Footwear

An inconsistent U.S. marketplace and the sale of one of its business units contributed to lower fourth quarter sales for VF Corp.   The company, whose brands include The North Face and Timberland, reported that its net sales fell 0.1% to of $3.2 billion, for the quarter ended Dec. 31, 2016.    Total revenue came in at $3.3 billion, down 0.2%.  

An American classic — Allen Edmonds — has opened a prototype whose environment focuses on its lifestyle offerings while also honing in on the timeless, masculine essence of the 95-year-old brand.    

Nordstrom announced the second Big Apple location for its off-price division.   Nordstrom Rack will open at Durst Organization's mixed-use building at 855 Sixth Avenue.    The approximately 46,500-sq.-ft. store is scheduled to open in fall 2017. It occupy the first three floors of the newly constructed office/residential tower. The location is on the corner of 31st Street, two blocks from Herald Square.  

Caleres has made two executive appointment in its Famous Footwear division.   The company named Karlyn Mattson as chief merchandising officer, leading Famous Footwear’s buying, merchandising, planning, allocation and analytic functions.     Mattson joins Caleres from a 25-year career at Target Corp., where she was most recently VP merchandise manager of shoes, accessories and intimate Apparel for retail and online. She held leadership positions at May Company and Macy’s.  

Dick’s Sporting Goods is putting two of its formats under one roof in the Austin, Texas, market.   The retailer will open a Dick’s Sporting Goods and Field & Stream store on Friday, March 3 at The Parke in Cedar Park, Texas. It will be Dick’s 677th store and 29th Field & Stream store nationwide.    There are currently three other Dick’s Sporting Goods stores in Austin.  

To keep up the pace of its growth — and continue delivering merchandise to the right location at the right time — The Aldo Group is adding a new supply chain platform.   The footwear brand operates a complex omnichannel supply chain that supports wholesale customers, franchise and company-owned retail locations, as well as its direct-to-consumer operations. This requires enterprise-wide visibility, as well as the flexibility to anticipate, plan for and respond to changing consumer preferences.  

Wolverine World Wide announced the appointment of Todd Spaletto as president of the Wolverine outdoor and lifestyle group.   Spaletto will lead the growth of the Merrell, Chaco, CAT, Hush Puppies, and Sebago brands around the world. He brings 23 years of experience in branded apparel and footwear, and most recently served as president of The North Face, where he led the growth of this industry-leading global brand for six years.   

Eastern Outfitters, the parent company of Eastern Mountain Sports and Bob’s Stores, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.     The company listed assets and liabilities in the range of $100 million to $500 million in its filing        British sporting goods retailer Sports Direct International has engaged in extensive talks with Eastern Outfitters to become a stalking-horse bidder in a bankruptcy auction, Reuters reported.    

For the first time in more than 15 years, Abercrombie & Fitch is launching a new store format for its namesake banner.  

For the first time since 2014, Abercrombie & Fitch Co. has a chief executive.   The struggling retailer said it has promoted Fran Horowitz to the role of CEO. She will also join the company’s board of directors. A veteran fashion retailer, Horowitz joined Abercrombie in fall 2014 as brand president of Hollister Co. In 2015, she was tapped for the new position of president and chief merchandising officer of the entire company.