SGB Update Footwear
Mountain Warehouse Reports Sales Uptick In First Half, Steeped-Up Openings
Mountain Warehouse, the London-based outdoor specialty store with 370 shops across Europe, the U.S., Canada, and New Zealand, reported sales “rebounded strongly” to reach “record” levels of £171 million ($216 mm) in the six months ended August 31.
OIA Names New Director of Sustainable Business Innovation
The Outdoor Industry Association hired Julie M.H. Brown as director of sustainable business innovation to direct and manage its sustainability department.
REI Hires VP of Public Affairs and Impact
REI hired Roma McCaig as VP of public affairs and impact. Most recently, she was the SVP of impact and communications at Clif Bar & Company.
United Sports Brands Acquired by Norwest Equity Partners
Norwest Equity Partners (NEP) has acquired United Sports Brands, the parent of Shock Doctor, McDavid, Cutters, Nathan, Pearl Izumi, and Glukos, from Bregal Partners. NEP’s history with USB brands dates to 2008, when it acquired Shock Doctor as part of its consumer products portfolio.
Backcountry Sells Bergfreunde European Subsidiary
Backcountry reported it entered into a definitive agreement to sell its European subsidiary, Bergfreunde, to Decathlon, the largest sporting goods retailer in the world.
Report: Black Friday Traffic Sees Uptick
Sensormatic Solutions released its initial shopper visit data for U.S. brick-and-mortar stores and shopping centers for Black Friday, November 24, noting that foot traffic increased 4.6 percent compared to 2022.
Report: U.S. Black Friday Retail Sales Up Modestly
According to Mastercard SpendingPulse, retail sales grew 2.5 percent year-over-year on Black Friday, slowing as expected from a gain of 12 percent on the same day a year ago.
Report: Black Friday Sees Record Online Spending
According to Adobe Analytics, a record $9.8 billion was spent online in the U.S. for Black Friday, up 7.5 percent year-over-year (YoY). Adobe had estimated this year’s Black Friday sales at $9.6 billion.
Puma Appoints GM for Puma Japan
Puma hired Ryokusai Inoue as general manager of Puma Japan, effective immediately. He replaces Kohei Hagio, who has held the position since 2021.
Wolverine World Wide Sees Debt Ratings Downgraded
Moody’s downgraded Wolverine World Wide, Inc.’s debt ratings to reflect Wolverine’s “ongoing steep revenue and earnings declines and Moody’s expectations that the challenging retail environment will hinder the company’s ability to realize significant near-term benefits from its turnaround efforts.”
Nordstrom’s Sales Led by Active in Third Quarter
Nordstrom reported slightly higher earnings in the third quarter on improving gross margins. Sales were down 6.8 percent with sales slumping 9.4 percent at the Nordstrom flagship banner and declining 1.8 percent at Nordstrom Rack.
Urban Outfitter’s Profits Soar in Third Quarter
Profits at Urban Outfitters surged 123 percent in the third quarter as sales grew 9 percent. Retail segment comps advanced 5.6 percent as gains of 22.5 percent at Free People and 13.2 percent at Anthropologie offset a 14.2 percent decline at the Urban Outfitters banner.
SGB Media Thanksgiving Schedule
In observance of the Thanksgiving holiday, SGB Media is taking time to be with family and will not publish the SGB Evening Update on November 22 or the SGB Morning and SGB Evening Updates on November 23, or November 24. Publishing will resume on November 27, 2023.
Wolverine Licenses Wolverine Brand Sock Business to Renfro Brands
Wolverine Worldwide’ licensed the Wolverine brand sock business exclusively to Renfro Brands.
Burlington Stores Sees Q3 Comps Expand 6 Percent
Burlington Stores Inc. reported an earnings uptick in the third quarter October 28 as same-store sales grew 6 percent. Sales were in line with guidance while EPS was at the upper end of guidance.
