Footwear News articles from July 1986

Footwear News archives from July 1986

Domestic industry puts fate in override bid. (Textile and Apparel Trade Enforcement Act; footwear import quotas)
July 28, 1986... Domestic industry puts fate in override bid WASHINGTON (FNS) -- In little more than a week's time, the fate of the domestic footwear industry will be up for grabs in Congress when House lawmakers decide whether U.S. firms should be granted...

Di Zazzo to buy Oomphies assets. (Hanson Industries sell unit to James G. Di Zazzo; footwear industry)
July 28, 1986... Di Zazzo to buy Oomphies assets ISELIN, N.J. -- Hanson Industries last Friday entered into an agreement to sell the assets of its Lawrence, Mass.-based Oomphies footwear division to James G. Di Zazzo. Terms of the sale were not disclosed....

Resources hope shows spur sales. (footwear industry, National shoe Fair, Fashion Footwear Association of New York)
July 28, 1986... Resources hope shows spur sales NEW YORK - Footwear resources, plagued by a fuzzy retail picture, slow reorders and the prospect of their own inventories piling up, are rolling the dice that next week's National Shoe Fair and Fashion Footwear...

Nike earnings double in qtr. (athletic shoe industry)
July 28, 1986... Nike earnings double in qtr. BEAVERTON, Ore. -- Earnings of Nike, Inc., more than doubled in the fourth quarter ended May 31, powered by improved gross margins, despite a 4.7 percent decline in sales. Nike's gross margin rose to 33.4...

Pony holders look for growth. (Pony Inc.; athletic shoe industry)
July 28, 1986... Pony holders look for growth PARIS (FNS) -- Majority shareholders of Pony, Inc., headquartered in Secaucus, N.J., are looking for faster growth in sales and profits, following the abrupt departure of Roberto Muller as its longtime president and...

Javits' accomodations look OK. (Jacob K. Javits Convention Center; National Shoe Fair)
July 28, 1986... Javits' accommodations look OK NEW YORK -- If visitors to the National Shoe Fair's new location -- the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center -- Are as open minded as participants at another trade show held there recently, they should have few...

Israeli tariff cut seen doubling exports to U.S. (footwear industry, shoe exports)
July 28, 1986... Israeli tariff cut seen doubling exports to U.S. JERUSALEM (FNS) -- Israeli shoe manufacturers managed to export a little less than $4 million worth of their output to the U.S. last year, and that figure could probably double this year, thanks...

Tourist crunch bruises London's high-end stores. (British tourism decline; terrorism and low dollar cited)
July 28, 1986... Tourist crunch bruises London's high-end stores LONDON (FNS) -- High-end footwear retailers here are bearing the brunt of the falloff in business caused by the decline in tourists to the United Kingdom this summer. While retailers of...

French retail hurt by scar(e) city of Americans. (shoe industry; boutiques affected by tourist decline and low dollar)
July 28, 1986... French retail hurt by scar(e)city of Americans PARIS (FNS) -- Despite a slight increase in the number of U.S. tourists visiting Europe over the past month, French retailers, travel agents and hotels are still reeling from the effects of what is...

Beleaguered Italians, bewitched, bothered, bewildered. (shoe industry, retail trade affected by terrorism, low dollar)
July 28, 1986... Beleaguered Italians bewitched, bothered, bewildered MILAN (FNS) -- Italy has had its share of disasters over the past year, from the poisoned wine scandal to the Rome airport shootings; from the Libyan crisis to the lingering effects of the...

Mademoiselle reveals buying habits. (survey of fashion trends)
July 28, 1986... Mademoiselle reveals buying habits NEW YORK -- In the last 12 months, three or more pairs of shoes were purchased by over 90 percent of women questioned in a Mademoiselle magazine survey. During the past year, 40 percent of young working...

Women loosening male domination in shoe industry.
July 28, 1986... Women loosening male domination in shoe industry CHICAGO -- Sales representatives used to think that a woman attending a shoe show was just someone's wife. Today, that can be a deadly assumption, considering the numbers of women who have...

