An Italian firm, United Brands Company (UBC), has signed a license agreement with Head to develop and produce lines of sneakers for men, women and children under the Head brand name. The first collection is scheduled for the spring/summer 2022 season. Under the multi-year agreement, UBC will also be in charge of distributing the shoes, which will be sold initially in fashion stores and then in sports shops. The company will start rolling out the collections in Italy, Spain, Russia and the U.K. and then proceed to other international markets. The Head collection will also be available through a directly operated e-store. UBC created a digital showroom last year and recently launched its own e-commerce platform, which manages digital stores for most of its brands. UBC’s portfolio of footwear brands includes Sergio Tacchini, Benetton, Gas Jeans, Carrera Footwear and Roberto Cavalli Sport. In the financial year ended Jan. 31, UBC posted sales of €33.3 million over 13 months, as the end of the fiscal year was moved to Jan. 31 from Dec. 31. Exports represented 38.0 percent of the top line, led by the French, German, Spanish, Russian and the United Arab Emirates markets. The company expects to increase the share of exports to 60 percent of revenues in three years’ time. UBC expects to return to pre-Covid-19 levels this year with sales of nearly €40 million. Orders for the upcoming autumn/winter collection have risen by 20 percent.
