Seventy-four percent of respondents to the Footwear Distributors and Retailer of America (FDRA) first quarter survey said the six-month outlook for the U.S. economy and the shoe buying power of consumers will be strong. On the flip side, nearly two-thirds of respondents said...

U.S. retail sales will increase between 6.5 percent and 8.2 percent in 2021, the National Retail Federation forecasted last week, citing continued consumer resilience and suggesting the economy’s strongest growth rate in two decades. The prognostication is based on...

Thanks to projected growth of 22-26 percent, Wolverine Worldwide is forecasting FY21 total revenues to range between $2.19 and $2.25 billon. The high-end of that range would be on par with FY19 levels if the high-end is met.

“West Coast Joe,” a 19-year-old teen whose principal vocation is reselling premium-priced sneakers and so-called “bricks” (non-hyped shoes), is the subject of a six-page cover story in the March 1 edition of Bloomberg Businessweek.

Reef has created Advocates of Capture to tap into the creative side of its fans and followers. With a strong regional focus on California, the program is geared to create custom content for the surf footwear brand via photography, video and creative submissions.

The two-month MICAM Milano virtual event, which will run from March 8 through May 8, has been designed to provide footwear brands and buyers with an online platform to meet and communicate with each other. The digital show will present trends for Fall/Winter 21/22 and other developments in...

Looking ahead after a record FY2020 where total revenues grew 13 percent to nearly $1.4 billion and digital sales jumped 50 percent (92 percent in Q4), Crocs projects its sandals business will return to growth this year. Revenue from sandals is forecast to eventually increase at...

New research reports from Coresight Research/Blue Yonder and RetailWire/Manhattan Associates/Google Cloud highlight key retail supply chain issues and challenges facing retailers and vendors in 2021, including some lessons learned from a pandemic-impacted 2020.

The Brazilian Footwear Industries Association (Abicalcados) and the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (Apex-Brasil) have teamed up to showcase a range of Brazilian footwear brands on digital wholesale platform, JOOR.

In the latest Footwear Insight Extra podcast, a trio of attorneys from Knobbe Martens—Susan Natland, Jonathan Hyman and Robb Roby—discuss counterfeiting and intellectual property theft issues related to footwear and soft goods, including possible remedies for small companies looking to protect...

Coming out of fiscal 2020 where its North American full-year sales slipped 17 percent in Yen and 15 percent in dollars to approximately $612.6 million, Asics has its sights set on increasing profitability in North America and “gaining back the Number 1 running brand position.”

Aiming to hone its marketing and product messages that will eventually result in a double-digit operating margin over the long-term, Under Armour is borrowing a page out of the Nike playbook. Over the next two to three years, starting in June, the Baltimore company intends to...

Deckers’ senior executives, intent on making HOKA a $1 billion brand and expanding the UGG universe, have their collective sights on apparel. But there will be no instant revenue uptick from any product line expansions.

Tim Boyle, Chairman, President and CEO of Columbia Sportswear, says the largely outdoor-focused company is “barely testing the surface of the opportunity” in footwear from its PFG sub fishing brand. “If we could sell as many shoes as we sell fishing shirts, we would be a very big business...

Coming in Fall 2021 from overshoes brand NEOS is the new Glacier Trek SPK outsole technology for extreme cold-weather traction. Designed to be worn over everyday footwear, the four new NEOS styles with Glacier Trek SPK for Fall ’21 feature biomechanically placed...

The Brits’ hunger to become a major player in the U.S. athletic footwear and apparel retail space is evident. Publicly traded JD Group has now spent $1.378 billion over the last 32 months gobbling up U.S. retailers.

The recently acquired Supreme business is projected to contribute $125 million to VF Corporation’s topline in the fourth quarter and at least $500 million in revenues in FY22. Responding to an analyst’s question about possible synergies, VF Corp. EVP/CFO Scott Roe said...

For many years, the marketing of the “Great Outdoors” by industry brands focused on hardcore enthusiasts intent on climbing Everest or at least having the performance-features and fabrics in their garments and footwear to do so. In recent years, many brands shifted to a more inclusive message.

The new Skechers x JGoldcrown collab will include both apparel and footwear for women and girls. The collection’s launch ties into a Valentine’s Day theme, featuring art from muralist James Goldcrown, whose colorful “Love Wall” heart designs will be featured on a range of lifestyle products.

For the first time since the financial crisis of 2008, the global sporting goods marketing declined in 2020 by approximately 7 percent to approximately $346.7 billion.

Publicly-traded Rocky Brands will expand its portfolio of work footwear brands to seven with the acquisition of the performance and lifestyle footwear business of Honeywell International, which includes The Original Muck Boot Company and XTRATUF footwear brands.

There was growth in average selling prices (ASPs) in 2020, paced by higher-price styles, but the entire U.S. athletic footwear category experienced a mid-single digit drop in dollar sales and low-teens drop in total units, according to Matt Powell, VP and Senior Industry Advisor, Sports, for NPD.

Chiappetta Shoes, entering its centennial anniversary year, has a CEO in Anthony Chiappetta who is forward-thinking, optimistic yet refreshingly blunt about the present and future of U.S. independent shoe retailers.

Each week in our Footwear Insight Extra newsletter online, the Footwear Insight Index tracks 20 of the most important publicly traded companies that have a substantial footwear business (6 retailers, 14 brands). In 2020, the footwear segment tracked by the Index rose more than...

NRF 2021: Retail’s Big Show-Chapter 2, scheduled for June at the Javits Center in New York City, is moving to an online format. In a statement, the trade group said the convention center will unlikely be available in June since it’s currently serving as a field hospital for...