SEC gets tough on inside traders, widens Levine case. (insider trading cases)
July 28, 1986... SEC gets tough on inside traders, widens Levine case WASHINGTON (FNS) -- When the Securities and Exchange Commission's (SEC) director of enforcement said last year that the agency would crack down on insider trading, he was not kidding: So far...

86-acre Minnesota mega-mall to break ground. (Triple Five Corp.; Nader Ghermazian; shopping centers)
July 28, 1986... 86-acre Minnesota mega-mall to break ground EDMONTON, Alberta (FNS) -- The focus on retailing in the U.S. is about to switch from New York, Texas and California to Minnesota. Authority for this prediction is Nader Ghermazian, one of four...

Analysts forecast retail gains in 2nd quarter. (retail trade)
July 28, 1986... Analysts forecast retail gains in 2d quarter NEW YORK (FNS) -- Although retailer's sales gains so far in the second quarter have been modest, Wall Street analysts expect almost all major department stores, specialty chains and mass...

Coalition urges complete trucking deregulation. (Coalition for Motor Carrier Regulatory Reform)
July 28, 1986... Coalition urges complete trucking deregulation WASHINGTON (FNS) -- A coalition of U.S. retailers, wholesalers, manufacturers and shippers disclosed recently they would launch a concerted, unified political campaign to have Congress enact...

Texas retail rates satisfactory despite oil prices. (shoe industry)
July 28, 1986... Texas retail rates satisfactory despite oil prices CHICAGO -- Even though depressed oil prices have played havoc with Texas' energy, construction and banking industries, the State's retail report card seems surprisingly satisfactory. "Our...

Immigrants called a boon to Big Apple industry. (New York City; immigration)
July 28, 1986... Immigrants called a boon to Big Apple industry WASHINGTON (FNS) -- Some may want to stem the immigration tide for social and economic reasons, but the foreign-born have been a boon to New York industry -- and especially to the apparel trade and...

Specialty stores spark Evanstown retail renascence. (Chicago; retail trade)
July 28, 1986... Specialty stores spark Evanstown retail renascence EVANSTON, Ill. -- A retail renascence is taking off in this northern Chicago suburb, a revival which has been primarily sparked by a recent influx of specialty stores. At one time, this...

Senators told growth continues in some fields. (labor statistics reflect sustained growth in some areas)
July 28, 1986... Senators told growth continues in some fields WASHINGTON (FNS) -- Despite 15 years of employment shrinkage, output in the furniture, farm machinery, household appliance, telephone and synthetic fibers industries has continued to expand,...

Poron issues analysis on walking shoe market. (Rogers Corp. Poron and Composites Div.; walking shoe market)
July 28, 1986... Poron issues analysis on walking shoe market EAST WOODSTOCK, Conn. -- The Poron division of Rogers Corp., a manufacturer of cushioned insole material, has released a 10-page analysis of the walking shoe market, including suggestions for...

Donner Mountain adds walking shoe. (athletic shoe industry)
July 28, 1986... Donner Mountain adds walking shoe SAN RAFAEL, Calif. -- Donner Mountain, a footwear company, which in the past has specialized in the active and hiking boot market, has introduced a walking shoe -- the first of an entire new line -- sparked by...

Rockport demonstrates fitness test geared to walking activity. (Rockport Walking Institute develops Rockport Fitness Walking Test)
July 28, 1986... Rockport demonstrates fitness test geared to walking activity NEW YORK -- Officials of the Rockport Walking Institute, Marlboro, Mass., have introduced what they claim is the first scientifically valid fitness test geared to the activity of...

Dismiss Gear suit vs. BBC. (L.A. Gear California Inc.; BBC International Ltd.; breach of contract suit)
July 28, 1986... Dismiss Gear suit vs. BBC LOS ANGELES -- The $12 million lawsuit filed here by L.A. Gear California, Inc., against BBC International, Ltd., NEw York, in march of this year has been dismissed by a U.S. District Court Central Distrct of...

