Aiming to be a more ubiquitous player in the $125-billion, global casual footwear market, Crocs is acquiring privately-owned HEYDUDE for $2.5 billion in a cash and stock deal.

CES, the annual trade event held by the Consumer Technology Association (CTA), kicks off today in Las Vegas. The show is on our radar — not only to see the new tech developments being unveiled — but also to see how well organizers are able to pull off the show in the midst of the omicron surge.

The Spring 2022 “FEEL” campaign from Deckers-owned brand UGG stars Cher, featured in UGG styles such as the Classic Mini and Coquette.

The Winter 2022 in-person editions of the Texworld New York City and Apparel Sourcing New York City trade shows, slated for Jan. 25-27 in New York City, have been canceled as in-person events and will now be held as virtual events.

Heritage athletic brand Etonic will be back at retail next year. The Licensed Brands division of Nashville-based Genesco, which also operates the Journeys retail chain, has secured an exclusive three-year agreement for the 145-year-old brand with Etonic Holdings Inc.

The Swoosh is putting more capital into its distribution network to scale a digital-first supply chain, and leaning more heavily on advanced analytics, automation and technology to make it happen.

Pajar Canada, a fifth-generation family shoe business based in Montreal since 1963, has struck a lifestyle footwear deal for the Prince brand with its parent, Authentic Brands Group.

Brazilian lifestyle footwear maker Alpargatas, owner of the Havaianas brand, is making a strategic investment in Rothy’s Inc., a digital-first, sustainable footwear brand based in San Francisco.

Umbro is working with textile company Texon to integrate ProWeave, Texon’s jacquard weaving technology, into its “speed silo” of football boots for Fall/Winter ’22.

Lifestyle retail chain DTLR, in partnership with Adidas, presented a total of $100,000 to several nonprofit organizations – who helped identify the families in need in each city – in an effort to provide holiday cheer to less fortunate families this season.

Lululemon remains on track to bring its own branded footwear to the market in 2022, though LULU senior executives offered few details about the brand’s planned entry into footwear during the company’s Q3 earnings call last week.

Despite supply chain disruptions and the continued impacts of COVID, imports at the nation’s major retail container ports increased in 2021, according to the monthly Global Port Tracker report released this week by the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates.


Academy Sports + Outdoors generated a 17.4 percent increase in footwear sales to $320.1 million for the three months ended Sep. 30. The Q3 category improvement was led by double-digit increases in sales of Nike, Adidas and The North Face and double-digit gains...

Puma and Helly Hansen have released a new collab of performance apparel and footwear for the winter, including a range of jackets, tights and footwear. Footwear includes the Puma Voyage Nitro Helly Hansen, a trail running shoe with grippy rubber and a lockdown fit, and...

After a one-year hiatus, the run specialty community gathered once again last week for The Running Event, the annual run specialty trade show held in Austin, TX. The energy at the show was upbeat and the vibe on the floor was similar to year’s past with the larger footwear brands...

Privately held Deichmann SE, based in Essen, Germany, founded in 1913 and reportedly the largest footwear retail operator in the European Union, made more noise in the U.S. market last week. Already the parent of Rack Room Shoes, which celebrates its 100th anniversary in 2022, and its...

Veteran footwear designer Rommel Vega, who has worked for the likes of Merrell, Keen, Columbia, Puma, DC, and Converse, is the visionary behind Portland, OR-based HOLO. The brand, which merges sustainable materials, accessible price points and modern outdoor-inspired designs into its products...

Designer Brands-owned retailer DSW says increased penetration of its Top 50 brands has carried more weight with its customers and enabled it to have more regular and less promotional selling. DSW generated significant growth in kids and athleisure products in the July-August timeframe...

Besides new point-of-sale hardware and software, Genesco-owned chain Journeys will add tablets to all locations to enhance the omni-channel experience for its customers. The tablets will allow for easier access to the banner’s full merchandise assortment networkwide...

Skechers is making a sustainability statement, partnering with The Nature Conservancy through a multi-year commitment, contributing a minimum of $800,000 to help the organization achieve its mission to protect our world’s lands and waters.