China Kappa Retail Comps Grow Mid-Singles in Fiscal Q2
The company’s Kappa-branded retail stores in China posted mid- to low-single-digit year-over-year growth for the second fiscal quarter ended September 30.

Baffin Introduces Litesport Boot for Men
Baffin, the manufacturer of cold-climate footwear, released Litesport, its new winter sport boot for men, featuring a lace-up inner boot.

Scheels to Build Second Texas All Sports Store in 2024
Construction on the new 240,000-square-foot All Sports store will begin early next year at CedarView in CedarPark, TX. The Cedar Park Scheels joins The Colony location which opened in a North Dallas suburb in 2020, expanding the company’s reach across the state.

Target COO and Chief External Engagement Officer Announce Retirements
Two of Target’s top executives, COO John Mulligan and Chief External Engagement Officer Laysha Ward, announced their plans to retire.

Nike Wants Employees Back in Office More Days in 2024
Nike employees will be required to work in the office four days a week starting in January. Since May 2022, Nike has been requiring three days a week of office attendance.

National Retail Federation Survey Sees Uptick in Holiday Spending
A NRF survey found that consumers expect to spend $875 on average on holiday gifts, decorations, food, and other seasonal items this year, up 5.0 percent from $833 on average that consumers planned to spend in 2022 and in line with the average consumer holiday budget over the last five years.

Survey Sees Nike, Jordan, Lululemon Winning Popularity Contest with Gen Y + Z
While upstarts such as Hoka and On are making noise, Cowen’s sixth annual Gen Z and Millennial survey found Nike, Air Jordan and Lululemon hit new all-time highs in brand preference and showed material growth year-over-year in both 18-to-24 and 25–34-year-old cohorts.

Moosejaw To Open First Retail Store in Salt Lake
The 8,200-square-foot store, scheduled to open on October 21 in Salt Lake City, is located near the “trendy” 9th and 9th neighborhood, and is the retailer’s first store in Utah.

ICSC Sees Holiday Sales Expanding 3.8 Percent
Retail sales are expected to grow 3.8 percent this holiday season, according to ICSC’s 2023 holiday shopping forecast. The agency also forecasted a 7.6 percent increase in F&B, bringing the total expected spend for the season to $1.60 trillion.

REI Again Closing for Two Days for Thanksgiving Holiday
The co-op said it will be paying its 16,000 employees to spend the day outside the day after Thanksgiving, while calling on the broader community to join and help others to do the same.

Costco’s Longtime CEO to Step Down at End of Year
Costco Wholesale Corp. said Craig Jelinek, CEO since 2012, plans to step down, effective January 1, 2024. Ron Vachris, president and COO since February 2022, will succeed Jelinek as president and CEO.
Heiq Appoints New GM for Heiq China
UK-based textile and materials manufacturer Heiq hired Robert Liu as general manager of Heiq China, leading its business operations.

DSW Confirms Chief Merchant to Step Down
Designer Brands, Inc. confirmed that Jim Weinberg, EVP and chief merchandising officer at DSW, is stepping down. He has been chief merchandising officer since February 2019.

Deloitte Sees 2023 Holiday Spending Returning to Pre-Pandemic Levels
Deloitte is forecasting that holiday spending this year will surpass pre-pandemic levels for the first time. Consumers surveyed for the report plan to spend an average of $1,652 during the shopping season—a 14 percent year-over-year increase, though a modest four-year CAGR of 2.5 percent reflecting a normalization of trends.

Kane Footwear x Honey Stinger Collaborate on Recovery Slip-On
Kane Footwear and Honey Stinger collaborate on limited-edition shoe to promote recovery.