Product & Marketing – Page 18
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News briefs
Italy GDP seen up 0.8% this year
Italy’s gross domestic product (GDP) could still rise by 0.8 percent in 2025 despite a high degree of uncertainty, according to the Italian retailers association Confcommercio. In the second quarter of 2025, Confcommercio expects Italian GDP grew by 0.3 percent compared to the previous quarter and by 0.8 percent year-on-year ...
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News briefs
The US and Indonesia finalize a trade deal
The US President, Donald Trump, and the Indonesian President, Prabowo Subianto, announced that the two countries have reached a trade agreement, under which Indonesian goods exported to the US will face a 19 percent tariff. In a letter sent to the Indonesian government on July 7, Trump had threatened ...
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ArticleCoats buys OrthoLite
Coats, a British manufacturer of industrial threads and footwear components, signed a definitive agreement to acquire OrthoLite Holdings, a leading US manufacturer of open-cell foam insoles, for an initial enterprise value of $770 million. The transaction, which also includes Cirql, a new biodegradable midsole technology backed by over 80 ...
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News briefs
Genesco signs a licensee agreement with Wrangler
Genesco has signed a new multiyear licensing agreement with Wrangler, a US denim and lifestyle brand, under which the American footwear retailer will design, source and market men’s, women’s and children’s footwear under the Wrangler brand. “The agreement between Wrangler and Genesco is a strategic move for both companies, designed ...
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News briefs
Loro Piana placed under judicial administration in Italy
Loro Piana, the Italian luxury brand controlled by the French luxury goods group LVMH, has been placed under judicial administration for one year by a Milan-based court. According to the court, Loro Piana has been deemed “incapable of preventing and curbing labor exploitation phenomena within the production cycle” in ...
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News briefs
Rack Room Shoes names a Chief Merchandise Officer
Rack Room Shoes, a US footwear retailer headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, has promoted Brian Burnett to Senior Vice President, Chief Merchandise Officer. He was Senior Vice President, General Merchandise Officer. In his new role, Burnett will lead the company’s product and merchandising strategies, while driving innovation and ensuring alignment ...
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News briefs
Steve Madden’s Chief Merchandising Officer resigns
Steve Madden’s Chief Merchandising Officer, Karla Frieders, voluntarily resigned, effective June 30, for personal reasons, according to a filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission. The US company does not intend to appoint a new Chief Merchandising Officer at this time, with certain of Frieders’ responsibilities being assumed by ...
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News briefs
Kingmaker swings to a loss
The Chinese footwear manufacturer Kingmaker reported a net loss of HK$33.89 million (€3.7m) for its fiscal year ended March 31 compared with a HK$20.22 million (€2.2m) profit recorded the previous year. Revenues declined by 9 percent year-over-year to HK$625.88 million (€68.1m), with the company citing subdued order flow, lower average ...
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News briefs
Converse to get new President and CEO
Converse’s President and CEO, Jared Carver, will soon be stepping down, according to an internal memorandum at parent company Nike that both Reuters and Bloomberg have seen. Succeeding him will be Aaron Cain, who has been with Nike for more than 20 years and is serving at the moment as ...
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ArticleBrazil’s footwear exports rise by nearly 9% in volume in the first half
In the six months of 2025, Brazil exported 52.7 million pairs of shoes, up by 8.8 percent year-over-year, generating $497.34 million in revenues, up by 3.0 percent. In the sole month of June, exports also grew by 24.5 percent year-over-year to 6.87 million pairs, resulting in $70.17 million in revenues, ...
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News briefs
US threatens 35% tariff for Canada
US President, Donald Trump, announced that from Aug. 1 he plans to apply a 35 percent tariff on goods imported from Canada if a trade agreement is not reached. In a letter dated July 10 sent to the Canadian prime minister, Mark Carney, Trump warned that the US will increase ...
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News briefs
Wolverine makes 2 board appointments
Wolverine Worldwide appointed Cheryl Abel-Hodges and Jack Boyle to its board of directors, effective immediately. Both bring decades of experience in brand leadership and merchandising strategy across major retail and apparel companies. “Cheryl and Jack are tremendous additions to our board,” said Chris Hufnagel, the President and CEO of Wolverine ...
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ArticleAllbirds signs up three new distributors
Allbirds has struck deals with three new distributors, raising its worldwide total to 16. Beosport will be the exclusive Allbirds distributor the Balkans as of January 2026, 911 Fashion will be handling Israel as of October 2025, and Tradist Distribution will be overseeing Turkey and Central Asia as of ...
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ArticleDr. Martens trading in line with expectations
Dr. Martens said that trading since the start of its financial year has been in line with expectations and its full-year guidance remains unchanged. The fiscal year of the British footwear company runs until the end of March 2026. The company said that it continued to see positive trading in ...
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ArticleUS threatens Brazil with a 50% tariff
The US President Donald Trump said that starting Aug. 1 Brazilian exports to the US will face a 50 percent tariff. The levy, referred to as a reciprocal tariff, is ”separate from all sectoral tariffs,” according to a letter sent to the Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. The ...
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ArticleC-Suite interview: Blusun enters second year looking to ramp up sales, expand outside of Europe
When Dirk Pfeffer and Silvia Brindlmayer set up their barefoot footwear brand Blusun last year, they knew what they wanted and what they did not. At the heart of their vision were shoes featuring high quality materials, reasonable prices and a sustainable and socially responsible supply chain. Pfeffer and Brindlmayer ...
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News briefs
Footasylum full-year revenues up by 9.4%
Footasylum, the UK-based sports fashion retailer, delivered record-breaking results for the fiscal year ending January 2025. Revenues reached £349.5 million (€404.9m), up by 9.4 percent from £319.5 million (€370.1m) a year earlier. Store sales rose by 3 percent to £172.6 million (€199.9m), while online sales increased by 6 percent ...
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News briefs
Trump sends tariff rates to 14 countries including Bangladesh and Cambodia
The US President Donald Trump has sent letters to leaders of 14 countries with so-called reciprocal import tariffs. The letters, dated July 7, were published on Trump’s social media Truth Social. The tariffs are applicable from Aug. 1 and are ”separate from all sectoral tariffs,” the letters explained. The duties ...
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News briefs
French online sales increase in 2024
After two years of decline, online sales of goods picked up in France during 2024 to reach €66.9 billion and came close to the record of €67.0 billion achieved in 2021, according to the e-commerce trade assocation Fevad. Footwear was one of the items most purchased online, with 49 percent ...
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News briefs
K-Way names Marco D’Avanzo head of international business
K-Way has appointed Marco D’Avanzo as Chief International Business Officer. D’Avanzo announced this news via his LinkedIn profile. Most recently, he served as Executive Vice President Global Sales at Canadian outerwear brand Moose Knuckles for the past eight years. Prior to that, he was Sales Director at Woolrich from 2013 ...
