EXECUTIVE CHANGES
+++ Craig Hodges, Global VP of Corporate Affairs and Communications at VF Corp., is leaving the company after nearly 10 years, effective Nov. 20, to be replaced by Colin Wheeler, formerly VF’s VP of Corporate Affairs and Communications for the Americas
+++ Xero Shoes has hired Kristina Funck as Design Director and Megan Elias as Director of Product Merchandising, with the appointments aimed at steering design direction and product merchandising to new heights +++
CORPORATE & M&A
+++ Jim Ratcliffe, founder of INEOS petrochemicals, will be acquiring a 25 percent stake in Manchester United for $1.5 billion and apparently spending another $300 million out of pocket to improve the club’s infrastructure, according to Sky News and Front Office Sports
+++ GoPro has been recognized by Outside Magazine as one of the 50 Best Places to Work for the third consecutive year, securing the No. 14 spot +++
RETAIL & DISTRIBUTION
+++ Authentic Brands Group has granted Aldo Group a license to design, manufacture and distribute Roxy women’s and girls’ footwear in the US and Canada
+++ Alo Yoga, the L.A.-based yoga brand founded in 2007, is opening its first UK store at London’s 33 King’s Road on Nov. 17
+++ J.Lindeberg is opening a pop-up store in the Linden shopping center in Norrköping, Sweden, which will be open from Nov. 20 throughout the winter +++
PRODUCT & MARKETING
+++ Puma and LaLiga have signed a long-term extension of the sponsorship deal that began in the 2019/20 season, according to CMDsport
+++ Qatar Airways has become the official global partner airline of FC Internazionale Milano, according to Calcio Finanza
+++ Norwegian ski racer Aleksander Aamodt Kilde is the latest brand ambassador for men’s fashion brand Boss
+++ McDonald’s and Crocs are introducing their first-ever collab dropping with a full line of shoes, socks and Jibbitz charms beginning Nov. 14 in more than 30 countries around the world
+++ US retailer Pacsun and Formula 1 have launched a new collection that includes a race-inspired capsule in advance of the F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix 2023 featuring all-new women’s, men’s and unisex styles, from shorts to cargo, joggers and track pants, long and short sleeved graphic tees, hoodies and anoraks, and jackets, that embrace the race aesthetic
+++ Sweden’s global water and beverage innovator Bluewater has re-signed Team GB’s leading Formula Kite athlete Ellie Aldridge as their brand ambassador for a further 12 months
+++ Fanatics has entered into retail and e-commerce partnerships with four Japanese sports clubs: J.League teams Kashima Antlers, Sanfrecce Hiroshima and V-Varen Nagasaki, as well as basketball team Nagasaki Velca
+++ German ski manufacturer Völkl has added Estonian athlete Kelly Sildaru, who has been causing a sensation on skis since her early childhood, to its freestyle team
+++ Head Freeskiing has released its first-ever feature-length film ski movie, called Unified, on Nov. 15
+++ The new workwear and corporate wear brand Schöffel Pro will be the official outfitter of the Ski Austria Race Service Team and the Medical Team for alpine skiing, ski cross and para-sports for three years +++
E-COMMERCE & DTC
+++ Taobao and Tmall Group, the Chinese commerce business of Alibaba Group, said they have successfully completed their 15th annual 11.11 Shopping Festival (Oct. 24 to Nov. 11, 2023) and recorded positive year-on-year growth in GMV (402 brands surpassed RMB100 million in GMV each), number of orders and participating merchants +++
CSR & SUSTAINABILITY
+++ The manufacturer of performance apparel for the leisure/lifestyle and active market, Active Apparel Group (AAG), has announced the results of its recent living wage audit as part of a supply chain transparency initiative and based on Bureau Veritas’ Living Wage report (subject to all report conditions and disclaimers) in which AAG achieved a 100 percent Living Wage pass rate for sampled employees of Ningbo Longson Garments Co., Ltd.. +++
