SGB Update Footwear

Report: Over 157M Consumers Plan to Shop on Super Saturday, with Almost Half Online
The NRF suggests that with only four days between Super Saturday and December 25, shoppers will likely embrace multiple channels as they wrap up their holiday shopping; however, e-commerce appears to be the top destination with 49 percent of respondents going online.

Rusty Saunders Passes Away After 60 Years in SG Industry
Rusty Saunders had a successful 60-plus-year career in the sporting goods industry, having worked in retail, manufacturing and sales. He was inducted into the NSGA Hall of Fame in 2013. Saunders passed away on December 8 at age 88.

Costco Says Consumer is Healthy as it Reports 7.5 Percent Q1 Sales Growth
The commentary surrounding the fiscal 2025 first quarter results for Costco Wholesale Corporation ranged from “mixed” to “beats” to “strong” on Thursday, December 12 after the retail warehouse giant posted its operating results for the twelve weeks ended November 24.

Nordstrom to Open New Rack Store in Lubbock, TX
The 30,000-square-foot store will be located in West End Center, which includes Costco, Nike Factory Outlet, Bass Pro Shops, World Market, and Marshalls/HomeGoods, among others. Graco Real Estate Development owns and manages the West End Center in Lubbock, TX.

Under Armour Celebrates Flagship Brand House Opening at New Baltimore HQ
Under Armour hosted a community event this past weekend to mark the official grand opening of its UA Flagship Brand House at Baltimore Peninsula.

Nike Extends NFL Deal Through 2038, Brazil Soccer for 12 Years; Adds Uruguay Soccer
After a number of key leadership appointments and a refreshed retail engagement process have garnered praise, the company is ensuring its position atop the platform for the near future by securing the Brazil National Football Confederation for an additional 12 years and extending and expanded the current NFL deal through 2038.

Inov8 Founder is Back as CEO; Price Returns as Director
Wayne Edy, founder of Inov8, will again lead the company as CEO. Michael Price returns to the company as product and marketing director, having worked at Inov8 from 2016 to 2022.
Academy Sports and Outdoors Narrows Full Year Outlook as Fiscal Q3 Comes Up Short
The retailer arrowed its fiscal 2024 guidance to net sales of $5.895 billion to $5.940 billion from previous guidance of $6.075 billion on the high side and missing Wall Street’s third quarter sales estimates.

CNBC/NRF: Retail Monitor Reinforces Online Shopping Strength in November
In today’s CNBC/NRF Retail Monitor report, the retail sales bounce back in October continued a moderate trend into November even as two of the holiday season’s busiest shopping days rolled over into December.

DSW Parent Slashes Full Year Guide After Q3 Miss; Total Comps Fall 3.1 Percent
DBI reported fiscal third quarter net sales decreased 1.2 percent year-over-year to $777.2 million in the 13-week period ended November 7, short of the $802.14 million expected on Wall Street.

NRF: Retailers and Vendors Continue to Surge Goods Ahead of Strike and Tariffs
Hackett Associates Founder Ben Hackett said retailers are under pressure as they front-load cargo to avoid both the disruption of the strike and higher costs from the tariffs.

L.L.Bean Making Additional Staff Cuts in Maine HQ
The retailer will lay off 50 to 75 employees at its corporate headquarters in Maine. These latest cuts equal approximately 2 percent to 3 percent of its Freeport-based staff and are the retailer’s second round this year.

Activist Investors Push Macy’s to Consider Changes to Capital Allocation Strategy
Barington Capital Group and Thor Equities LLC asked Macy’s to bring fresh perspectives to the company, especially in the areas of capital allocation, merchandising and retail and real estate

NRF Chief Economist Sees Strong Q3 Results Boding Well for Holiday Retail Season
Many consumers started shopping earlier because a late Thanksgiving left five fewer shopping days before Christmas than in 2023. Based on data that the National Retail Federation has seen so far, conditions are shaping up for a successful holiday retail season.

NRF Report: 2024 Retail Returns to Total $890 Billion
Improving the returns experience and reducing the return rate are two essential elements for businesses in achieving their 2025 goals.