Corporate and M&A – Page 2
-
Article
VF starts a strategic review of its assets
VF Corp., whose current portfolio includes The North Face, Vans, Timberland and Dickies, has initiated a strategic review of its brand assets. The announcement comes after the company’s shareholder Engaged Capital made in October a presentation “highlighting the actionable and significant opportunities for long-term value creation at the company.” According ...
-
Article
How Expo Riva Schuh continues to modernize and expand its international reach
Expo Riva Schuh & Gardabags and its stakeholders are investing to modernize the trade show and expand its pool of exhibitors and buyers. In an exclusive interview with Shoe Intelligence, Alessandra Albarelli, the general manager of Riva del Garda Fierecongressi, outlines the strategy enacted to enable the event to continue ...
-
Article
Alviero Martini under court administration amid supply chain labor exploitation charges
Alviero Martini has been placed under court administration by the Milan court, following a probe that found its supply chain relied on Chinese sweatshops that exploited workers to produce the Italian fashion house’s accessories and shoes. The probe was initiated by the public prosecutors Paolo Storari and Luisa Baima Bollone ...
-
Article
Arklyz to buy Lloyd Shoes from Ara
Arklyz AG, based in Stans, Switzerland, has signed a definitive agreement to buy the German brand Lloyd Shoes, along with all its operating subsidiaries, from Ara. The buyer plans to provide support and resources to grow Lloyd’s wholesale, omnichannel and international business. The transaction is expected to close in the ...
-
Article
Wolverine World Wide sells the Sperry brand to ABG and the inventory to Aldo
Wolverine World Wide has sold the rights to the Sperry brand to Authentic Brands Group (ABG) and part of the brand’s inventory to the Aldo Group for a total of about $130 million to be largely cashed in the first quarter. Wolverine will use the proceeds to pay down debt ...
-
Article
Minelli partially saved
The French footwear retailer Minelli is being acquired by three investors and avoids going into liquidation, the news agency AFP reported citing a decision by a Marseille-based commercial tribunal. However, the investors will only keep a third of Minelli’s employees and less than half its stores. The retailer, rebranded Maison ...
-
Article
Wolverine’s inventory and debt are below expectations at the end of 2023
Wolverine World Wide confirmed its sales and earnings guidance released in November, while inventory and net debt are below expectations. The U.S. company expects full-year and fourth-quarter revenues of approximately $2.24 billion and $527 million, respectively. The annual and quarterly revenues for the ongoing business are estimated at $2.20 billion ...
-
Article
Fessura plans to raise €2.1 million in a crowdfunding
Fessura, a sneaker company based in Italy’s Marche region, is proceeding with a crowdfunding due to close on Jan.17 on the Mamacrowd platform. The maximum size of the transaction was increased to €2.1 million from €1.6 million “to give the opportunity to the many investors who have expressed interest in ...
-
Article
Deichmann ends MyShoes brand, closes 90 stores
Footwear retailer MyShoes, a subsidiary of the German group Deichmann, will cease business operations in Germany and Austria by the end of 2024. Overall, 90 stores will be affected by the closings, with 29 in Austria and 61 in Germany, impacting 750 employees, including 150 in Austria and 600 ...
-
Article
Wolverine sells assets in Asia for $70m
Wolverine Worldwide announced the sale of assets in Asia that will generate a combined $70 million in proceeds and further streamline the group’s structure. The U.S. company will raise $61 million by exercizing an option to sell a minority ownership interest in the entity that owns the Saucony intellectual property ...
-
Article
Caprice takes over Peter Kaiser
Caprice, which is owned by the German group Wortmann Schuh-Holding KG, has acquired the women’s footwear brand Peter Kaiser. The Pirmasens-based shoe manufacturer said that it plans to retain ”the brand core, which is based on an excellent fit and high-quality materials” but intends to update the collections and to ...
-
Article
Clarks set to axe UK 103 jobs and announces Benelux tie-up with GAB
Clarks is cutting more than 100 jobs in response to economic headwinds and the cost-of-living crisis that has seen British consumers tighten their belts in response to soaring inflation. The U.K. footwear company said it expected tougher trading conditions to continue into next year and would need to manage overheads ...
-
Article
Moody’s upgrades Golden Goose’s credit rating outlook to positive
Moody’s Investors Service has changed Golden Goose’s credit rating outlook to positive from stable thanks to the company’s significantly deleverage. The U.S. credit rating agency also affirmed the Italian sneaker company’s B2 corporate family rating, its B2-PD probability of default rating, and the B2 instrument rating on the company’s €480 ...
-
Article
A new acquisition for Tre Zeta Group
Tre Zeta Group has acquired a 100 percent stake in Solettificio Do.Gi., an Italian company specializing in the design and production of insoles for women’s shoes for the world’s leading luxury brands. Situated in Civitella in Val di Chiana, in the Tuscan province of Arezzo, Do.Gi. was founded in 1977 ...
-
Article
Austrian children’s shoe manufacturer Richter files for bankruptcy
The Austrian company Ferdinand Richter, the oldest children’s shoe manufacturer in Europe, has filed for bankruptcy with the Graz regional court. The company, which is based in Pasching, near Linz, with management in Graz, is however planning to continue operations, according to media reports. Ferdinand Richter has around €7.9 ...
-
Article
Golden Goose’s revenues rise by 19% in the first nine months
Golden Goose’s revenues in the first nine months of 2023 stood at €421 million, up by 19 percent year-over-year and up by 60 percent compared with 2021. The brand achieved 69 percent through direct-to-consumer channels. In the sole third quarter of 2023, revenues of the Italian sneaker brand were up ...
-
Article
Gruppo Florence plans a Milan-based ‘hub’ in 2024
Gruppo Florence, an Italian holding company that owns 28 suppliers to the luxury goods industry, including three footwear manufacturers, is planning to create a “hub” in Milan to exhibit the know-how of its various businesses. The hub dubbed “villaggio delle meraviglie” (the village of wonders) by Gruppo Florence’s CEO, Attila ...
-
Article
How an Italian shoe maker is dealing with the change of aspirations of its workers
The footwear industry in Italy, as in many other developed countries, is having to tackle with an aging workforce and a lack of appeal for young people, which has resulted in a shortage of skilled staff. But, the situation is aggravated by growing competition for resources from well-funded brands which ...
-
Article
Veldskoen Shoes diversifies into the travel industry
Veldskoen Shoes, a South African footwear brand, is expanding into the travel industry through a partnership in the U.S. with Rhino Africa Co, a safari company. The partners have launched Veldskoen Travel, a digital travel service “designed to provide unforgettable travel experiences to Africa,” it said in a statement. “Veldskoen’s ...
-
Article
Wolverine accelerates its transformation plan
Wolverine World Wide, the owner of a large brand portfolio, including Merrell, Saucony, Sperry, Sweaty Betty, Hush Puppies and Wolverine, announced actions to accelerate its ongoing strategic transformation into a “brand-led and consumer-obsessed growth company.” Chris Hufnagel, President and CEO, said: “We are moving with speed and urgency to transform ...