Footwear News articles from May 1986

Footwear News archives from May 1986

Avia peruses funding paths. (athletic shoe industry)
May 26, 1986... Avia peruses funding paths Still burning from the opportunity they missed with Reebok's initial stock issue, a number of Wall Street firms are trying to salve their wounds by winning underwriting duties for a possible public offering by...

Quality is key to profits: AIM. (All Industry Marketing Conference of Footwear Industries of America)
May 26, 1986... Quality is key to profits: AIM A commitment to quality assurance--from design through production, marketing, and retailing stages--is a necessity if the footwear industry is to achieve greater profits and sales. That was the consensus...

Retailers enter shows 'looking for a trend'. (shoe industry)
May 26, 1986... Retailers enter shows "looking for a trend' "I will be looking for a trend. I'm still looking for a trend.' That comment by Pat Baukal, salon and better-grade buyer for B. Altman, here, typified the preshow sentiments of a cross section...

U.S. may target Brazil footwear for crackdown. (unfair trade penalties considered)
May 26, 1986... U.S. may target Brazil footwear for crackdown Nonrubber footwear may become a leading candidate for crackdowns against Brazilian imports under penalties now being considered by the Reagan Administration, U.S. Government officials said last...

Association's executives discuss ways to hike sales. (footwear industry)
May 26, 1986... Associations's executives discuss ways to hike sales Executive members of various major industry associations met here last week to discuss how efforts could be pooled to increase the sale of shoes in the marketplace and to "enhance the...

House passes trade bill by a large majority. (free trade and protection legislation)
May 26, 1986... House passes trade bill by a large majority The Omnibus Trade Bill was overwhelmingly passed by the House last week over vociferous objections by the Reagan Administration. The bill is designed to thwart what sponsors called "a new foreign...

Spanish industry woes 'talk' of MODATECC. (The Spanish Preselection Leather and Shoe Components Fair)
May 26, 1986... Spanish industry woes "talk' of MODATECC Manufacturers attending MODATECC here last week told tales of a Spanish shoe industry in upheaval. They said they are taking "drastic measures' to cure the industry's ills, such as closing and...

Hart asserts trade bill ignores cause of crisis. (Gary Hart)
May 26, 1986... Hart asserts trade bill ignores cause of crisis While the House of Representatives was passing its Omnibus Trade Bill, Sen. Gary Hart (D-Colo.) blasted the legislation at a meeting of the American Association of Exporters & Importers...

Footwear sources jump on newsletter bandwagon. (marketing tools)
May 26, 1986... Footwear sources jump on newsletter bandwagon One of the fastest growing a forms of business communication in recent years has been the newsletter, and footwear wholesalers have been quick to pick up on the benefits of this marketing tool....

La. legislature OKs bill repealing Sunday closing. (retail trade legislation)
May 26, 1986... La. legislature OKs bill repealing Sunday closing A bill repealing Louisiana's Sunday closing laws has been approved by the Louisiana State legislature. It awaits only the signature of Gov. Edwin Edwards, who has said he will support the...

Mexicans bolster shoe effort. (shoe industry)
May 26, 1986... Mexicans bolster shoe export effort After several years of weakening production, shoe manufacturers in Mexico are muscling up the country's industry, hoping to boost exports to the U.S. In particular, Leon, a city in the top...

'Keep sex out and race out of the work place.' employers told. (Tom Alfano, Two-Ten National Foundation luncheon)
May 26, 1986... "Keep sex and race out of work place,' employers tolc "Keep sex and race out of the work place,' was the advice given by Tom Alfano, consultant for the California State Department of Fair Employment and Housing, at a recent Two/Ten National...

House GOP asks Dems. to nix trade reform bill. (free trade and protection legislation)
May 26, 1986... House GOP asks Dems. to nix trade reform bill The House Republican leadership, which speaks for the Administration, is appealing to the Democratic majority to avoid approving wide-ranging trade reform legislation whose protectionist case...

Volcker warns of trade future. (Paul A. Volcker)
May 26, 1986... Volcker warns of trade future Federal Reserve Board Chairman Paul Volcker warned that the future of U.S. trade is "inextricably interlocked' with other countries. In his testimony before the House Banking Committee, Volcker said a...

Ausimont earns 5% of sales in footwear field. (Ausimont Compo N.V.; artificial leather market)
May 26, 1986... Ausimont earns 5% of sales from footwear field Revenue from footwear operations now account for about 5 percent of the Ausimont Compo, N.V.'s sales, according to the company's recently released annual report. According to statements by...