Bill seeks crackdown on fraudalent auditors. (Financial Fraud Detection and Disclosure Act)
July 28, 1986... Bill seeks crackdown on fraudulent auditors WASHINGTON (FNS) -- Auditors and accountants whose ultimate allegiance is to their corporate clients are failing to fulfill their "public watchdog" function. Having reached this conclusion, a...

Are l-b-os the wave of the future? (leveraged buyouts)
July 21, 1986... Are l-b-os the wave of the future? NEW YORK -- Are trendy leveraged buyouts (l-b-o) as much a natural for footwear companies as peanut butter is for jelly? In the last two years, nine shoe-related firms have gone private -- most in l-b-os...

Muller leaves Pony presidency. (Roberto Muller, Pony Sports and Leisure)
July 21, 1986... Muller leaves Pony presidency SECAUCUS, N.J. -- Roberto Muller resigned from Pony late last week after mutually agreeing with company management that he should no longer function as its president and chief executive officer. Muller could...

Spanish seek clear view from foggy shoe horizon.
July 21, 1986... Spanish seek clear view from foggy shoe horizon ALICATE, Spain (FNS) -- "The U.S. is saying, 'I'm still buying,' but not as much. You have to confront the problem, and do your best," asserted Jose Maria Mirnar, managing director of Martinez...

French footwear exports to U.S. fall 35% in 4 mos.
July 21, 1986... French footwear exports to U.S. fall 35% in 4 mos. PARIS (FNS) -- Exports of French footwear to the U.S. for the first four months of this year took a nosedive, dropping 35 percent in value over the same period last year. According to the...

May shoe store sales off 0.6%.
July 21, 1986... May shoe store sales off 0.6% NEW YORK (FNS) -- Shoe store sales in May, seasonally adjusted, totaled $938 million, down 0.6 percent from a year ago and 0.3 percent below the revised sales figure for April, according to preliminary reports on...

One-third of independents in NSRA poll post '85 loss. (National Shoe Retailers Association)
July 21, 1986... One-third of independents in NSRA poll post '85 loss NEW YORK -- Nearly one-third of the independent footwear retailers who provided financial data to the National Shoe Retailers Association's (NSRA) annual operations survey lost money in 1985....

Puma offering eyes $40.5 mil.
July 21, 1986... Puma offering eyes $40.5 mil. PARIS (FNS) -- Puma, the West German athletic footwear and sports apparel producer, said it would raise about $40.5 million from its initial public offering last week. Separately, Armin Dassler, chairman of...

Rockport forms new firm around ProWalker line.
July 21, 1986... Rockport forms new firm around ProWalker line MARLBORO, Mass. -- The Rockport Co., here, has formed a separate company, building it around its successful ProWalker line and aiming it at athletic footwear companies. The new company will be...

Independents' sales pace lags behind inflation. (footwear retail trade)
July 14, 1986... Independents' sales pace lags behind inflation Sales growth among independent footwear retailers failed to keep pace with the rate of inflation over the past four years, resulting in a loss of real sales dollars for smaller retailers,...

Romans producer eye U.S., fashion to survive. (French shoe export)
July 14, 1986... Romans producers eye U.S. fashion to survive More and more shoe manufacturers in this little town in central France --which accounts for more than half of French shoe exports to the U.S.--are turning to the U.S. and the fashion market to...

Europe tanners dim on TAG vote. (leather industry and trade; Textile and Apparel Trade Enforcement Act)
July 14, 1986... Europe tanners dim on TAG vote An apprehensive mood pervaded the recent meeting of the International Council of Tanners in London, as European members reportedly expressed concern over the pending override vote of the Textile and Apparel...

