
Genesco Tops Wall Street Targets On Accelerating Comps
Genesco Inc. reported third-quarter earnings topped Wall Street’s consensus target as comps increased to their highest level in more than two years driven by the ongoing strength at Journeys and Johnston & Murphy. While still negative, sales trends at both Lids and Schuh continued to improve. The company narrowed its guidance for the year.
Buckle’s Comps Dip In November
The Buckle, Inc. announced that comparable store net sales, for stores open at least one year, for the 4-week period ended December 1, 2018 decreased 0.6 percent
VF Corp To Open London Office
VF Corporation will open a new office in the heart of London’s Soho next Spring to help fuel growth in the U.K. market.

ISA TanTec Progresses With The Expansion Of Existing Saigon Facility
Following the recent opening of its Saigon Showroom, ISA TanTec, an international eco-friendly leather manufacturer, reports on the progress of the further expansion of its existing tannery Saigon TanTec in Binh Duong province in order to meet the growing demand for its eco-friendly LITE leather.
Newell Brands Announces Tender Offers For $1.5 Billion Of Outstanding Debt
Newell Brands Inc. commenced debt tender offers to purchase for cash of $1.5 billion in debt. The company expects to fund the tender offers with the proceeds from divestitures under the company’s Accelerated Transformation Plan (including the divestitures of the Pure Fishing and Jostens businesses, if consummated), together with available cash on hand.

Nike Names Heidi O’Neill To Expanded Role As President of Nike Direct
Nike Inc. on Tuesday announced that Heidi O’Neill, president, Nike Direct, will expand her current role as leader of Nike physical retail stores and Nike.com to now include all Nike digital products, services and member experiences, effective immediately. O’Neill will report to Elliott Hill, president, Consumer and Marketplace.

J.P. Morgan Turns Bullish On Nike’s North American Momentum
J.P. Morgan raised its price target on Nike Inc. to $85 from $81 as the investment firm has grown more convinced that Nike’s momentum in North America is accelerating. Based on its own recent fieldwork, J.P. Morgan raised its North America revenue estimate to 9 percent growth for Nike’s second quarter ended November 30.
Ascent360 Heads into 2019 With An Investment Boost
Ascent360, a Golden-CO based software company with a focus outdoor-related companies, announced it has secured a Series A venture capital investment totaling $4.1 million.
BibRave 100’s Winning Races Announced
The Missoula Marathon was again voted The Best Marathon in America, according to the 2018 edition of The BibRave 100. The OneAmerica 500 Festival Mini-Marathon won the Half Marathon category, AJC Peachtree Road Race again won the 10K, and the Allstate Hot Chocolate Chicago 5K won the 5K category.
Little League Establishes New Executive Leadership Structure
A new executive leadership structure of Little League International was established following the annual fall meeting of the Little League International Board of Directors.

Big 5 Again Faces Activist Investors
Another activist group, led by former senior executives at Wal-Mart and Vans, have launched a website, www.SaveBig5.com, and sent out a press release urging shareholders to vote for them to fill two vacant seats on the board.

Tariff War Far From Over
President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed Saturday to a temporary trade cease-fire to allow time for more negotiations but trade experts are doubtful that 90 days will be enough time to resolve the thorny and complicated issues that divide the two countries.

November M&A Roundup: Big Outdoor Deals Bookend Busy Month
Two large acquisitions in the outdoor space bookended November—Canada Goose bought Baffin to kick off the month and Callaway bought Jack Wolfskin to close it—while a flurry of M&A activity occurred in the days between.

Crocs To Repurchase Of Convertible Preferred Stock Owned by Blackstone
Crocs, Inc. announced that it has entered into an agreement with Blackstone Capital Partners VI L.P. and certain of its affiliates and transferees relating to the repurchase and conversion of the company’s Series A Convertible Preferred Stock owned by Blackstone.

SFIA Seminar: Industry Playing It Safe
On a webinar last week providing an update on the state of the sporting goods industry, Tom Cove, SFIA’s president and CEO, said that many of the industry’s players appear to be fixated on protecting their market share somewhat at the expense of pursuing growth opportunities. While this reflects an industry recovering from a string of bankruptcies, he lamented that the cautious stance may be holding back the industry’s overall growth.