Hill, who replaced John Donahoe as CEO in October, said in a call with analysts on Thursday that re-earning the trust of the company’s wholesale partners is a top priority to help realign business as a whole. Nike’s decision to exit several wholesale doors in 2021 has kept the company behind competitors that have achieved controlled distribution in crucial channels like run specialty. Now, Hill must build on recent efforts to bolster wholesale sales and reengage key partners.

Hill acknowledged that this strong focus on Nike’s digital sales over the last few years has led the brand to compete with its own retail partners for consumer demand.

“Some partners and channels feel we’ve turned our back on them and we’ve stopped engaging consistently,” Hill said, adding that he has met with many of these key retailers directly in recent weeks. He called executives by name from Dick’s Sporting Goods, Foot Locker, JD Sports, Sports Direct and more chains, many of whom have offered positive commentary about Nike’s turnaround in recent weeks.

“They’re all encouraged by our commitment to delivering new, innovative product, telling emotional and inspiring stories and elevating Nike Direct,” Hill said. “We know our sales teams will have to earn every open to buy dollar, but we’re investing to make sure our partners feel supported. We’ll give them access to our best products and the breadth and depth they need, educate their teams on the latest Nike innovation and provide them with the marketing support both in store and out of home.”

“We will win when our partners win,” Hill added.

In line with this goal, Nike recently rehired and elevated Tom Peddie to the role of vice president, general manager of North America to oversee wholesale.

In addition to fixing wholesale, Hill’s turnaround strategy hinges on a renewed “obsession with sport,” which includes a focus on product innovation, demand creation and less centralization of teams. While he noted some changes might impact financial results in the short term, Hill said he is “making the decisions that are best for the health of our brand and business.”

In the second quarter, Nike reported top and bottom line results that beat the expectations of analysts. Shares of Nike were up more than 10 percent in the initial moments in after hours trading on Thursday.

The footwear brand’s newest store is located on High Street Na Příkopě, the city’s main shopping area, which Skechers said in a statement is a boulevard that is visited by 120,000 people daily. With this new addition, Skechers now has eight retail locations in the Czech Republic.

“Skechers has universally become the brand that consumers look to for style, comfort and value, everywhere they live or travel,” Skechers president Michael Greenberg said in a statement. “We have had great success expanding our business across Europe, most recently increasing our third quarter 2024 EMEA sales by 30 percent over last year — and see our growing consumer presence in the Czech Republic as an opportunity to build on our strong momentum in the region.”

The store spans 596 meters (approximately 1,955 square feet), and inside, Skechers added both natural and LED lights that it explained were designed with renewable EU-manufactured biopolymer materials. The company described the store as a “mid-century modern space” that includes a large video wall and wraparound lightbox column above a custom feature table, with a modern light fixture integrated above.

In terms of products, the store prominently features the brand’s lifestyle footwear collections for men, women and kids, as well as dedicated walls for Skechers Performance shoes. There are also sections for apparel and accessories.

“Skechers retail destinations are paramount to connecting our signature styles and comfort technologies with millions of consumers. They offer living galleries of our diverse product offering, and it’s a visceral experience to walk in, hold and try on styles for every age,” Skechers CEE general manager Petar Dulić said in a statement. “With this central retail store between Old Town and New Town Prague, we offer more accessibility and convenience than ever to locals and tourists.”

About the Author

Peter Verry is the Senior News and Features Editor for Athletic and Outdoor at Footwear News. He oversees coverage of the two fast-paced and ultracompetitive markets, which includes conducting in-depth interviews with industry leaders and writing stories on sneakers and outdoor shoes. He is a lifelong sneaker addict (and shares his newest purchases via @peterverry on Instagram) and spends most of his free time on a trail. He holds an M.A. in journalism from Hofstra University and can be reached at peter.verry@footwearnews.com.

On Dec. 19, the NYC-based digitally native footwear brand is marking its 10th year in business by opening three brick-and-mortar stores all on the same day. According to co-founder Connor Wilson, the openings come at “just the right time” after focusing on other key projects that are now coming to fruition.