Reebok quarter net quadruples. (Reebok International Ltd.)
July 14, 1986... Reebok quarter net quadruples Reebok International, Ltd., last week reported net income more than quadrupled for the second quarter ended June 30, as sales tripled. Earnings for the period amounted to $32,767,000 or 62 cents a share,...

Foreigners visible, write few orders at China show. (International Sporting Goods Exhibition; athletic shoe industry)
July 14, 1986... Foreigners visible, write few orders at China show Foreign suppliers of athletic footwear received high visibility, though little business at China's recent second annual International Sporting Goods Exhibition. Executives here said big...

Timothy's sues Intershoe on markdown allowance. (Timothy's Fashion Inc.; Intershoe Inc.; shoe industry)
July 14, 1986... Timothy's sues Intershoe on markdown allowance Timothy's Fashions, Inc., a 12-unit specialty footwear retailer here, has filed an eight-count lawsuit against footwear manufacturer Intershoe, Inc., New York, charging the company with...

16 major retailers post June sales gains of 9%. (footwear retail trade)
July 14, 1986... 16 major retailers post June sales gains of 9% A group of 16 of the nation's major retailers reported a 9 percent increase in June sales, which was about in line with gains reported so far this year. Discounters had the strongest gains,...

Architect uses 'fast track' to aid retailers. (retail shoe stores, remodeling of Charles Jourdan boutique)
July 14, 1986... Architect uses "fast-track' to aid retailers "Nothing is more frustrating to a store owner than paying commercial rent on a space he or she can't sell out of,' said architect Frederic M. Zonius, principal of F.M. Zonsius AIA, an...

Raucous Les Halles takes Paris retail by storm. (Le Forum des Halles, shopping and entertainment complex)
July 14, 1986... Raucous Les Halles takes Paris retail by storm Raucous, trendy, bawdy, energizing--the sprawling animal that is Les Halles has become, in the space of five years, even more imposing as a Paris retail and leisure center than anyone imagined....

Kelian, Clergerie export to enhance public image. (Stephane Kelian, Robert Clergerie; shoe industry, France)
July 14, 1986... Kelian, Clergerie export to enhance public image Like Charles Jourdan earlier, shoe designers Stephane Kelian and Robert Clergerie have invested heavily on the export market, with the U.S. in the forefront, and on chains bearing their brand...

Reebok is official shoe for U.S. Tennis Open. (athletic shoe industry)
July 14, 1986... Reebok is official shoe for U.S. Tennis Open Reebok International, Ltd., Avon, Mass., has been named official shoe of the U.S. Tennis Open in a two-year contract company officials contend will reaffirm Reebok's commitment to the overall...

See NSGA, SGMA tiff ending. (National Sporting Goods Association; Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association; athletic shoe industry trade shows)
July 14, 1986... See NSGA, SGMA tiff ending A settlement of the trade show dispute between the National Sporting Goods Association (NSGA) and the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association (SGMA) is expected within the next two weeks by athletic footwear...

June wholesale leather prices increase 3.4%. (footwear industry)
July 14, 1986... June wholesale leather prices increase 3.4% Wholesale leather prices in June increased 3.4 percent over May levels and 13.1 percent over June 1985 prices, the Labor Department said. Seasonally adjusted, last month's leather products prices...

Cherokee net up 86.9% in quarter, 89.2% in half. (footwear industry)
July 14, 1986... Cherokee net up 86.9% in quarter, 89.2% in half The Cherokee Group said earnings soared 89.9 percent in the second quarter and 89.2 percent in the six months ended May 31, powered by explosive growth in the firm's apparel division. In...

Pentland to start trading in U.S. (Pentland Industries PLC; footwear industry, Great Britain)
July 14, 1986... Pentland to start trading in U.S. Pentland Industries, PLC, the British footwear and apparel company that gave Reebok a boost in its early stages and now owns 37 percent of that firm, will begin trading over-the-counter today in the U.S....

May income is down 0.1% . (personal income decline)
July 14, 1986... May income is down 0.1% Personal income dropped 0.1 percent in May, the first decline in earnings in a year, the Commerce Department reported recently. A sharp drop in Government subsidy payments to farmers was blamed for the decrease....

