Product & Marketing
-
News briefs
US East Coast port strike ends
A strike affecting the ports of the US East Coast and the Gulf of Mexico was suspended after the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) union and the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) reached a tentative agreement. “The International Longshoremen’s Association and the United States Maritime Alliance, Ltd. have reached a tentative ...
-
ArticleKizik enters distribution agreements in Japan and Canada
Kizik has entered distribution agreements in Japan and Canada as the US brand specializing in slip-on shoes continues to expand abroad. In Japan, it partnered with Marubeni Consumer Brands Inc. “We are grateful to be associated with one of the most important and exciting brands in my long-term experience ...
-
News briefs
Lanxess exits the polymer business
Lanxess signed a contract to sell its Urethane Systems business to Japan’s UBE Corporation. The enterprise value amounts to €460 million with expected proceeds of around €500 million. With the transaction, the German specialty chemicals company exits the polymer business. The Urethane Systems business comprises five manufacturing sites globally as ...
-
News briefs
A long US port strike will impact supply chains
On Oct.1, about 45,000 unionized workers went on strike at ports on the US East Coast and in the Gulf of Mexico which handle about half of the US’ ocean shipping. The International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) union, which represents dockworkers across 36 ports on the East Coast and the Gulf ...
-
News briefs
Authentic Brands Group names a new head for Greater China
Authentic Brands Group (ABG) has hired Josh Perlman as Executive Vice President and Head of Greater China. He brings over 25 years of experience to the company, previously serving as the managing director at Tristate, where he was instrumental in signing and building brands such as Jack Wolfskin, Fila, Nautica, ...
-
ArticleFirst Italian shoemaker obtains VCS sustainability certification
Corrado Maretto is the first Italian company to have obtained an environmental, social and governance (ESG) certification under the VCS (Verified & Certified Steps) program launched by Assocalzaturifici, the Italian footwear association. The company engaged in a self-assessment of its ESG performance using a software package designed by Spin360, a ...
-
ArticleGerman fashion sales seen subdued over the next 4 years
The German fashion market has been on a path to recovery since 2022, but growth remains hampered by inflation, changing consumer behaviors and the rise of ultra-fast fashion. Annual growth is set to remain below 2 percent over the next four years, according to a report by IFH KÖLN in ...
-
News briefs
LVMH buys a stake in Moncler key shareholder
LVMH, through a special purpose vehicle, has purchased a 10 percent stake in Double R, the investment vehicle controlled by Ruffini Partecipazioni Holding, which owns a 15.8 percent stake in Moncler, an Italian brand of premium down jackets. The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Under the terms ...
-
News briefs
Zalando introduces ‘Zalando Partner’ to simplify partner services
Zalando has introduced “Zalando Partner,” a unified platform that simplifies and enhances its services for business partners. This initiative consolidates all partner-related offerings, including wholesale, partner programs, connected retail, marketing and logistics services, into a single, easy-to-navigate platform. According to Andreas Antrup, SVP of Partner Services, this move aligns with ...
-
News briefs
Paul Green appoints an export manager
The Austrian footwear label Paul Green has created the new position of Head of Export as it looks to expand its international footprint. The company appointed the sector veteran Helmut Seidl to the role, starting Oct. 1. Seidl, 52, worked for nearly 35 years for the footwear group Gabor, ...
-
News briefs
Geox reviews US operations, to close New York office
Geox is winding down its US operation, according to Footwear News. Enrico Mistron, Geox’s CEO since March 2024, told the publication that the office in New York City will be closed and that the group is reviewing its business model in the US and will provide “visibility in a few ...
-
News briefs
Leguano opens new store in Germany
The German barefoot footwear specialist Leguano continues to expand its retail network with the opening of a new store in Speyer, in the Rhineland-Palatinate region of Germany. Located at Maximilianstraße 72, the store opened on Sept. 14. The company also announced that a new outlet will replace the previous barefoot ...
-
News briefs
Tod’s hires John Galantic as CEO
Tod’s has appointed John Galantic, the former head of Chanel, as CEO. He replaces Diego Della Valle and his brother Andrea who were co-CEO and remain as chairman and vice chairman, respectively. The management shakeup comes after the luxury goods company went private in June. Earlier this year, Crown Bidco, ...
-
ArticleSteve’s seeks to raise up to €300,000 in crowd funding
Steve’s, an Italian producer of sustainable premium sneakers, is seeking to raise between €100,000 and €300,000 in a crowdfunding campaign through the Mamacrowd platform. Founded in 2022 in Turin by Giulia Gandini and Filippo Gandini, Steve’s produces sneakers made from Appleskin, a material produced from the skins and cores of ...
-
ArticleThorogood launches a women’s work boot collection
Thorogood, a US brand of work boots owned by Weinbrenner Shoe Company, has launched a women’s work boot collection. Meanwhile, the group has broken ground for a new manufacturing site. “Built on the same safety standards and superior quality that customers have come to expect from Thorogood boots over the ...
-
News briefs
Puma hires a new CFO
Puma has appointed Markus Neubrand as its Chief Financial Officer and a member of the management board, effective Oct. 1, succeeding Hubert Hinterseher, whose contract will end by mutual agreement on Dec. 31. Neubrand will oversee finance, investor relations, legal, IT and business solutions at the German sportswear group. He ...
-
ArticleGabor deploys two Magazino robots in its warehouse
In order to automate the shoe picking process, Gabor Shoes has deployed in its warehouse in Mindelheim, Germany, two Toru robots produced by Magazino, a subsidiary of Jungheinrich, a Hamburg-based provider of logistics equipment and solutions. The aim of the collaboration between Gabor and Magazino is “to automate a key ...
-
ArticleH&M posts disappointing Q3 results
H&M Hennes & Mauritz posted lower-than-expected third-quarter results and cut its full-year guidance. The Swedish fashion retailer said that in the quarter running from June 1 to Aug. 31 net sales fell to SEK 59.011 billion from SEK 60.897 billion a year earlier but were flat in local currencies. It ...
-
ArticleFrench clothing and footwear retailers have underperformed since 2019
Between 2019 and 2023, turnover in volume terms in the French clothing and footwear retail sector increased by 0.7 percent, significantly lagging the retail sector as a whole, which rose by 7.8 percent over the period, according to France’s national statistics office, Insee. Sales volumes were flat for apparel between ...
-
ArticleDeichmann interested in acquiring rights for Esprit footwear
Deichmann expressed interest in acquiring the trademark rights of the shoe division of the bankrupt fashion company Esprit. A spokesperson for the German footwear retailer confirmed the ongoing negotiations, adding that the offer only pertains to Esprit’s footwear trademark rights – which it sees as a valuable addition to its ...