'Big brother' EPA role disturbs some attorneys. (pollution control and right to privacy issues)
May 26, 1986... "Big brother' EPA role disturbs some attorneys Legal experts for business interests are "frightened' and "disturbed' by a U.S. Supreme Court decision handed down last week that gives the Government--in this case, the Environmental...

6,000 firms are on EPA toxic waste list. (Superfund taxes, pollution control issues)
May 26, 1986... 6,000 firms are on EP A toxic waste list In an attempt to prove that all industries, including the footwear industry, should be partly responsible for paying for the Superfund hazardous waste cleanup effort, the chemical industry has...

Patent suits' success rate significantly higher. (patent suit cases in footwear industry)
May 26, 1986... Patent suits' success rate significantly higher The success rate of patent lawsuits is steadily improving and their significance will increase further due to more high-tech footwear, pending legislation and the formation of a specific...

Is competitiveness council needed? (Industrial Competitiveness Council proposal from Congress)
May 26, 1986... In Competitiveness Council needed? Expected House sanction of a proposed many-sided Industrial Competitiveness Council reflects a belief that a domestic crisis is at hand. The proposed 16-member council, drawn from business, labor,...

Senators rap White House on trade issues. (free trade and protection legislation)
May 26, 1986... Senators rap White House on trade issues A Senate subcommittee and a member of the Reagan Administration traded barbs about trade policy recently, with some Senators charging the Administration remains indifferent to international trade...

Parental-leave bill in Congressional gestation. (Parental and Medical Leave Act HR 4300 proposed)
May 26, 1986... Parental-leave bill in Congressional gestation Winding its way quietly through Congress, virtually overlooked amidst the debate on tax reform and the budget, is legislation that could have an even more profound impact on American business:...

Red Wing giant waking up to get place in the sun. (marketing; shoe industry)
May 26, 1986... Red Wing giant waking up to get place in the sun The Red Wing Shoe Co. has traditionally maintained a low profile in an industry where most will resort to any number of dog-and-pony show tactics to gain attention. Although the...

Many U.S. buyers gain volume to open Asia office. (management of overseas offices)
May 26, 1986... Many U.S. buyers gain volume to open Asia offices With Asia knocking out billions of dollars worth of U.S.-bound fashion merchandise each year, many U.S. buyers are building up the volume to open their own buying offices and do the sourcing...

China's demand for imported hides up to 10-15%. (leather industry and trade)
May 26, 1986... China's demand for imported hides up 10-15% Demand for imported leather hides is growing by 10-15 percent a year in China, which could become the world's biggest cattle hide purchaser in 10 years, according to international leather dealers....

Polygraph ban legislation faces Senate test. (Employee Polygraph Protection Act)
May 26, 1986... Polygraph ban legislation faces Senate test Retailers, manufacturers and other employers face the prospect of a sweeping prohibition of polygraph testing of employees and job applicants, when the intent is to probe attitudes and potential...

Aspen Leaf trying to lure yuppies. (sporting goods retail trade, marketing)
May 26, 1986... Aspen Leaf trying to lure yuppies Yuppie couples-- those dual-income young professionals --have been attracting a lot of attention in retail circles lately. Polo, Perkins Shearer, Walter Chase, Abercrombie & Fitch and The Sharper Image are...

Podiatrist granted patent on tiltsole footwear. (athletic shoe designer; Louis C. Talarico, 2d)
May 26, 1986... Podiatrist granted patent on tiltsole footwear A New England podiatrist has patented an invention for footwear that he claims has the potential to rewrite textbook concepts of podiatric biomechanics. Louis C. Talarico, 2d, a foot...

Economist predict 2.9% growth. (retail trade forecasts)
May 26, 1986... Economists predict 2.9% growth In a recent survey, retail economists predicted 2.9 percent real growth in 1986, citing lower interest rates, more stable employment levels, and lower inflation. The retail industry economists were among...

Atkins, 73, dies of heart failure; VFRA chief. (Edward Atkins, Volume Footwear Retailers Association) (obituary)
May 19, 1986... Atkins, 73, dies of heart failure; VFRA chief NEW YORK -- Edward Atkins, 73, retired head of the Volume Footwear Retailers Association, died here last Thursday of heart failure. Atkins retired from VFRA in 1981, after 37 years of service as...

