Latest News Briefs
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News briefs
French footwear sales up by 3.9% in March
In March, French footwear retail sales rose by a seasonally and working-day adjusted 3.9 percent month-on-month after falling 1.8 percent in February, according to the Bank of France. Overall, French retail sales in France dipped a seasonally and working-day adjusted 0.1 percent from February, when they rose by 0.6 ...
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News briefs
Hoka opens its first store in Vietnam
Hoka has opened its first store in Vietnam. Located in the center of Ho Chi Minh City, the store is operated in partnership with the footwear brand’s distributor Central Brand & Specialty Group (CBS) and offers a full range of products, from road and trail running to street-ready styles. “We ...
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News briefs
BasicNet appoints 2 new CEOs
BasicNet, the Italian parent company of K-Way, Kappa, Robe di Kappa, Superga and Sebago, has appointed Lorenzo Boglione and Alessandro Boglione as co-Chief Executive Officers, replacing Federico Trono. The new CEOs are the sons of BasicNet’s founder, Marco Boglione, who is also the company’s chairman. Following the shareholder meeting ...
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News briefs
Chinese exports to US face up to 245% tariff
Chinese goods exported to the US face an up to 245 percent tariff as a result of the Asian country’s ”retaliatory actions,” according to a fact sheet released by the US administration. The levy includes a 125 percent reciprocal tariff, a 20 percent tariff to address the fentanyl crisis, ...
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Shein and Temu to hike US prices
The Chinese fast fashion giants Shein and Temu have warned US shoppers of upcoming price hikes starting April 25 due to steep new tariffs imposed by the administration of US President Donald Trump. The administration’s decision to remove the “de minimis” duty-free threshold and to introduce levies reaching up ...
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News briefs
Deutsche Umwelthilfe sues Deichmann for alleged greenwashing
The German environmental and consumer protection association Deutsche Umwelthilfe (DUH) has filed an injunction against the German shoe retailer Deichmann, along with other companies, for allegedly misleading advertising regarding environmental benefits. The lawsuit is part of a broader campaign by Deutsche Umwelthilfe against greenwashing. Deichmann is accused of describing the ...
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News briefs
LVMH’s sales slip in Q1
LVMH’s fashion and leather goods division posted revenues of €10.108 billion in the first quarter of 2025, down by a reported 4 percent year-over-year and down by 5 percent organically. Sales for the whole French luxury-goods conglomerate were down by a reported 2 percent to €20.311 billion. Organic sales ...
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News briefs
Deichmann’s Chief Marketing Officer Sabine Zantis leaves
Deichmann’s Chief Marketing Officer Sabine Zantis has left the German footwear retailer. The marketing expert had been with the Essen-based family business since June 2021, playing a key role in shaping the brand’s image. She previously worked in the household goods and food industry, including at Aldi Nord and Henkel. ...
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Castañer’s sales slow down in 2024
Castañer posted a 2.6 percent increase in revenues to €30.8 million in 2024, a slowdown from the 25.3 percent jump posted in 2023. The Spanish footwear manufacturer noted that online sales grew by 14.2 percent year-over-year in 2024.
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UK footfall declines on Easter timing
In March, footfall in British stores dropped by 5.4 percent year-over-year, reflecting a different timing for Easter, which falls on April 20 in 2025 compared with end of March last year, according to the latest survey released by the British Retail Confederation and Sensormartic. In February, the footfall rose by ...
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News briefs
China hikes tariffs on US goods to 125%
China has raised tariffs of goods imported from the US to 125 percent from a previous 84 percent, according to a statement from the State Council Tariff Commission released on the website of the Ministry of Finance. “The US’s imposition of abnormally high tariffs on China seriously violates international economic ...
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News briefs
Bär Schuhe expands distribution in Germany
Bär Schuhe is expanding its distribution in Germany with a new sales representative for Bavaria. Michael Müller, who has over twelve years of professional experience, will be responsible for the region, according to the German comfort shoe company. Müller has strong connections in the local retail sector, it added. Bär ...
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News briefs
Birkenstock opens a 2nd store in Paris
Birkenstock opened a second store in Paris. The 85-square-meter store is located at 4 Rue de Sèvres, in the French capital’s 6th arrondissement, within the Saint-Germain-des-Prés area, renowned for its intellectual and artistic legacy. Last year, the German footwear brand opened a store in Paris’ Marais district. The latest store ...
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News briefs
Vivaia opens its first US store
Vivaia, a digitally-native footwear brand launched in 2020, has opened its first US brick-and-mortar store in New York. The 900-square-foot store is located at 68 Prince Street, in the heart of SoHo. The inaugural US store follows the brand’s retail expansion within the US, its largest market globally, and wholesale ...
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Puma has a new CEO
Arthur Hoeld, a longtime Adidas executive, will become the new CEO of Puma following the departure of Arne Freundt due to “differing views on strategy execution.” Freundt, who had been with Puma for 13 years, struggled to gain investor confidence, with his branding-focused strategy failing to deliver expected returns. Hoeld ...
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VF names a COO
VF Corp., the parent company of brands like Vans, The North Face and Timberland, has promoted Abhishek Dalmia to Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, effective immediately. Dalmia will lead corporate strategy, digital technology, transformation and supply chain operations in his new role. VF’s last COO was Steve Rendle, ...
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China imposes 34% tariff on all US imports effective April 10
China will impose a 34 percent tariff on all goods imported from the US starting from April 10, in retaliation to the tariffs announced by the US administration, the official Xinhua news agency reported. China also announced export control measures on certain rare earth-related items, including samarium and gadolinium. Xinhua ...
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Coats to exit US yarns business
Coats intends to fully exit from the US yarns business run by its Performance Materials (PM) unit in Kings Mountain, North Carolina. “This follows the strategic review of the Americas Yarns business, which started in Q4 2024 and has already resulted in the closure of the Toluca, Mexico facility in ...
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Tecnica Group names a new CEO
Andrea Dorigo has been appointed Chief Executive Officer of Tecnica Group, the parent of outdoor footwear and winter sports brands Tecnica, Nordica, Moon Boot, Lowa, Blizzard and Rollerblade. He replaces Giovanni Zoppas, who has led the Italian group since May 2021 and will now serve as a strategic advisor ...
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Italy’s population continues to decline
Italy’s population fell to 58.934 million people at the end of 2024, 37,000 less than a year earlier, according to data released by the Italian statistics office Istat. The country’s population has been declining consistently since 2014. Foreign immigration totaled 435,000 people in 2024, about 5,000 less than the previous ...