“[Since 2019], we’ve used our Flatiron [NYC] office showroom as a testing ground for in-person retail, learning how to operate a single store while refining the customer experience,” Wilson told FN in an interview. “This process also underscored the importance of building a strong internal team to deliver exceptional service. At the same time, we’ve been deeply focused on product development—expanding our selection, doubling down on quality, and vertically integrating with our first fully owned and operated factory.”

Now that Wilson is ready for Thursday Boots’ next chapter, the executive is set to open the doors to new stores at 45 Crosby St. in the SoHo neighborhood of NYC, at 1525 N. Milwaukee Ave. in the Wicker Park area of Chicago and a mall-based location inside Garden State Plaza in Paramus, N.J.

Each store comes in around 1,500 to 2,000-sq.-ft. and offers the brand’s full range of footwear, apparel and accessories. The design of each of the spaces are inspired by the unique hotel lobbies and bars that give New York, the birthplace of the brand, so much of its energy, Wilson added.

“Our stores are designed to feel elevated, but also warm and welcoming – like you’re meeting up with good friends at a nice hotel bar,” the executive said. “Everything is elegant and approachable – similar to our customer experience and product design – but in a way that feels approachable and organic. When people join us, we want them to feel like they are at an exclusive club where they’re already a member.”

As for what’s selling now, Wilson noted that boots are still the foundation of the business, but the company has seen some early success in recent releases of women’s shoes, men’s apparel, jackets, bags and more. “We’ve found that if you can really get the product right, your customers won’t just give you permission to try new things, they’ll insist upon it,” he said. “That has us particularly excited about future collections and developments in the making.”

Overall, though, the move to physical retail is an exciting step for Wilson. “On a personal level, having stores makes doing business so much more exciting,” he said. “It gives us the chance to travel, to share our passion for our products across the country, and to reconnect with what drew us to this industry in the first place — helping customers try on shoes and building meaningful connections, one person at a time.”

Looking ahead, more locations are planned to open in 2025, but Wilson is keeping the details close to his chest. “While we’re proud to be a DTC brand, our focus has always been on putting our customers first—and this is just the beginning,” Wilson added. “With many more locations planned for the new year, we’re excited to bring our brand closer to our customers than ever before.”

On the evening of Oct. 25, a fire started in the former home of Cafe Joelle, a Long Island restaurant, that was undergoing renovations. The fire spread to multiple businesses, including Sayville Running Co.

Storeowner Brendan Barrett told FN he was on the Cross Sound Ferry heading to a wedding when he was notified of the fire via text by his brother-in-law, and then by several of his friends.

“The damage in our space was primarily smoke and water, so our inventory was completely ruined, but we were able to save some fixtures,” Barrett said. “The roof of our building went on fire, so that will likely be the thing that takes the longest to fix and will determine when we’re able to move back in.”

Barrett estimated its 19 Main St. home will be out of commission anywhere from six months to a year. However, in the meantime, Sayville Running Co. has set up shop temporarily in a nearby location, a warehouse at 35 Overton St., which is a half mile from its original storefront.

Barrett stated sales on Black Friday were “pretty close to what they normally are,” however it took a hit on Small Business Saturday. “That’s mostly because we weren’t on Main Street for the big festival the town always has,” Barrett explained.

He continued, “In general, sales are good, but not quite as good as last year. I’m sure people are still just finding out that we’re open again and we’re definitely losing some foot traffic in the temporary spot.”

The storeowner stated both the Sayville and running communities have been “exceptionally generous” and have offered “all kinds of support.”

“The best thing people can do for us right now is to continue to shop with us, both at our new temporary home and our other location: Smithtown Running Company,” he said.

About the Author

Peter Verry is the Senior News and Features Editor for Athletic and Outdoor at Footwear News. He oversees coverage of the two fast-paced and ultracompetitive markets, which includes conducting in-depth interviews with industry leaders and writing stories on sneakers and outdoor shoes. He is a lifelong sneaker addict (and shares his newest purchases via @peterverry on Instagram) and spends most of his free time on a trail. He holds an M.A. in journalism from Hofstra University and can be reached at peter.verry@footwearnews.com.

On the company’s third quarter earnings conference call, chairman and chief executive officer of Macy’s, Inc. Tony Spring told analysts that the retailer has been testing this initiative at about 100 locations.

