Report: May U.S. Golf Rounds Show Slight Decline
Golf Datatech reported that in May the Mid-Atlantic had the biggest decline in golf rounds played, off 5.1 percent, followed by New England, South Central, West North Central, and South Atlantic.
Varsity Brands Appoints First Chief Security Officer
As CSO, veteran law enforcement officer and security expert Lisa Olivieri manages Varsity Brand’s integrated security and safety efforts, events, competitions, offices, and facilities. The company also announced safety and security advancements in its spirit division, Varsity Spirit.
DTLR Names SVP of Marketing and Community Engagement
Lifestyle retailer DTLR, which has over 250 stores in 21 states, promoted Antonio Gray to senior vice president of marketing and community engagement. Gray previously served as the VP of apparel.
Puma Appoints New VP Direct-To-Consumer
Erik Janshento leads Puma’s DTC business, which includes owned and operated stores, puma.com, and several online marketplaces. He replaced Karthik Balagopalan, appointed managing director of Puma India in 2023, who has led Puma’s DTC business on an interim basis since then.
Nordstrom, Inc. Plans to Open Another New Rack Store in Houston Next Spring
The 30,000-square-foot store will open in the Westchase Shopping Center, which includes Whole Foods and Target. Today, Nordstrom operates eight Nordstrom stores and 21 Nordstrom Rack stores in Texas.
Revolve Group Acquires French Couture House Alexandre Vauthier
Before the acquisition, Revolve stocked the designer’s label as part of its FWRD platform. Having trained at Thierry Mugler and Jean Paul Gaultier prior to launching his label in 2008, Alexandre Vauthier has since garnered a cult following.
Foot Locker Relaunches Rewards Program
FLX Rewards program will receive upgrades to its mobile app. FL describes the moves as “significant milestones under its Lace Up Plan.” The rollout in the U.S. follows a successful pilot of the program in Canada in 2023.
Birkenstock Employees and Majority Investor Selling 14M Shares
The company, which went public in October 2023, plans to sell 14 million shares in a secondary public offering of the BIRK shares. The shares will be sold by L Catterton and Birkenstock employees.
Amazon’s Annual Prime Day Returns in July
Over the course of last year, Amazon customers saved nearly $24 billion from deals and coupons—with Prime members enjoying the vast majority of those savings—including over $2.5 billion during Prime Day 2023,
UK Retail Sales Rebound in May
Retail sales in the United Kingdom rose 2.9 percent in May, up from a revised 1.8 percent fall in April, the Office for National Statistics said.
Target Corporation Shifts Senior Merchant and Marketing Roles
Christina Hennington, currently chief growth officer, has been named chief strategy and growth officer, Rick Gomez has been appointed chief commercial officer, and Lisa Roath, current CMO, will take on the role of chief merchandising officer of food, essentials and beauty,
Fleet Feet Opens in North Augusta, SC
The store is the second for owners and operators Michael and Jenafer McCauley, who opened their first store in Augusta, GA, 15 years ago.
JCPenney Posts Wider Q1 Loss as Sales Slide 8 Percent
J.C. Penney’s net loss in the first quarter ended May 4 more than tripled to $63 million from $17 million a year ago, according to a financial filing. Sales in the period slumped 8.1 percent to $1.37 billion from $1.49 billion a year ago.
Sports Direct Owner Acquires Luxury Website
Frasers, the U.K.-based parent of Sports Direct, has acquired Coggles, an online seller of designer fashion, from THG as part of a multi-year partnership that also includes Frasers using THG’s technology in some parts of its business.
Target+ Opens to Shopify Sellers in New Partnership
Target Corp. unveiled a new partnership with e-commerce platform Shopify aimed at expanding its digital marketplace offerings. Beginning June 24, merchants currently utilizing Shopify’s services can apply to join Target+, the retailer’s third-party marketplace.