SGB Update Apparel

Golf Rounds Played Dip In February

Rounds of golf played in February 2023 were down about 3 percent on a national level year-over-year, impacted by storm-related weather activity in California, according to Golf Datatech.

Authentic Brands Group Signs Agreement To Acquire Quicksilver, Billabong, DC Parent

After months of speculation in the active lifestyle market about a pending deal in the beach/skate lifestyle space, Authentic Brands Group reported it signed an agreement to purchase Boardriders, the parent of Quiksilver, Billabong, Roxy, DC Shoes, RVCA, Element, VonZipper, and Honolua. On March 31, Authentic said it entered a period of exclusivity and made a binding offer to purchase Boardriders.

What The Fin Apparel Builds Out Executive Team

What The Fin Apparel, a lifestyle surf brand headquartered in Greenville, SC, hired Marcella Franseen as director of operations and Dalton Coker as chief of staff while announcing two promotions.

Amazon To Charge Fee For Returns Made At UPS

According to a published report in The Information, Amazon will charge a fee for customer returns made at UPS stores if return options at Whole Foods, Kohl’s or Amazon Fresh locations are closer or just as far as a UPS store return location. 

NRF: Imports Climbing But Below Pandemic Peaks

Import cargo volume at the nation’s major container ports should climb steadily through the summer but will remain below record-setting levels seen during most of the pandemic, according to the Global Port Tracker report* released by the National Retail Federation (NRF) and Hackett Associates.

Kohl’s Debt Ratings Lowered

S&P Global Ratings lowered the debt ratings of Kohl’s Corp. as the retailer’s recently reported earnings for fiscal 2022, came in below expectations with lower margins due to heightened clearance activity and muted demand.

Walmart Partners On Pickleball Initiative

Walmart partnered with the racquet sports booking platform, Break the Love, offering for free 125,000 reservations for customers and employees to book pickleball playtime at venues nationwide.

BRC: March UK Retail Foot Traffic Up 6.8 Percent But Lags February Rate

The British Retail Consortium (BRC) is reporting that total U.K. footfall (retail foot traffic), as measured by BRC-Sensormatic IQ data, increased by 6.8 percent in March year-over-year (YoY), 3.6 percentage points worse than February and worse than the 3-month average increase of 9.5 percent.