“Having dedicated runners to get shoes from the stock room and salespeople available to assist in handbags allows our colleagues to spend more time with the customer,” Spring noted. “Compared to ‘non-first’ 50 Macy’s locations and those that did not receive additional staffing, women’s shoes and handbag sales outperformed by roughly 600 and 700 basis points, respectively, year-over-year.” (Macy’s “First 50” locations are the priority.)

The CEO said that this program “illustrates the importance” of dedicated customer assistance in high touch point categories. “These learnings along with those from the First 50 are being used to inform our plans for expanding initiatives to additional go-forward locations in 2025, which will be discussed in more detail on the fourth quarter earnings call,” Spring added.

Along with this move, Spring said that the company has reduced exposure to “less relevant brands” and expanded its offering in ones that customers are responding to, including Donna Karan, Steve Madden and Dolce Vita.

When asked by an analyst if the bump in shoe sales also had anything to do with Macy’s updates in merchandise assortment, Spring noted that the changes have been predominantly about people.

“We’re certainly making changes to assortments,” Spring said. “We are reducing the duplication within stores to try to make shopping easier for the consumer. But the lion’s share of the impact that we’re seeing is by having somebody to run to get the bag and get shoes from to the floor and to unlock the handbags that are not easily accessible by the customer. And so I think that’s given us some cautious optimism that there is more that we can do as we are able to actually impact more of the menu inclusive of the assortment in those stores.”

This comes as Macy’s reported declines in its top and bottom lines for the third quarter on Wednesday.

The department store chain said that net income declined to $28 million in Q3 from $41 million in the year ago period. Operating income slipped 1.3 percent to $64 million from $83 million in the year-ago period.

Net sales decreased 2.4 percent to $4.7 billion in the third quarter, with comparable sales down 2.4 percent on an owned basis and down 1.3 percent on an owned-plus-licensed-plus-marketplace basis.

On the positive side, Macy’s “First 50” locations, where the company is investing in several areas of the stores, saw comparable sales rise 1.9 percent, marking the third consecutive quarter of comparable sales growth. Bloomingdale’s saw comparable sales growth of owned and owned-plus-licensed-plus-marketplace of 1 percent and 3.2 percent, respectively. Bluemercury reported comparable sales growth of 3.3 percent.

The athletic giant held a grand opening celebration on Dec. 7 for the UA Flagship Brand House at Baltimore Peninsula, which is the first location under its “Sports House” concept. The store is located at 101 Performance Dr. on the campus of its new global headquarters.

Under Armour stated the store, which spans 24,000 square feet, offers an immersive experience inspired by its “Sports House” pillars of “Sports, Athletes, Passion and Innovation.”

There are two entrances customers can use, which Under Armour explained allow them to experience its signature franchises. The main entrance, for example, showcases its innovation heritage, including UA Flow, UA HeatGear and UA Highlight. The second tunneled entrance, which Under Armour stated is adjacent to the campus’ stadium, track and field, emphasizes its roots in team sports and has an area for team sports gear.

Inside, customers will be able to shop Under Armour’s newest products first, including limited-edition offerings that are exclusive to the store. The first being an apparel collection with photographer Devin Allen, which is available now through Dec. 27.

Also, Under Armour confirmed the store will offer onsite hemming and alterations, as well as an “interactive youth zone” where customers “can test their jump power, grip and hand-eye coordination.”

In terms of aesthetics, the store showcases its elite athletes throughout, and includes a floor-to-ceiling autograph wall with “hundreds of signatures of UA high school, college and professional athletes who visit the store.”

Hours are Monday through Saturday, from 10 a.m. ET to 9 p.m. ET, and Sunday from 11 a.m. ET to 7 p.m. ET.

“At Under Armour, we don’t just sell products, we create elevated experiences that inspire, connect and drive sports forward. The first to embody our ‘Sports House’ retail concept, this new flagship store will serve as a beacon for future brand houses and reflects Under Armour’s ambition to put the athlete and consumer at the center of everything we do,” Under Armour​ president of Americas Kara Trent said in a statement. “As we officially open the doors to our house, we look forward to driving greater clarity and a deeper connection with our audiences through integrated storytelling, design and performance-innovation across categories.”

