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In The News: Rockport, Amazon, Eddie Bauer, Deckers, RIA, Sezzle

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Rockport has appointed Steve Holt as Brand President. For the past four years, Holt has served as Rockport’s Senior Vice President, International. In this new role, Holt will lead all aspects of daily operations, developing and executing brand plans to identify areas of global opportunity, in addition to driving strategic development of KPIs. “This year marks Rockport’s 50th anniversary, and as we continue to position our brand strategy for another fifty years of success, we have no doubt that Steve is the right person to take Rockport to the next level,” said Gregg Ribatt, Chief Executive Officer at The Rockport Group. “We’re excited for him to bring his deep industry knowledge, global perspective and strong track record of driving results to this new role.”


Amazon, which reports that it spent more than $700 million fighting against counterfeit merchandise on its site, released its first report on the issue since it introduced new tools and technologies in 2019. The number of phony listings on the site rose 67 percent in 2020 as the company blocked more than 10 billion suspected ones before their offerings could be sold. Additionally, Amazon says it destroyed 2 million counterfeit products sent to its warehouses last year as fewer than 0.01 percent of all merchandise bought on its site received consumer complaints about fake goods. Amazon has a mechanism that enables brands to remove fake counterfeit items from its site.


Eddie Bauer is being acquired by Authentic Brands Group and SPARC Group, a joint venture between ABG and mall operator Simon Property Group, for an undisclosed price from private equity firm Golden Gate Capital. The transaction, which includes the brand’s 300 retail stores and ecommerce business, is expected to close by June 1. ABG intends to leverage the EB brand’s technical attributes into new outdoor categories and distribution with international distribution a key part of a growth strategy. Eddie Bauer will remain headquartered in Seattle under current President Damien Huang. Marc Miller, CEO of SPARC, whose operating platform already includes Brooks Brothers, Aèropostale, Lucky Brand and Forever 21, said the acquisition will introduce “ a new and highly-differentiated expertise to the SPARC organization.”


In a win for Deckers Outdoor, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit affirmed a 2019 decision by the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois that Deckers owns the “UGG” trademark in the U.S. The latest decision essentially ends a five-year legal tussle between Deckers and Australian Leather over the ownership of the “UGG” name. However, Eddie Oygur, owner of Australian Leather, is reportedly vowing to take the matter to the U.S. Supreme Court. Deckers Outdoor trademarked “UGG Australia” in the U.S. in 1995.


U.S. Retail Imports are forecast to be approximately 34 percent higher year-over-year during the first half of 2021, according to the monthly Global Port Tracker by the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates. The growth is skewed due to the sharp decline in imports during H1/20 as the COVID-19 pandemic became more widespread. H1 U.S. ports handled 2.27 million TEU in March, up 21.2 percent y-o-y and representing a new record for the number of containers seen during a single month since 2002. A TEU is one 20-foot container or its equivalent.


The Running Industry Association (RIA) has partnered with Sezzle, a “buy now pay later” platform that offers interest-free installment plans at online stores and in-store locations. Minneapolis-based Sezzle describes its mission as being to financially empower the next generation. “Sezzle is thrilled to partner with RIA given their passion to grow, develop, and enhance the run specialty business for both retailers and brands alike. Our shared purpose-driven approach to retail and the running industry is a major driver in the success we have already seen with shoppers and merchants,” stated Jason Volk, Sezzle Director of Brand Partnerships. “Offering Sezzle attracts highly-engaged shoppers, resulting in increased sales, larger basket sizes, and higher conversion rates. This enables RIA's members to bolster sales while giving shoppers a smarter way to pay.”


Puma announced that it has signed WNBA star Breanna Stewart to a sponsorship deal that will include a signature basketball shoe for Stewart. No other women's basketball players currently have a signature shoe. Stewart, 26, won four NCAA titles in college at UCONN, has won two WNBA championships with the Seattle Storm and is expected to compete for her second straight Olympic gold medal this summer with USA Basketball.