SGB Update Footwear

Golf Industry Veterans to Rep Sun Mountain Sports
Chivonne Wilson will represent Sun Mountain in the North Florida market. Tom Funderburk will represent Sun Mountain in the Oklahoma/Arkansas market.

DSW Parent Designer Brands Sees Shares Slide on Miss Against Street Estimates
The parent company to the DSW, Topo, Keds, Hush Puppies and other footwear brands, saw net sales decrease 0.8 percent to $754.3 million in the fiscal 2023 fourth quarter. Total comparable sales decreased by 7.3 percent for the quarter.

NRF Sees Retail Growth Slowing in 2024 as Economy Slows
The National Retail Federation forecasted 2024 retail sales would increase between 2.5 percent and 3.5 percent year-over-year to come in at $5.23 trillion to $5.28 trillion, a moderation from the 3.6 percent growth in 2023.

Shoe Carnival Sees Sales Improving in 2024 with EPS in Line with 2023
Shoe Carnival, Inc. reported net sales came in at the high end of the company’s expectations, totaling $280.2 million in Fiscal 2023 fourth quarter and $1.18 billion in Fiscal 2023 year ended February 3.

EXEC: U.S. Shoppers Are Under the Influence of Influencers
Now it’s the content creator, or influencer that is moving the market for brands, products, food, restaurants, new stores, and just about anything that requires a decision on the part of a consumer. If you are a marketer, you know this story all too well.

Report: Retail Traffic Trends at Nike and Lululemon Ahead of Earnings
With less than 24 hours before Nike and Lululemon report their most recent quarterly results to the market, a recent report from Placer.ai appears to be rather timely as brands, retailers, investors, and consumers look for the bigger picture.

Topgolf Callaway Not Aware of any Sale Discussions
Topgolf Callaway reported today that the company is “unaware of any discussions” regarding the sale of the business.

Sportsman’s Warehouse Adds Two Key Leadership Hires
The company named Krischelle Tennessen as chief human resources officer and Michael Simpson as chief information officer .

Academy Sports and Outdoors Taps Google, Walmart Vet for Board Director
Monique Picou has over 30 years of supply chain, logistics, strategic planning, operations, digital/technology, and engineering experience. She has worked as the global EVP of Google Cloud supply chain and operations at Alphabet, Inc. since March 2023.

Report: How Retailers and Consumers are Handling Customer Returns
Consumers are more mindful of changing return policies, which results in fees and shortened return windows. What can retailers do to improve customer relationships, as return rates are at 14.5 percent of sales?

Lululemon Appoints Teri List as New Board Member
List currently sits on the Boards of Directors for Microsoft, Visa, Danaher, and DoubleVerify. Previously, she was the EVP and CFO at Gap, Inc., Dick’s Sporting Goods, and Kraft Foods Group.

Famous Footwear Parent, Caleres Inc., Posts Flat Sales in Q4 Despite Extra Week
The parent of Famous Footwear and the Naturalizer, Vionic, Allen Edmonds, Blowfish Malibu, and Sam Edelman brands, eked out a slight increase in net sales for the 14-week period ended February 3, increasing just 0.1 percent to $697.1 million, helped by the extra week.

NGF Releases Latest State-By-State Golf Report
Florida has had a specialty license plate, a source of funding for FL junior golf programs, that identifies it as the “Golf Capital of the World.”

Report: Retail Industry Continues to be Largest Private-Sector Employer
The retail industry supported 55 million full- and part-time jobs in 2022, accounting for 26 percent of total U.S. employment, according to a new report released by the NRF.

Caleres, Inc. Hires Liz Dunn for Strategic Planning and Communication Chief
The parent of Famous Footwear and the Naturalizer, Vionic, Allen Edmonds, Blowfish Malibu, and Sam Edelman brands, hired Liz Dunn as SVP of corporate development and strategic communications