Xero Shoes CPO, Dennis Driscoll, Retiring After 44-Year Footwear Career
Long-time global footwear industry veteran Dennis Driscoll is retiring on September 1 after more than 44 years. He has served as chief product officer for Xero Shoes since 2012.
EXEC: L.L.Bean Expands Wholesale to Dillard’s, Moosejaw and Select Independents
L.L.Bean is adding Dillard’s and Moosejaw to its roster of U.S. wholesale key accounts, as well as ten independent specialty retailers in the southeastern U.S. The Maine-based retailer also plans to open four stores, with two in Quebec.
EXEC: Nike Declares Dividend; 22 Percent of Proceeds Go to Knight Family, Foundation
The Nike, Inc. Board of Directors, which is 75 percent controlled by the Knight family, has declared a quarterly cash dividend of 34 cents per share on the company’s outstanding Class A and Class B Common Stock.
REI Co-op to Open Store in Beaverton, OR
REI Co-op reported it plans to open a store in Beaverton, OR in spring 2024. As the anchor tenant at Walker Center, the store’s footprint will be 39,512 square feet at 2780 SW Cedar Hills Boulevard.
Nike Partners with USA Gymnastics
For the first time, Nike will serve as the official apparel and footwear partner of USA Gymnastics and the USA Gymnastics National Team.
EXEC: Adidas Sees North America Struggles Continue
Adidas’ second quarter results included several encouraging signs, including securing an incremental profit of €150 million ($164 mm) from the first drop of leftover Yeezy, significantly improved margins due to better sell-throughs and less discounting, and a return to double-digit growth in China. However, the laggard continues to be North America, where sales on a currency-neutral basis tumbled 16.4 percent in the period.
ICSC: Majority of BTS Shoppers Spending More in 2023 Due to Inflation, Higher Prices
While inflation is a partial driver of higher spending, the data found that the consumer remains resilient, but focused on deal-hunting for the best prices in the face of rising costs.
EXEC: Adidas Says No More Yeezy After Sell-Off Despite Flat Q2, Profit Bump
On Thursday, Adidas raised its earnings outlook for the year, in part because of demand for the company’s remaining stock of its discontinued Yeezy merchandise. The brand was boosted by the margin benefit from reduced inventory levels in the marketplace and China’s continuing recovery.
Tractor Supply Names Food Lion President as Newest Board Member
Tractor Supply Company appointed Meg Ham as an independent member of its Board of Directors, effective August 2. TSC said Ham brings a distinguished 35-year career in the retail industry and is the president of Food Lion.
WFSGI Sets CEO Succession Plan
The World Federation of the Sporting Goods Industry (WFSGI) said Emma (Mason) Zwiebler will replace Robbert de Kock as CEO of the organization effective November 1.
The Buckle Sees Slight Decline in July Comp
The Buckle, Inc.’s comparable store net sales for the 4-week period ended July 29 decreased 1.3 percent year-over-year. Comparable store net sales year-to-date for the 26-week period decreased 6.3 percent.
Canada Goose’s Q1 Sales Expand 21 Percent, Topping Expectations
Canada Goose Holdings, Inc. reported a slightly wider loss in the fiscal first quarter ended July 2 despite 21 percent sales growth. Both sales and earnings topped guidance, and the outerwear maker reiterated its outlook for its fiscal year.
EXEC: Retail Inventory Woes Impact Q2 Sales at BOA and Primaloft; Marucci and 5.11 See Gains at CODI
Brand aggregator Compass Diversified (CODI) saw first-quarter sales decline 36 percent at BOA and 18 percent at Primaloft as both businesses continued to be impacted by stubbornly elevated inventories in the marketplace. Among CODI’s other active lifestyle brands, revenues grew 35 percent at Marucci Sports and 5 percent at 5.11 while sliding 30 percent at Velocity Outdoor.
EXEC: Boot Barn Ups Full-Year Outlook as Fiscal Q1 Improves and Q2 Off to Strong Start
Fiscal first-quarter net sales increased 4.9 percent to $384 million. The sales performance was said to benefit from new stores opening during the past 12 months, partially offset by a consolidated same-store sales decline of 2.9 percent.
Vimazi Expands Distribution In Australia and New Zealand
Vimazi, the maker of pace-tuned running shoes, partnered and Simon Bartold to be the exclusive distributor for the brand in Australia and New Zealand.
