Australian cotton conference postponed until 2022
Cotton Australia and the Australian Cotton Shippers Association have postponed the Australian Cotton Conference on the Gold Coast for another year, until August 2022. The organizations that jointly host the event made the final decision due to the ongoing uncertainty regarding the coronavirus-related restrictions currently and possibly in place. The ...
Birkenstock opens its largest store in Asia
Birkenstock has opened its first store in the Indian city of Bengaluru, also known as Bangalore. The 170 square meter location is the German footwear brand’s largest in Asia to date. It is spread over two floors and carries over 320 models.
Steve Madden returns to a quarterly profit
Steve Madden returned to a profit in the fourth quarter as its results improve after the slump caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Clarks undergoes a management shake-up
According to various sources, Clarks has undergone a management reshuffle after its takeover by the Hong Kong-based private equity firm LionRock Capital.
Cologne orthopedic shoes fair postponed to 2022
The latest footwear trade fair to be postponed due to the coronavirus is Germany’s Orthopädie Schuh Technik, which - along with the congress of the International Association of Orthopedic Shoe Technicians (IVO) - will be held in Cologne on Oct. 14 and 15, 2022, one year after the originally planned ...
ANWR and Sabu offer liquidity support to retailers
The German retail cooperatives ANWR and Sabu are continuing to support their members by engaging in initiatives to underpin their liquidity as the coronavirus crisis drags on.
Rexor stays profitable in 2020
Rexor, the German buying group controlled by ANWR, recorded a 19 percent decrease in centralized settlement revenues in 2020 due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. In Germany, Rexor managed to limit the decline to 9.6 percent thanks to new memberships.
Payless returns to brick-and-mortar retailing in the U.S.
The American footwear retailer Payless is returning to brick-and-mortar retailing in its home market with the opening of a concept store on March 1 in Miami. But, the grand opening and ribbon-cutting event will be held a week later on March 8.
Birkenstock is taken over by companies linked to LVMH
Birkenstock is being taken over by investment companies linked to the French businessman Bernard Arnault, the controlling shareholder and head of the French luxury goods group LVMH. The transaction will enable the German family-owned sandal maker to expand in Asia.
Unichel now believes Russia may curtail counterfeiting with shoe tagging
The mandatory tagging of footwear coupled with increased control of the Russian market could curb the share of counterfeit shoes, said Vladimir Denisenko, the head of Russia’s main footwear producer Unichel.
Wolverine posts weak results but is hopeful for 2021
The year 2020 was a difficult one for Wolverine Worldwide. Looking on the bright side, the management said it delivered better-than-expected results for the fourth quarter and is poised to drive an accelerated recovery over the next 12 to 16 months. The group posted a double-digit sales decline in the ...
Online sales in Russia skyrocket
In 2020, the Russian online market totaled 3.2 trillion rubles (€35.4bn-$43bn), which was 58.5 percent higher compared to the previous year, Russia’s Association of Internet Trade Companies (AKIT) estimated.
Three German retail associations merge to have more clout
Three German retail associations BTE (representing apparel), BDSE (footwear) and BLE (leathergoods) have decided to merge this year to form the BTE Handelsverband Textil, Schuh, Lederwaren.
Rocky Brands ends 2020 with strong profits
Rocky Brands’ net income surged by 91.1 percent in the fourth quarter to $9.7 million, which includes $0.7 million related to the pending acquisition of the performance and lifestyle footwear business of the U.S. conglomerate Honeywell International for $230 million. The deal is expected to close by the end of ...
Sweden successfully holds a physical trade event
Sweden, which has not introduced a lockdown or imposed wearing facemasks to combat the Covid-19 pandemic, is holding a physical order days for the footwear industry despite the challenges caused by the virus.
Scholl and Dr. Scholl’s are reunited under a single ownership
Reckitt Benckiser (RB), a British producer of consumer goods, is selling the footcare brand Scholl to Yellow Wood Partners, a Boston-based private equity firm which already owns Dr. Scholl’s.
Crocs’ profits soar on record sales
Crocs is still enjoying a strong momentum as its fourth-quarter revenues jumped by 56.5 percent from the year-ago quarter to a record level of $411.5 million. In constant currencies, they gained 56.1 percent.The number of pairs sold during the quarter grew by 38 percent to 18.9 million, and their average ...
UITIC’s congress postponed to 2022
The International Union of Shoe Industry Technicians (UITIC) said that its 21st International Footwear Congress, initially scheduled this year in China, has been postponed to 2022 because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
U.K. accepts to extend provisional Brexit deal to April 30
The British government has accepted, at the European Union’s request, to extend until April 30 the provisional application of the post-Brexit agreement, to give additional time to the European Parliament to ratify the deal.
Italian fashion industry still expects sharp declines in H1
The Italian fashion industry still expects sharp declines in sales during the first two quarters of 2021, after falling by 26 percent in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, according to a survey released by Confindustria Moda, the umbrella association which comprises Sistema Moda Italia (SMI), which groups the textile ...