Shoe retailers chart shopping center growth.
May 19, 1986... Shoe retailers chart shopping center growth LAS VEGAS -- The U.S. retail market may be overstored, as critics charge, but footwear retailers exhibiting at the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) leasing mall here last week pitched...

Shoe week is called off; local efforts advised. (National Footwear Week)
May 19, 1986... Shoe week is called off; local efforts advised LOS ANGELES -- After declaring in February that National Footwear Week (NFW), scheduled for Sept. 21-28, would definitely take place, the National Shoe Travelers Association (NSTA) and the...

Athletic concerns mull running their own shoe.
May 19, 1986... Athletic concerns mull running their own show NEW YORK -- The already crowded athletic shoe show situation grew more complicated last week with a warning by major branded shoe firms that they may start their own trade shows. The...

Amfesco to shut two factories.
May 19, 1986... Amfesco to shut two factories PLAINVIEW, N.Y. -- Amfesco Industries, Inc., last week disclosed plans to sh utter two of its factories as "a major step in the company's reorganization under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code." Though...

Baker files initial offer. (J. Baker Inc.)
May 19, 1986... Baker files initial offer HYDE PARK, Mass. -- J. Baker, Inc., last week disclosed it has filed a registration statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), proposing an initial public offering of 2,315,000 shares of common stock....

May will buy 3 Gimbels units.
May 19, 1986... May will buy 3 Gimbels units NEW YORK (FNS) -- Batus, Inc., last Friday said it had reached agreements in principle for the sale of about half of the stores it plans to sell. May Department Stores has agreed to buy three suburban units of...

Spalding's Ali expects high-tech fitness surge. (Altaf Ali)
May 19, 1986... Spalding's Ali expects high-tec fitness surge NEW YORK -- Newly named Spalding International Footwear president Altaf Ali anticipates dramatic growth in the company's expanding, high-technology fitness and team sports athletic shoe line. ...

BBC set to build 2 plants for tag 'Made in U.S.'. (BBC International, Ltd.)
May 12, 1986... BBC set to build 2 plants for tag "Made in U.S.' BBC International, Ltd., a volume footwear importer, is planning canstruction of two U.S. shoe factories, the decision prompted by the popularity of the "Made in America' marketing theme. ...

Scoa shoe dept's sold. (acquisition by Tishkoff Enterprises Inc.)
May 12, 1986... Scoa shoe dep'ts sold Tishkoff Enterprises, Inc., headed by Dennis Tishkoff, former president of Scoa Industries' retail footwear division, has acquired the assets of Scoa Industries' footwear departments in conventional department stores...

Terrorism alters many European travel plans. (footwear buyers cancel trips)
May 12, 1986... Terrorism alters many European travel plans The smoldering threat of terrorism in Europe apparently has not had as serious an impact on the footwear industry as it has on the apparel industry, although a number of shoe industry officials...

Barry sees doubled sales at Dearfoams in 3 years. (footwear industry)
May 12, 1986... Barry sees doubled sales at Dearfoams in 3 years A network television advertising campaign, coupled with increased support at store level will enable R.G. Barry Corp. to double its sales of Dearfoams over the next three years, chairman...

Amfesco's consolidation cited in stock movement. (company reorganization for footwear manufacturer)
May 12, 1986... Amfesco's consolidation cited in stock movement Sources close to Amfesco Industries, Inc., said the recent activity in the company's common stock probably reflected optimism about continued operations resulting from earlier steps by the...

Volume expects 350 units in '86. (Volume Shoe Corp.)
May 12, 1986... Volume expects 350 units in '86 Despite industrywide opinion that the U.S. retail market is grossly overstored, Volume Shoe Corp., Topeka, revealed plans to open 1,100 new Payless ShoeSource stores by 1989, including 350 this year. In...

Fast market reaction seen answer to imports. (Footwear Industries of America analysis)
May 12, 1986... Fast market reaction seen answer to imports U.S. Shoe manufacturers must come to grips with "technology marketing,' the ability to react quicker to market changes and have a faster response in production, according to Carl Bontemps,...

Machines with eyes show promise. (automation in shoe manufacturing)
May 12, 1986... Machines with eyes show promise The machines have it . . . eyes, that is. Devices that allow machines to see, speeding the automation of U.S. factories, are being implemented throughout the manufacturing sector, including footwear...

