SGB Update Apparel

Allbirds Appoints Nancy Green To Board Of Directors
Allbirds, the footwear start-up, announced that it has appointed Nancy Green, president and chief creative officer of Old Navy, to its Board of Directors.

Implus Corp. Announces Leadership Transition
Implus Corp., a leader provider of athletic, fitness and outdoor accessories, appointed Michael B. Polk as interim chief executive officer. Seth Richards, Implus CEO, and Todd Vore, president, are transitioning their leadership roles and will be leaving the company to pursue other opportunities.

Running USA Industry Conference Holds Annual Awards Presentation
Kara Goucher, Brandon Hough, Michael Nishi and Alan Brookes were among those honored at the Running USA Industry Conference’s annual awards presentation.

Bass Pro Shops Ranks As Third Most Reputable Retailer in U.S.
For the second consecutive year, customers ranked Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s as two of the most reputable retailers in the world for overall customer experience, according to 2019 Retail Reputation Report compiled by Reputation.com.

’47 Brand Partners With XFL
The XFL announced ’47 as its official headwear partner. ’47, a privately-held premium sports lifestyle brand from Boston, is providing headwear and apparel for all eight XFL teams.

RYU Apparel Announces Private Placement
RYU Apparel Inc., the Vancouver-based athletic apparel brand, intends to conduct a non-brokered private placement financing of up to 333.3 million units at a price of Canadian 3 cents per unit to raise gross proceeds of a maximum of $10 million.

VF Corp Provides Update On Coronavirus Impact
VF Corp. said that at this time, about 60 percent of VF’s owned and partner stores in China have been temporarily closed due to coronavirus mitigation efforts. Stores currently open have experienced significant declines in retail traffic.

Canada Goose Slashes Outlook On Coronavirus Fallout
Canada Goose cut its full-year forecast for sales and profit after reporting that the coronavirus is “having a material negative impact” on results. Sales are now expected to expand in the range of 13.8 percent to 15.0 percent in its year ended March 31, compared to at least 20 percent growth previously.

HanesBrands Q4 Adjusted Earnings Expands 13 Percent
HanesBrands, the parent of Champion, announced record operating cash flow for the fourth-quarter and full-year 2019 and strong diluted earnings per share growth.

Descente’s Sales Sink 8 Percent In Nine Months
Descente reported sales in the nine months ended December 31 slipped 8.0 percent to ¥92.9 billion ($845 mm).

Vans Opens First Community-Driven Retail Store In Downtown Los Angeles
Vans opened its first community-driven retail and event space in Downtown Los Angeles. The 11,500 sq. ft. space pays homage to Los Angeles’ skateboarding roots and art community.

Columbia Sportswear’s Q4 Impacted By Promotional Climate
Columbia Sportswear reported net earnings dipped 2 percent in the fourth quarter against adjusted year-ago results but still exceeded Wall Street’s consensus target. Revenues expanded 4 percent. Tim Boyle, CEO, said in a statement, “A challenging retail environment, particularly in outerwear, impacted sell-through performance and led to higher levels of promotional activity.”

The Buckle’s January Comps Expand 7.4 percent
The Buckle Inc. announced that comparable store net sales, for stores open at least one year, for the 4-week period ended February 1, 2020 increased 7.4 percent.

Nike Announces Strategic Distributor Partnerships In Brazil, Argentina, Chile And Uruguay
Nike Inc. announced it is transitioning its Nike Brand business in Brazil, Argentina, Chile and Uruguay to strategic distributor partnerships, enabling a more profitable, capital-efficient and value-accretive business model. A one-time, non-recurring charge related to foreign exchange of approximately $425 million will be taken.

Mizuno Signs Ronda Rousey
Mizuno has signed Ronda Rousey as the newest addition to the Mizuno roster of athletes in North America. She had been with Reebok.