Bob McGee

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Retail, Vendor Concerns for Holiday Season

Heading into the Holiday season, some 46 percent of brands and retailers don’t have enough cash or are unsure if they do to pay for the additional staff, inventory, and operational costs needed, according to a new Economics of Holiday Sales report from Creditsafe.

Atmos Exiting U.S. Market

Sneaker and streetwear retailer Atmos’s parent company Foot Locker is reportedly pulling the plug on the banner’s U.S. operations some two years after purchasing the digitally focused global retailer based in Japan for $360 million.

Nike Banking on Key Wholesale Partners to Deliver

Nike senior executives, who last week described the company’s current FY24 as “the turning point” for driving more profitable growth, expect key global wholesale partners such as Dick’s Sporting Goods in the U.S. and Zalando in Europe to...

Vuori Mulling Mid-2024 IPO

The eight-year-old brand Vuori, founded by Joe Kudla, which has been developing a new perspective on performance apparel through the integration of fitness, surf, sport, and art, is reportedly in talks with various investment banks about a possible public float of its stock sometime in 2024.

U.S. Supreme Court to Address Debit Card Swipe Fees

Retailers of all types may soon gain some relief from the cost of debit card swipes for purchases, which are currently $0.21, an additional $.01 for fraud prevention plus .05 percent of the transaction amount that is pegged for fraud recovery efforts.

In the News: GEOX, Birkenstock, OS1st, Vimazi, Zamberlan

Actress Penélope Cruz has been named GEOX's first ever brand ambassador, the brand announced. Cruz is appearing in a worldwide advertising campaign for GEOX this year, with the campaign split into two phases — beginning with the launch of the women's Autumn-Winter 23-24 collection.

Lebo’s Celebrates 100 Years

This year marks 100 years in business for Lebo’s, a retail stalwart with multiple stores in the Carolinas. Where to start in telling the century-long success story of this family-owned business? Let’s start at the beginning…

What We Learned from Birkenstock’s IPO Filing

Birkenstock, which filed an IPO registration on Sept. 12 and is projected to have an $8 billion valuation when it goes public, plans to trade on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker, “BIRK.” The offering is projected to go off during the first half of October.

JD Sports Delivers Strong H1 N.A. Sales

JD Sports, the U.K.-based parent of Finish Line/JD, DTLR, and Shoe Palace generated organic sales growth of 15.4 percent in North America for the six months ended July 29. Total H1 North American sales rose by 18.1 percent to the equivalent of $1.6 billion.

ASICS Corp. Shuffles Exec Suite, Names New Prez

Mitsuyuki Tominaga, 61, who has played a key role in promoting the digitalization of ASICS since 2018, is slated to become president and Chief Operating Officer of the Japanese company on March 22, 2024, following the retirement of company Chairman and Director Motoi Oyama.

Survey: Holiday Retail Sales Will See ‘Value’ Take Center Stage

An estimated 26 percent of Americans intend to spend less during Holiday 2024 than last year with 38 percent of lower-income households (less than $45K) saying they will spend less during the upcoming season, according to a new survey from global consulting firm AlixPartners.

Birkenstock Files for IPO

Birkenstock, whose brand is synonymous with its footbed and its long German heritage dating back to 1774, filed for a public offering on the New York Stock Exchange yesterday.

Designer Brands Eyes Own Brands Development

Despite experiencing a 7.8 percent drop in Q2 sales to $792.2 million, impacted by ongoing macroeconomic pressures on consumers and an “extremely promotional” retail environment, Designer Brands executives...

Caleres Making Progress with Brand Portfolio

Although Caleres’ Brand Portfolio sales fell by 9 percent in H1 to nearly $626.4 million, the segment realized 460 basis points year-over-year improvement in gross margin to 42.8 percent. H1 operating profit declined by 1.8 percent to $69.5 million.

Genesco Gets Mixed Q2 Results, New Journeys Prez in 2024

Nashville-based Genesco, which will see its 44-year employee, Mario Gallione, retire as its Journeys Group president sometime in Feb. 2024 after six years in the position, is holding the line on its FY24 outlook despite difficult results within the teen footwear business in Q2.

A Tale of Two Customers for Shoe Carnival

Family shoe chain Shoe Carnival, which has now reached 400 doors for the first time since 2018, is gaining traction with higher-income households but seeing its urban, under $30K household income customers struggle and subsequently purchase fewer pairs of footwear.

Evolving Merchandise Mix Key to Foot Locker’s Strategy

Foot Locker, which lowered its financial outlook for the remainder of its fiscal year after reporting poor Q2 results, is continuing to make investments in technology and key vendor partnerships as it works toward shifting its merchandise mix to 40 percent non-Nike products by 2026.

Foot Locker Loses $5 Million in Q2, Lowers FY Guidance

Numerous factors contributed to poor quarterly results for Foot Locker, which were “broadly in line” with the retailer’s expectations.

Hufnagel Charged with Turning Around Wolverine

Flagging Wolverine Worldwide made an abrupt change in its executive suite last week and announced the closure of its Boston office by year-end as the company struggles to get its financial house in order and work more on brand building.

On’s Growth Continues in Specialty Run Channel and Beyond

The Swiss brand On, which celebrates its second anniversary as a public company next month, increased its Q2 sales in the Americas by 60 percent to the equivalent of $337.8 million for the three months ended June 30.

Softening Global Demand Impacts Globe’s Largest Footwear Producer

Yue Yuen, which suffered a 12 percent sales decline to $4.15 billion and a 52 percent drop in profitability to $83.6 million for the six months ended June 30...

Adidas’ Return to Profitability Remains a Work in Progress

There were signs of progress for Adidas in the company’s recent second quarter financials, but the North American market was not one of them.

Under Armour Initiates Strategy to Ignite U.S. Sales

With the brand’s current strength in Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Latin America, Under Armour is implementing a strategy under new CEO Stephanie Linnartz that will put its U.S. business back on a growth path.

Asics, Mizuno Make Gains in Running

Asics, which now anticipates its current FY sales to reach the equivalent of $3.84 billion, reported 20 percent first half growth in its performance running business to $1.03 billion.

B-T-S Shoe Shopping Commences with More Looking for In-Store Deals

Changing economic conditions and spending power are key influences on the intended buying habits of Back-To-School shoppers this year, according to a new survey of 1,000 U.S. families with school-aged children.