SGB Update Footwear
Academy Sports Opens Stores in Ohio and Oklahoma
As part of its ongoing national growth strategy, Academy is opening two new stores – one in North Canton, OH, and the other in Muskogee, OK. With these stores, Academy now has four locations in Ohio and 14 in Oklahoma, with plans to open 20 to 25 new stores in fiscal 2026.
Nordstrom to Open New Rack Store in Farmington Hills, Michigan
The 25,000-square-foot Nordstrom Rack store will be located at Hunter’s Square, a shopping center that includes DSW, Ulta, Meijer, Old Navy and more, in the fall of 2027.
Worldly Appoints Former Walmart Exec as VP, Human Rights Risk Solutions
Sustainability data and analytics solutions provider Worldly has hired Kathryn Smith as VP of Human Rights Risk Solutions, leading its social compliance and human rights strategy. Most recently, Smith served as senior director of Responsible Sourcing, Human Rights and Environment at Walmart.
Reebok Replaces Chinese Licensing Partner
Authentic Brands Group (Authentic) has replaced Tristate Holdings as Reebok’s operating partner in mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau, and has switched to Xinrui Sports Shanghai. Tristate, which took over in May 2022, terminated its Reebok franchise agreement in December 2025 following poor performance.
NRF Sees Tariff Uncertainty Keeping U.S. Container Imports Below 2025 Levels
Imports at major U.S. container ports are forecast to remain below last year’s levels for the first half of 2026 amid ongoing tariffs; however, it is also too soon to gauge the impact on the industry due to the conflict in Iran, according to a recent Global Port Tracker report* released by the National Retail Federation (NRF) and Hackett Associates.
Salomon North America Appoints Former Vans Exec Laura Stauth as SVP of Sales
Salomon North America appointed Laura Stauth as SVP of Sales, effective March 9, 2026. She joins the brand from VF Corp.-owned Vans, where she most recently served as VP of Sales.
Ross Stores on Track to Open 17 New Stores in February/March
Ross Stores, Inc. is opening 17 new stores, including 13 Ross Dress for Less and four dd’s Discounts locations across 11 states. The openings began in February and will continue through March.
SportChek Parent Receives TSX Approval to Renew Normal Course Issuer Bid
Canadian Tire Corporation, Limited (CTC), the parent of SportChek, Sports Experts, Atmosphere, Pro Hockey Life, Sports Rousseau, Hockey Experts, and Mark’s retail banners, among others, may repurchase over the next 12 months up to 10 percent of the 47,075,805 public float of shares issued and outstanding as at February 26, 2026.
Shoe Carnival Hikes Quarterly Dividend
Shoe Carnival, Inc. reported that its Board of Directors has approved a quarterly cash dividend of 17 cents per share, representing a 13.3 percent increase and an annualized dividend rate of 68 cents per share.
Saks Global to Close 15 Stores
Saks Global Enterprises LLC, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in January, announced the closure of an additional 12 Saks Fifth Avenue and 3 Neiman Marcus locations. The closings come on the heels of the announcement in February of nine store closures around the U.S.
Nike to Record $300M in Restructuring Charges to Cover Layoffs
Nike, Inc. said in a regulatory filing that it expects to take a pretax charge of about $300 million, mostly in the fiscal third quarter, because of employee severance costs over a nine-month period ending February 28. Nike did not specify how many jobs the company had cut.
Costco’s Fiscal Q2 Earnings Rise 14 Percent
Profits at Costco Wholesale Corporation climbed 13.8 percent in the fiscal second quarter ended February 15 on a 9.1 percent sales gain.
BJ’s Wholesale Club Closes 2025 on Solid Note but FY Profits Outpace Q4 Gain
Net sales for the fiscal fourth quarter rose 5.5 percent year-over-year (y/y) to $5.45 billion. Total revenue, which includes membership fee income, increased 5.6 percent y/y. Comparable club sales increased 1.6 percent y/y in the fourth quarter.
The Buckle’s February Comps Grow 8 Percent
The Buckle Inc. reported comparable store sales jumped 8 percent for the four-week period ended February 28.
Burlington Stores Q4 Results Top Guidance, Comps Climb 4 Percent
Burlington Stores, Inc. reported earnings rose 19.9 percent on an adjusted basis in the fourth quarter ended January 31 on a 4 percent comp gain, exceeding guidance. The off-pricer expects comps in the current year to climb in the range of 1 percent to 3 percent.
