SGB Update Footwear

Manitobah Hires New CEO; Makes Key Leadership Appointments
Manitobah, the indigenous footwear brand based in Winnipeg, hired Carolyn MacNaughton, who formerly worked for Nike and Under Armour, as CEO, Tom Hildrum as CFO and Mike Wodtke as chief marketing officer. Manitobah also expanded its marketing, brand and HR teams.

Adidas Ekes Out Growth in Q3 on Gains in all Regions Except North America
Currency-neutral sales in North America declined 9 percent during the quarter. The region was said to be “particularly affected” by elevated inventory levels in the market. The company responded to the issue that it had significantly reduced sell-in to retailers.

Charm City Run to Relocate Two Stores in 2024
Baltimore, MD-based Charm City Run announced plans to relocate both its Timonium and Annapolis, MD stores in 2024 to nearby larger spaces.
NSGA Renames Annual Event to NSGA Leadership Conference
The National Sporting Goods Association (NSGA) renamed its annual conference from the NSGA Management Conference & Team Dealer Summit to the NSGA Leadership Conference.

Steven Madden Tempers Full-Year Outlook after Flattish Q3
SHOO updated its fiscal 2023 guidance and now expects revenue will decrease approximately 7 percent compared to 2022. The company now expects diluted EPS will be approximately $2.35 a share and now expects Adjusted diluted EPS will be approximately $2.40 for the year.

Under Armour Lowers Revenue Outlook on Continued North American Weakness
Under Armour, Inc. reduced its revenue forecast for its fiscal year due to continued softness in the North American marketplace while raising its margin targets. The adjustments came as UA sales and earnings in its fiscal second quarter, which ended September 30, arrived ahead of analyst expectations.

Weyco Q3 Sales Fall 13 Percent as Bogs Wholesale Falls 42 Percent
Though sales declined, Weyco said it delivered healthy operating earnings for the quarter relative to sales, as efforts to improve gross margins and control costs have continued to bolster profitability.

Birkenstock Names Managing Director of China
Birkenstock hired Tiffany Wu as managing director for Greater China. Most recently she managed the Greater China region for Blue Nile, the world’s largest online diamond sales company.

REI Co-Op Appoints VP of Foundation Technology
Guillaume Ledieu joined the company as vice president of foundation technology, a newly created role focused on “supporting the advancement of REI’s foundational business capabilities to drive operational efficiencies and effectiveness of its end-to-end value chain.”

Sports Basement to Open Store in Long Beach
Sports Basement is opening a location in a former Sears store in Long Beach, CA. The opening will mark the Bay Area sporting goods chain’s second location in Southern California after opening in Fountain Valley in 2022.

ISPO Partners with Joor on Long-Term Deal
The giant sports tradeshow ISPO Munich and digital wholesale ecosystem JOOR have entered into a long-term partnership that aims to enhance and extend the digital selling opportunities available to ISPO brands.

Zelig Secures Funding Led by Hilco
Zelig, based in Los Angeles, reported it secured $15 million in Series A funding to support the launch of its AI-powered virtual try-on and styling technology (VTO-S). Hilco Global led the funding round, joined by luxury investor Bezikian Zareh, which brings the company to a $100 million valuation.
Lightspeed Commerce Revenues Jump 25 Percent in Fiscal Q2
The POS and payments platform used in the bike shop segment, with expansion into other active lifestyle specialty retail segments, reported strong fiscal Q2 progress in its key fiscal 2024 objectives.
Grand Rapids’ Al & Bob’s Sports to Close
Al & Bob’s Sports, the hunt & fish shop in Grand Rapids, MI, is closing after more than five decades.

Ebay opens Canal Street Wear store in NYC
The company said the streetwear industry is estimated to be worth more than $180 billion and global searches for streetwear have increased by more than 150 percent since the beginning of the year on eBay.