To celebrate the new store, two-time WNBA champion and Under Armour athlete Kelsey Plum attended the grand opening ceremony on Dev. 7. She was joined by Baltimore student athletes who are supported by Project Rampart, which Under Armour explained is its longstanding partnership with Baltimore City Schools to elevate the student athlete experience and improve academic outcomes through the power of sport.

In November, Under Armour reported a 11 percent sales decrease to $1.4 billion for the second quarter of fiscal 2025, in line with expectations.

North America revenue decreased 13 percent to $863 million, and international revenue decreased 6 percent to $538 million. In the international business, revenue in EMEA was down 1 percent, down 11 percent in Asia-Pacific, and down 13 percent in Latin America.

Specifically for footwear, revenue was down 11 percent to $313 million.

About the Author

Peter Verry is the Senior News and Features Editor for Athletic and Outdoor at Footwear News. He oversees coverage of the two fast-paced and ultracompetitive markets, which includes conducting in-depth interviews with industry leaders and writing stories on sneakers and outdoor shoes. He is a lifelong sneaker addict (and shares his newest purchases via @peterverry on Instagram) and spends most of his free time on a trail. He holds an M.A. in journalism from Hofstra University and can be reached at peter.verry@footwearnews.com.

According to the legendary footwear designer, the 4,000-sq.-ft. boutique, which first opened in 2015 at 965-967 Madison Avenue, has been reimagined to reflect his love for Egypt and the spirit of a seaside holiday, with touches that feel like stepping into the inviting home of a cherished friend.

“The boutiques should look like a living room where people do not feel like they are in a store but in the home of a friend, who loves them and knows them well,” Mr. Louboutin said in a statement.

And the red that we all know from Mr. Louboutin is omnipresent throughout the store. The brand’s signature red is seen on glazed wall tiles and carpets, echoing the lacquered bottoms of Louboutin’s famed heels.

From his private collection, various crystals and geodes adorn the space, bringing a personal touch to the boutique in order to make it feel more home-like. Plus, antique wrought iron gates, purchased by Mr. Louboutin on a European adventure, are used to elegantly separate the men’s and women’s area in the store. Other signature design details include hand-sketched papyrus plinths, textiles featuring floral and aquatic illustrations by Louis Barthelemy for Pierre Frey and bespoke Nile-inspired sconces.

The boutique is also a store of firsts, the designer added. Along with a wide array of men’s and women’s shoes and leather goods, the Madison Avenue boutique will be the first flagship location in the U.S. to carry the Christian Louboutin kid’s collection, which launched in 2022 along with pets, and Christian Louboutin Beaute, which debuted in 2014.

Also, for the first time for the company’s own stores, visitors will smell the scent of Christian Louboutin Fétiche Le Cuir perfume, which is diffused throughout the boutique for the first time. Finally, the location also debuts a first-of-its-kind VIP Room, tailored to enhance the intimate client experience through the brand’s “Special Order” design process.

This news comes just months after Christian Louboutin and Bergdorf Goodman joined forces on an exclusive collection. This limited capsule that released in October, was part of Louboutin’s signature “Trash” collection and aimed to pay tribute to iconic images, logos and objects of both the French luxury shoe company and the American retailer.

And in September, Bergdorf Goodman sister company Neiman Marcus teamed up with the label for an exclusive collection of animal print shoes and bags for men and women. The duo’s “Animalia” collection spanned 19 pieces including seven women’s looks, six handbags, four men’s shoes, one men’s leather good and one men’s hat.

Located inside the Aventura Mall in Miami, Fla., the 802-sq.-ft. store officially opened its doors in November and marks the footwear brand’s debut in Florida. The new shop offers Dolce Vita’s full range of footwear and accessories.

Designed by Aine Naughton, the company noted that the new Aventura store reflects Dolce Vita’s “less is more” approach, with architecture that features organic curves, neutral tones, and layered textures.

“We’re excited to introduce our brand to a vibrant new community in one of the region’s most iconic destinations,” Kerry Norlin, president of Dolce Vita, told FN. “The Aventura store is a natural extension of our retail identity, creating a luxe, curated experience tailored to South Florida’s energy and lifestyle.”