Fila success spawns spate of alleged counterfeiting. (athletic shoe industry)
July 14, 1986... Fila success spawns spate of alleged counterfeiting Counterfeiters apparently want to share in the exploding shoe sales of Fila, Hunt Valley, Md., which more than doubled in 1985 and are expected to increase a dramatic 17-fold this year....

Imports shift into "high" with 10.6% gain in May. (footwear industry)
July 7, 1986... Imports shift into "high' with 10.6% gain in May Imports of nonrubber footwear in May advanced 10.6 percent, on the heels of a substantially smaller 2.2 percent increase the month before, according to Commerce Department figures. May...

Operating expenses up for independents in '85. (shoe retail trade)
July 7, 1986... Operating expenses up for independents in '85 Operating expenses for independent shoe retailers and small footwear chains represented 38.7 percent of total sales in 1985, a 0.8 percent increase over 1984 levels, according to a recently...

Shoe stocks up 19.1% in 28 weeks. (footwear industry; securities)
July 7, 1986... Shoe stocks up 19.1% in 28 weeks Hefty gains in the overall stock market and good showings by athletic shoe resources' issues helped push footwear stocks up an average of 19.1 percent for the 28 weeks ended-June 23. Although stocks of...

Lobby efforts catch fire for Jenkins override vote. (Textile and Apparel Trade enforcement Act; footwear industry)
July 7, 1986... Lobby efforts catch fire for Jenkins override vote Lobbying efforts for the upcoming override vote of the Textile and Apparel Trade Enforcement Act (TAG), which includes restrictions on footwear imports, have heated up, this spurred by...

Newberger sentenced to five years probation. (Walter S. Newberger; footwear industry)
July 7, 1986... Newberger sentenced to five years probation Footwear retailer and wholesaler Walter S. Newberger was sentenced to five years probation and 500 hours of community service last week, ending an ongoing drama of retailer Wilkes Bashford's rent...

Sale talks end at Leverenz. (Leverenz Shoe Co. acquired by Shah International)
July 7, 1986... Sale talks end at Leverenz The Leverenz Shoe Co. last week disclosed it has ended negotiations with Milwaukee businessman Yogesh Shah for the sale of the firm and, separately, that chairman Robert H. Leverenz has returned to active...

L.A. Gear initial offer takes 12.25 points jump. (athletic shoe industry)
July 7, 1986... L.A. Gear initial offer takes 12-1/4 points jump L.A. Gear saw its 1,650,000 shares of common stock, sold in an initial public offering last Tuesday, soar 12-1/4 points to 23-3/4 from its offering price of $11.50 on the Over-the-Counter...

Study: imports save $3.1 bil. (footwear industry)
July 7, 1986... Study: Imports save $3.1 bil. A conservative, pro free market think tank has issued a study contending U.S. consumers would have to pay as much as $3.1 billion more a year for footwear if Congress overrides President Reagan's veto of...

Aerobics-fitness keep athletic market sizzling. (athletic shoe industry)
July 7, 1986... Aerobics/fitness keep athletic market sizzling The athletic footwear market apparently is being kept healthy with astounding sales of aerobics/fitness shoes--sales that have jumped 400 percent and helped earn the industry retail sales in...

Pony signs NBA dunk champ. (athletic shoe industry; Spud Webb)
July 7, 1986... Pony signs NBA dunk champ Pony, Inc., has signed NBA dunk champion Spud Webb to endorse a new line of basketball shoes, linked itself with the 1987 America's Cup competition and named four people to new management positions--all steps...

Footwear industry takes beating in '85 as imports, costs cut prices.
July 7, 1986... Footwear industry takes beating in '85 as imports, costs cut prices As bad a year as 1984 was for the footwear industry, 1985 proved even worse. With few exceptions, most notably the Reebok phenomenon, the FN annual analysis of 45...