
Pentland Brands Names New President of Americas as Matt Rock Steps Down
Spies, formerly the senior vice president of sales for Pentland Brands North America, brings over 17 years of experience from his tenure at Converse, including his last role as vice president of its wholesale business for North America.

Under Armour Taps Yuron White as SVP, Sportswear, Run, Basketball/Curry & Collabs
White joins Under Armour from New Balance, where he was the VP of Global Lifestyle, Basketball and Innovation. Before that, he worked at Nike where, most recently, he was the VP of Performance Sports and Cross Category Concepts.

EXEC: Big 5 CEO Details Q1 Challenges; Offers Tepid Outlook for Near Term
The retailer has continued to feel the effects from the ongoing macro headwinds that are impacting consumer discretionary spending in the second quarter-to-date as same-store sales are running down despite a benefit from an extra day due to the Easter shift.

Wolverine Worldwide Enters Licensing Agreements for Merrell and Saucony Brands
WWW entered two new global licensing agreements as part of its ongoing “strategic transformation” into a brand-led growth company for Merrell and Saucony kids footwear and Merrell apparel and accessories.
Big 5 Sporting Goods Falls to Q1 Loss as Comps Fall 13.5 Percent
The company said the calendar shift of the Easter holiday, during which the company’s stores were closed, from Q2 2023 to Q1 2024, negatively impacted sales comparisons by approximately 100 basis points.

Rocky Brands Swings to Q1 Profit as Organic Sales Grow 7.6 Percent
The owner of the Rocky, Georgia Boot, Durango, Lehigh, The Original Muck Boot Company, Xtratuf, and Ranger brands divested the Servus brand in the year-ago period, which boosted sales and margins on an organic basis.

Rocky Brands Inks Comprehensive Debt Refinancing Deal
The debt refinance agreement includes a $175 million revolving credit facility and a $50 million term facility, amending and restating the company’s existing $175 million revolving credit facility with Bank of America.

Vuori and ENDVR’s Strategic Alliance: Driving Sales Growth in Wholesale Channels, Part 3
This is Part 3 of 3 in a series of sponsored posts from ENDVR.

EXEC: REI Co-Op Sales Ticked Lower in 2023; Loss Widens
REI reported that three factors largely drove the loss: its commitment to continue investing in hourly employee pay, its commitment to providing a member reward and a $169 million non-cash valuation allowance against its deferred tax assets.

EXEC: Adidas Swings to Q1 Profit as DTC Drives Top-Line Growth
Footwear revenues grew 13 percent in Q1, said to be driven by the strong brand momentum, particularly in the Originals and Football categories, and Apparel sales were up 2 percent in the period. Accessories grew 1 percent.

Wolverine Worldwide Appoints Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary
Dave Latchana was promoted to chief legal officer and corporate secretary, overseeing the company’s legal, compliance, corporate communications, risk management, ESG, security, and loss prevention functions.

Sal Barbier Returns to Etnies as Creative Director for SLB Line
Barbier starts his role with the relaunch of the Sal 23 for Holiday 2024. He is “designing an SLB by Etnies collection that will launch in Spring 2026.

EXEC: Kappa Retail Stores in China See Comp Sales Decline in Fiscal Q4
Same-store sales recorded a high-single-digit decline on a year-over-year basis for Kappa-branded stores that have been in operation since the beginning of the prior-year fourth quarter.

Skechers Opens First Concept Store In Brussels
Skechers expanded its retail presence across Belgium with a new 5,270-square-foot store showcasing the brand’s footwear, apparel and accessory collections.

Birkenstock Opens First Flagship in Mumbai
Celebrating 250 years of tradition in shoemaking in 2024, Birkenstock opened its first flagship store in Mumbai, marking its commitment to the region.