Hanesbrands reported a 26 percent boost in global sales of the Champion brand on a constant-currency basis in the third quarter ended on Sept. 28, excluding its C9 sub-brand for the U.S. mass market, which is being gradually phased out. The brand's sales grew by 29 percent in the U.S. and by 24 percent elsewhere in the world.

Improving on a forecast made in August, the group's management said that Champion will likely grow by about 40 percent to $1.9 billion this year, excluding C9, increasing by around 35 percent in the U.S.

It indicated that Champion will easily reach a target of $2 billion in 2020, and that it has the potential to add another $1 billion in annual sales in a few years' time. The brand is expected to continue to grow at a particularly strong pace in women's, kids' and performance products.

Meanwhile, we found out that Joe Monahan, 47, took the place of Sauro Mambrini last June as president of Champion Europe, following the latter's retirement. Monahan, who has been with the company since 2002, had become its chief executive in September 2018. Monahan will report directly to Jonathan Ram, Hanesbrands' group president for activewear. Mambrini, who sold Champion Europe to Hanesbrands three years ago, had been with the company for 40 years, and his retirement coincides with the brand's 100th anniversary.

Champion is just now in the process of opening new showrooms in Paris and Nuremberg, similar to the one it opened in London at the beginning of 2018.

Elsewhere around the world, Champion has added a second distribution partner in China and a new one in South Korea. The new Korean partner, LF Corporation, plans to nearly triple the number of Champion stores in its country to more than 30 by the end of next year and to offer the brand in its own online and offline retail network, including its multi-brand lifestyle apparel stores, called Around the Corner. Champion wants to double the number of stores and shop-in-shops in Asia, which now totals more than 200 units.

Despite Champion's strong performance, Hanesbrands' sales of activewear declined by one percent to $554.9 million in the U.S. during the latest quarter, but the profit margin improved to $97.3 million. Elsewhere, the division's sales rose by 7 percent to $663.5 million, leading to an 8 percent increase in operating income to $107.2 million. As a group, Hanesbrands reported 10 percent growth in net income to $187.7 million for the quarter on slightly higher total revenues of $1,867 million.