Footwear industry veterans Dave Dombrow and Kevin Fallon have launched a trail running footwear brand called Speedland. Describing Speedland as “a company who refuses to cut corners,” the designers told Forbes that its launch product was created with the best performance materials in mind, without “de-costing” the process to meet a certain price point. The brand is launching with the $375 SL:PDX, a performance trail running shoe that has a customizable outsole, removable carbon plate, and a BOA Li2 dial platform. Product is available for pre-order now on the brand’s website.

‍Dearfoams has hired Jocelyn Thornton as its new brand president. Thornton comes to Dearfoams with extensive experience in Product Development in the footwear industry for brands including Sperry and Clarks, as well as consulting experience at the Doneger Group, where in her role as SVP, she led large players in the fashion and retail industry, helping build and implement successful brand and product strategies. Prior to joining Dearfoams, she was the Executive Vice President of Product and Merchandising at Earth Shoes.

"As Dearfoams evolves into a multi-category comfort brand, we are elated to have Jocelyn lead this transformation," said Bob Mullaney, RG Barry CEO. "Her consumer and product experience, coupled with her leadership style, make for an ideal fit for this next evolution and growth in Dearfoams' 75-year history."

Academy Sports + Outdoor posted a 58 percent increase in Q1 footwear sales to $310.4 million for the period ended May 1. Segment sales were up 23 percent from Q1/19. Sales of apparel, meanwhile, grew 80 percent on a year-over-year basis to $375.8 million and were 38 percent higher than in Q1/19. Private equity firm KKR owns 44.6 percent of the 259-door chain.

‍Sporting Goods was among six categories that had the highest increases in online sales in 2020, according to the 15th edition of the “Top 500” report available from Digital Commerce 360. The Top 10 online retailers grew their collective web sales by 52.5 percent last year and accounted for 62.8 percent of Top 500 sales. Amazon, once again, led the group, but its percentage of all Top 500 sales declined to 35.7 percent from 36.7 percent in 2019. Meanwhile, apparel retailers dropped an average 15 positions in the Top 500 ranking last year.