghaus Adapts, consumers can request changes to the brand’s clothing and equipment to meet their specific physical needs. The company’s product team, based in North East England, will work directly with them to develop products for use in the outdoors that have otherwise made accessibility unattainable.

Taos Footwear Gets $65 Million Influx, Loans from Investment Firm
Prospect Capital Corp. has provided a first lien senior secured term loan, a first lien senior secured convertible term loan and a preferred equity investment to Taos Footwear Holdings, LLC in collaboration with the company’s founder and leadership team.

Cole Haan Opens Store in Flatiron District, its Third Location in New York City
The store is in a 1904 Neo-Renaissance landmark building. The company said the 1,622-square-foot retail space represents the company’s global store expansion initiative.

Nordstrom, Inc. Plans to Open New Rack Store in Lake Grove, NY
The new retail location expands the company’s physical footprint and economic impact in New York, where it currently operates five Nordstrom stores and 10 Nordstrom Rack stores, generating over 1,900 jobs statewide.

Ortholite Appoints Commercial Director for OrthoLite India
Pankaj Kumar joins OIN in its newly expanded manufacturing facility in Ambur, Tamil Nadu, India, which “enables increased capacity to two million pairs of insoles per month.”

Report: Flat U.S. Footwear Retail Sales Led by Sport Lifestyle Growth in 2024
Circana reports that U.S. footwear industry sales totaled $89.2 billion in 2024, a flat performance year-over-year, with the sport lifestyle category generating $31 billion in sales to lead all categories for the year.

EXEC: Boot Barn Raises Fiscal 2025 Guide After Strong Holiday Season
Consolidated same-store sales increased 8.6 percent, with retail store same-store sales increasing 8.2 percent and e-commerce same-store sales increasing 11.1 percent.

Outdoor Retailer and Surf Expo Parent Re-Works Term Loan and Revolver
A portion of the proceeds of the Term Loan Facility were used to refinance all existing loans outstanding under Emerald’s previous senior secured credit facilities, and to pay costs and expenses in connection with the refinancing.

EXEC: Hoka Growth Trend Concerns Sends Deckers Brands Shares Down Double Digits
Net sales increased 17.1 percent to $1.83 billion compared to $1.56 billion in the prior-year Q3 period. On a constant-currency (cc) basis, net sales increased 16.6 percent. Analysts were expecting growth of 11.6 percent, a clear beat.