The Steve Madden-owned label added that this opening is a key milestone in Dolce Vita’s national expansion. Last year, the brand unveiled its first flagship store in New York City. Set on the corner of Broadway and Broome St. in NYC’s SoHo neighborhood, the flagship featured an open, single-level space in hues of brown and cream –  similar to the new Aventura location. The moment marked its second retail location in the U.S. at the time, following Dolce Vita’s first store that opened in Los Angeles’ Melrose Place in 2006.

Other openings have since taken place in Austin, Texas and Washington, D.C., as well as in Quebec, Canada.

This new store comes as parent company Steve Madden raised its full-year outlook last month after reporting sales and earnings for the third quarter of 2024. Revenues in the period were $624.7 million, up 13 percent compared to the same quarter in 2023.

Chairman and chief executive officer Edward Rosenfeld said in a statement in November that accessories and apparel sales, including strong performance in Steve Madden handbags, helped drive the solid results in the quarter. Contributions from the newly acquired Almost Famous brand, which Steve Madden snapped up in October for $52 million, continued to bolster the apparel business.

Rosenfeld also cited “robust top line gains in international markets and direct-to-consumer channels.”

The footwear brand’s 214 Oxford Street store, which opened in 2019, has had a major revamp — taking it from a dingy corner store to a bright, state-of-the-art space with floor-to-ceiling windows that’s fitted with a 200 square meter Roman travertine stone skate ramp.

For a brand to really stand out on one of the busiest streets in central London, new ideas are necessary.

Vans’ next door neighbors — Nike and the newly opened Ikea — have demonstrated that to lure customers in, they need more than just rows of products or mannequins – there needs to be a sense of community and a history of the brand.

Ikea is capitalizing on its blue polypropylene bags and Vans is reminding everyone that they’re one of the original brands for skateboarders.

By day, the store sells clothes and accessories, as well as skateboards with British slang printed on, meanwhile in the evenings, the space will be used for regular skate lessons, demos and events by Vans skate team and local skate schools.

“We thought it was quite provocative to bring the best of counterculture into one of the most commercial strips in the world,” said Andreas Olsson, vice president and general manager of Vans EMEA in an interview.

There’s more space than ever at the store as Vans has adopted a new design system using the walls and surrounding areas for hidden storage instead of a physical storage room. There are no cash registers as transactions can take place anywhere on the floor — just like at the Apple store.

The walls replicate the waffle pattern found on the sole of Vans shoes and the hidden storage units are made of grinded plywood – a subtle nod to the construction of skate ramps, which can be flipped for a gray canvas to replicate the interiors of an art exhibition.

“We need to raise the standard and somewhat also bring ourselves a little bit closer to the community and the culture of London,” said Olsson, adding that the brand has seen the importance to gain proximity to the culture of skateboarding, art, design and music.

Olsson, who has been back with Vans for over a year now is shaking things up. He wants to “elevate,” “reset” and “push” the brand into the future. 

He previously spent almost seven years with the brand from 2012 to 2018.

“We want to lead through skateboarding. The purpose of retail today is that it’s a mix of the commerce side of retail – which is only a piece of it, but it’s really about the whole entertainment and activation side of things,” said Olsson.

“Consumers expect to engage in retail in a much different way than they’ve done in the past. In the past it was more of a commerce driven entity, but today, anything can be accessed through a cellphone – the reason that someone comes into the store is to experience the depth of the brand and the cultures that we represent. We want to do that justice in the most credible way.”

London is the first piece in Vans’ rejigging of retail followed by refreshing its stores across Europe that will soon be rolled out to the U.S. and Asian market. The brand is also introducing a new ecommerce website.

The Oxford Street store doesn’t stop at just skateboarding. A lot of newness is being injected into the space by working with brands and talent outside of VF Corp., Vans’ parent company that also owns Dickies, The North Face and Timberland.

London-based creative Jack Charlie Mitchelln has curated a selection of books and music that customers can buy and next to that are items from Vans’ collaboration with the jeweler The Great Frog, audio brand Gomi and skateboarding brand Lovenskate.