Legal & Institutional
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Article
FDRA calls on US president to remove duties on Chinese footwear imports
Matt Priest, the president and CEO of Footwear Distributors & Retailers of America (FDRA), is urging the US president, Joe Biden, to remove by executive order Section 301 import tariffs imposed on China. In an open letter to Biden, Priest wrote that “retail footwear prices have risen sharply since implementation ...
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Allbirds urged to bolster its share price by Nasdaq
On April 2, Allbirds was notified by Nasdaq that its share price was no longer compliant with the rules of the New York-based stock exchange because the closing bid price of its Class A common stock has fallen below $1.00 per share for 30 consecutive days. Allbirds has 180 calendar ...
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Asos, Boohoo, George at Asda commit to green claim rules in the UK
The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said that Asos, Boohoo and George at Asda have signed undertakings that commit them to an agreed set of rules around the use of green claims. The regulator also issued an open letter urging fashion retailers to review their claims and practices in ...
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UFG files for bankruptcy
Unlimited Footwear Group (UFG) has unexpectedly filed for bankruptcy in the Netherlands. The proceedings started on Feb. 20 and a Breda-based court appointed an administrator. The announcement comes as a shock as UFG’s stand was bustling with activity at Expo Riva Schuh & Gardabags, an international trade show specializing in ...
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How French retailers can save up to a year’s rent on their lease
In a comprehensive interview, Tanguy Pissembon, a Paris-based legal counsel in real estate, explains how commercial tenants in France can significantly save on their rents when renewing their leases by properly using the country’s legislation.
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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 ...
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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 ...
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CEC welcomes EU comprise on ecodesign
The European Footwear Confederation (CEC) welcomed a compromise reached on Dec. 4 between the European Parliament and the European Council regarding proposed legislation on ecodesign for Sustainable Product Regulation launched by the European Commission on March 30, 2022. It also believes that the forthcoming legislation could relaunch leather as a ...
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EU to ban the destruction of unsold clothing and footwear
During the night of Dec. 4, the European Parliament and the European Council reached a provisional agreement, at a technical level, on revising the European Union’s ecodesign framework for sustainable products, the parliament said. The parties plan to introduce “ecodesign” rules for products, ban the destruction of unsold clothing and ...
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CEC elects Rosana Perán as president
The general assembly of the European Footwear Confederation (CEC) held on Dec. 1 in Elche, Spain, elected Rosana Perán, as its president for the next two years. She is the first woman to head CEC and succeeds Luis Onofre, president of the Portuguese footwear association, Apiccaps. Perán is president of ...
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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 ...
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Prada’s footwear sales slow down sharply in Q3
In the first nine months of 2023, footwear sales for Prada Group in the retail channel rose by 16 percent year-over-year at constant currency rates to €556 million. Shoes represented 19 percent of the group’s retail sales. In the sole third quarter, footwear sales grew by 10 percent, half the ...
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German industry association fears new wave of insolvencies due to Covid aid repayments
Germany’s textile, shoes and leather goods trade association BTE warned of a new wave of insolvencies and closures, as fashion and footwear retailers continue to struggle with the fallout from the coronavirus pandemic while possible repayments of pandemic state aid loom, adding to the already challenging conditions. According to ...
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First Italian companies ready for ESG certification under trade association’s aegis
Out of the nine companies that have engaged into a self-assessment of environmental, social and governance (ESG) performances under the aegis of Assocalzaturifici, the Italian footwear association, three are now ready to enter the certification phase. The audit phase, which will be carried out by ICEC, an independent certification institute ...
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Article
Skechers wins EU-wide injuction against Dockers by Gerli
Skechers has obtained a European Union-wide preliminary injunction against Dockers by Gerli for selling a shoe style that the U.S. footwear company claims infringes on its proprietary Skechers Hands Free Slip-ins designs. Skechers sued Dockers for design infringement in the Düsseldorf Regional Court, Germany. In an October 5, 2023 opinion, ...
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Russia mulls creating footwear clusters to boost local production
The Russian government is discussing the establishment of footwear clusters in the European part of the country, aiming to meet at least 10 percent of domestic demand. The clusters are planned in the Dagestan Republic, Rostov and Moscow province, or oblast, the Russian newspaper Izvestia reported, citing sources close to ...
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Canada probes Walmart, Hugo Boss, Diesel for alleged use of Uyghur forced labor
The Canadian Ombudsperson for Responsible Enterprise (CORE) will launch investigations regarding the alleged use of Uyghur forced labor in China by the Canadian units of Walmart, Hugo Boss and Diesel. CORE has published initial assessment reports regarding complaints about Walmart Canada, Hugo Boss Canada and Diesel Canada for allegedly benefitting ...
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Shein calls for review of U.S. “de minimis” trade rule in a move to stem criticism
Shein, the Singapore-based online fashion retailer, has proposed to work with the U.S. retail industry in order to jointly propose a new framework for Section 321 of the Tariff Act of 1930, known as the “de minimis” exemption. The company said that in a letter sent to the American Apparel ...
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Footway applies for voluntary company reorganization due to ‘acute’ liquidity situation
Footway Group, a Swedish operator of specialized online stores, has applied for voluntary company reorganization. According to the company, the decision is based on “the very challenging conditions that the sports retail industry in Sweden and Norway has faced in recent months,” which have led to an “acute” liquidity situation. ...
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Görtz’s insolvency proceedings are over, CK Technology is the new owner
A long period of uncertainty may have come to an end for the Hamburg-based shoe retailer Görtz with the completion of insolvency proceedings and a new owner. According to the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper, the district court of Hamburg has declared that all proceedings were over, with all debts registered ...