SGB Update Apparel

Duluth Trading Cites Weaker Web Conversion Rates, Slower Store Traffic, in Q3 Miss
The company said it saw growth in its average order value and a double-digit increase in digital traffic, but it was not enough to offset the year-over-year contraction in transactions. Top line trends improved leading into Black Friday week and continued through cyber Monday.

Tommy and Calvin’s Parent PVH Corp. Sees Q3 NA Sales Decline for Both Boys
The parent of the Tommy Hilfiger and Calvin Klein brands beat its top- and bottom-line guidance for the third quarter, fueled by a “relentless execution” of the company’s PVH+ Plan.

Salesforce: Global Online Sales Reach All-Time High of $315B During Cyber Week
The company said data analyzed for the Cyber Week period revealed a record $314.9 billion in global online sales, with U.S. consumers contributing $76 billion of the total number.

ThredUp Completes Divestiture of European Business
The online reseller of apparel, shoes and accessories, announced today that it entered into a binding agreement to divest its European business, Remix, in a management buyout led by Florin Filote, the general manager of Remix.

Foot Locker Lowers FY Outlook on Q3 Miss, Promo Pressures, and Weak Consumer
Excluding the effect of foreign exchange rate fluctuations, total sales for Q3 decreased 2.2 percent year-over-year. Comparable sales increased 2.4 percent year-over-year, including North America Foot Locker and Kids Foot Locker comparable sales growth of 6.4 percent.

StockX Breaks Pre-Cyber Weekend Trades Record; Sees Continued Momentum Into Holidays
Asics is one of the fastest-growing sneaker brands on StockX and will set a new sales record in 2024. Top picks throughout the weekend included the Asics Gel-1130 Black Pure Silver and the Asics Gel-Kayano 14 Cream Black Metallic Plum.

Report: Footwear and Apparel Among Bright Spots for Weaker Store Traffic
“Categories like Apparel, Footwear, and Jewelry saw notable traffic increases on the Saturday following Black Friday, indicating that consumers are spreading out their purchases, revealing a shift in shopping behavior, with extended promotions allowing for more flexibility and reducing reliance on Black Friday.

NRF Reports Thanksgiving Weekend Shopper Numbers Fell Short of 2023 Comp Period
The five-day holiday weekend from Thanksgiving Day through Cyber Monday saw an estimated 197.0 million shoppers, reportedly the second highest number in the NRF’s survey’s history after last year’s record of 200.4 million shoppers—exceeding its initial forecast of 183.4 million.

Thermore Appoints VP of Global Marketing and Communications
Laura Beachy has been appointed VP of global marketing and communications. She joins Thermore from Hyla Strategies, a NYC-based boutique marketing firm, where she served as a managing partner since 2014.

Academy Sports + Outdoors Opens Five New Stores to Finish Out 2024
New stores opened in Bradenton, FL; Yulee, FL; Searcy, AR; Meridian, MS; and Corsicana, TX. Overall, Academy continued its expansion in 2024 by opening 16 new stores during the year across ten states, including its first locations in Ohio.

Amer Sports Launches Public Share Offering of 34M Shares
The company said it intends to use the net proceeds it receives from the proposed offering to repay a portion of its outstanding borrowings under its term loan facilities.

Mastercard SpendingPulse: Black Friday Sales Grow 3.4 Percent; E-Commerce Up 15 Percent
The firm reported that their data indicated online retail (e-commerce) sales increased 14.6 percent, while In-store (brick & mortar) sales were up a more modest 0.7 percent, compared to Black Friday last year.

Collegiate Licensing Pioneer Bill Battle Passes
Battle helped the University of Alabama create a licensing department, which led to his founding of the Collegiate Licensing Company (CLC) and what became a multi-billion dollar industry for collegiate licensing.

Report: Black Friday In-Store Shopper Traffic Falls 8.2 Percent Year-over-Year
The brand’s ShopperTrak Analytics insights show that U.S. shopper visits were down 3.9 percent from November 24 through November 29, in line with the in-store traffic trends seen year-to-date (down 3.0 percent year-over-year).

Rally House Opens New Storefront in Minneapolis
Rally House Maple Grove Crossing opened on November 27. The retailer entered the Minnesota market this year with its first store in Tamarack Village in Woodbury. Today, it operates five stores in the state.