Footwear, along with licensed apparel, team sports equipment and apparel were four segments that were adversely affected by COVID-19 pandemic at Katy, TX-based retail chain Academy Sports + Outdoors.

Company executives at lululemon confirmed their plans to launch footwear in 2022 during last week’s year-end earnings call with analysts but offered no other specifics about the brand’s strategy for the category other than suggesting the products will allow lululemon “to provide guests with...

According to the latest World Footwear Business Conditions Survey for the first quarter of 2021, footwear consumption will rise 3.8 percent in North America this year. And the majority of industry experts see the U.S. accounting for approximately 10 percent of global footwear consumption in 2025.

Full-line sporting goods retailer Dick’s Sporting Goods intends to add premium, full-service footwear departments to 100+ stores this year, bringing the upgraded shoe-buying experience to more than 60 percent of its doors and perhaps propelling the category to over $2 billion in annual revenues.

Shoe Carnival is leaning more into specific customer data from its two-year old Customer Relationship Management (CRM) platform and relying less on general, chainwide promotions. Senior management at the 383-door retail chain believes the new strategy will result in further profit and sales growth.

Saucony has launched the Jazz Court RFG, its most eco-friendly shoe ever. The $130 lifestyle sneaker uses zero plastic and is made of seven renewable eco-friendly materials: Cotton, jute, wool, rubber, wood, gardenia, and beet.

Executives from both Nike and Caleres, in earnings calls with investors last week, cited current supply chain issues. Famous Footwear parent Caleres confirmed $60-70 million delayed receipts, adding its H1/21 business “will be constrained by...

The Swoosh experienced a 54-percent increase in Digital sales for the period ended Feb. 28, led by growth in North America where the region had its first-ever quarter with more than $1 billion in digital revenue. NIKE Direct sales increased 15 percent on a currency-neutral basis.

Portland, OR-based footwear brand KEEN has established open sourcing for how it creates PFC-free footwear and has issued a challenge to the outdoor footwear industry to be PFC free by 2025. The family owned outdoor brand ran a full-page ad in the New York Times as an open-source invitation to...

Famous Footwear parent Caleres, which says its top 15 brands accounted for 77 percent of its FY20 sales, will continue to offer a balanced assortment of athletic, sport and seasonal style as it moves forward with a number of key strategies this year.

New Portland, OR-based footwear brand BALA wants to provide nurses with stylish performance footwear that is easily cleanable and that meets the stability and comfort needs of 12-hour shifts. Founded by a group of athletic footwear industry veterans, BALA and its team fused footwear...

In the latest Footwear Insight Extra podcast, a trio of attorneys from Knobbe Martens — Susan Natland, Jonathan Hyman and Robb Roby — discussed counterfeiting and intellectual property theft issues related to footwear and soft goods. Here are a few takeaways from the conversation.

Launching a customer loyalty program for footwear chain Journeys is one of four key strategies being undertaken by Nashville-based parent company Genesco, which owns Johnston & Murphy and recently acquired the Levi’s footwear license for men, women and children in the U.S.

The Three Stripes made maintaining partnerships with existing suppliers a priority last year versus “onboarding” new ones, according to the company’ s annual report filed last week. In 2020, 31 factories were rejected directly after an initial assessment identified...

Visa and Mastercard are delaying a complex restructuring of credit card swipe fees, slated to take effect next month, until April 2022. But the National Retail Federation is calling for the swipe fee increase to be cancelled altogether.

LionRock Capital has finalized its acquisition of a majority stake in Clarks, the family-owned shoe company based in the United Kingdom, for £100 million ($139.0 million). With the change, Clarks sees the resignation of CEO Giorgio Presca after two years and the appointment of...

The Designer Brands-owned retailer is making merchandise moves to keep in step with the times, moving toward athletic and kids’ footwear styles and its Top 50 brands and away from dress and seasonal offerings for now.

Sara Mensah, who served as SVP and Chief Operating Officer of the NBA’s Portland Trailblazers before starting her Nike career in 2013, is taking over as VP/GM of Nike’s North America business, effective immediately. Mensah replaces Ann Hebert, who resigned earlier this month in the wake of...

Nearly four years after suing VF Corp.-owned The North Face and Columbia Sportswear for alleged infringement of its 2.5L waterproof breathable laminate technology, Boulder, CO-based Cocona Labs last week saw a federal appeals court uphold its key patent claims against both defendants.

Senior management at Kohl’s reiterated the retailer’s ongoing strategy to strengthen its position in the active segment to ultimately grow the category to 30 percent of its overall business versus 20 percent currently. Floor space for ‘Active' brands and products will increase by at least...

Fourth quarter footwear sales at the parent of Hibbett Sports and City Gear rose in the “low 20 percent” range with women’s outpacing men’s and kids. Overall, there were increases in lifestyle, basketball, performance, sandals and boots, management said, with lifestyle and basketball described as...

Dick’s Sporting Goods will convert more than 100 additional stores to its premium, full-service footwear department this year. When completed, more than 60 percent of the chain’s doors will feature the enhanced area, which DKS management thinks will drive continued positive sales in...

Ongoing strength in the Direct-To-Consumer channel was supplemented in the fourth quarter by more than 20 percent growth in Rocky’s wholesale business—that was spearheaded by Work and Western footwear. Georgia Boot sales rose 18 percent, helped by sales momentum at key retailers...

In pandemic-impacted 2020, The Big Cat posted a 4.9 decline in global sales in euros to the equivalent of $5.97 billion. Annual net income was down 70 percent and EBIT (Earnings Before Income Taxes) was off 53 percent.

A number of factors should positively benefit Foot Locker’s first quarter results slated to be disclosed on May 28. Most notably, in Q1/20 as the COVID-19 pandemic was spreading around the globe and forcing business closures, Foot Locker same store sales dropped 43 percent as its...