Morse quarter income gains 31.1%. (retail stores, shoe industry)
May 12, 1986... Morse quarter income gains 31.1% Morse Shoe, Inc., reported last week that earnings gained 31.1 percent in the first quarter ended March 29 on a sales increase of 3.9 percent. In the quarter, earnings rose to $1,505,000, or 28 cents a...

Shoe-Town sales reach new plateau. (shoe retail stores)
May 12, 1986... Shoe-Town sales reach new plateau Sales at Shoe-Town, Inc., for fiscal 1985 rose 8.5 percent to a record $143,142,000 from $131,929,000 in 1984, according to the company's recently released annual report. Of that increase, 7.9 percent was...

Children's rtw building finds footwear profitable.
May 12, 1986... Children's rtw building finds footwear profitable There is a building at 112 West 34th street that is probably a second home to people in the children's wear industry, but perhaps only vaguely familar to those in the children's shoe...

Hong Kong is admitted as full GATT member. (General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade)
May 12, 1986... Hong Kong is admitted as full GATT member Hong Kong's admission to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) as a full member gives the British colony autonomy to conduct its external commercial affairs. This includes full...

Brazil shoe strike ends, but problems smoulder.
May 5, 1986... Brazil shoe strike ends, but problems smoulder A 13-day shoe workers' strike--which caused a production loss of 100,000 pairs-- has ended in Franca, Brazil, following sporadic outbreaks of violence, but troubles for U.S. shoe importers...

FFANY forms coalition with accessories group. (Fashion Footwear Association of New York, National Fashion Accessory Association)
May 5, 1986... FFANY forms coalition with accessories group The Fashion Footwear Association of New York (FFANY) has formed a coalition with the National Fashion Accessory Association (NFAA, formerly the National Handbag Association), allowing the...

H.H. Holdings acquires Craddock for $31 million.
May 5, 1986... H.H. Holdings acquires Craddock for $31 million H.H. Holdings, Inc., a privately held Delaware corporation headed by Alan Salke, last Wednesday acquired 100 percent ownership of Craddock-Terry Shoe Corp. The transaction, recently...

March imports break former record. (footwear imports)
May 5, 1986... March imports break former record March imports of nonrubber footwear were the largest monthly shipments in history, provoking angry charges from domestic shoe firms that the U.S. industry has been abandoned by the Reagan Administration....

Reebok calls '85 'phenomenal.'
May 5, 1986... Reebok calls '85 "phenomenal' Reebok International, Ltd., president and chief executive officer Paul Fireman told about 200 stockholders and industry watchers at the company's annual meeting last week that 1985 was a "phenomenal' year for...

Accessory arena on financial upswing. (fashion accessories)
May 5, 1986... Accessory arena on financial upswing Low interest rates and updated "items' at moderate prices are bringing the accessory market a financial upswing, and wholesale sales could rise as much as 15-30 percent in most categories at next week's...

Italians had a bad year and the figures prove it. (footwear industry)
May 5, 1986... Italians had a bad year and the figures prove it Recent gloomy analyses of the state of the Italian footwear industry were confirmed last week with the release of disappointing production, sales and import statistics for 1985. Commenting...

Wolverine pares qtr. loss on 7.9% volume decline.
May 5, 1986... Wolverine pares qtr. loss on 7.9% volume decline Wolverine World Wide, Inc., posted a loss of $400,000 in the first quarter, compared with a loss of $800,000 last year. First quarter net sales totaled $74.4 million, down 7.9 per cent from...

'85 imports continue to rise in value, quantity. (footwear imports)
May 5, 1986... '85 imports continue to rise in value, quantity Footwear imports to the U.S. continued to rise in value and quantity last year, but the increase was not as high as in the previous year. Imports of footwear into the U.S. in 1985 rose...

Genesco plans to sell Camp hosiery affiliate.
May 5, 1986... Genesco plans to sell Camp hosiery affiliate Genesco, Inc., which has been selling smaller operations to raise cash, last week said it will offer a larger part of its business--Camp hosiery --for sale. The company also said: It...

A profitable '86 Bass seen in retailing gains.
May 5, 1986... A profitable '86 Bass seen in retailing gains "The Bass division will be profitable this year,' asserted Richard Bourret, vice-president of Chesebrough-Pond's, Inc., and president of its Bass division. In an interview following...

U.S. Shoe sees qtr. net off 80%.
May 5, 1986... U.S. Shoe sees qtr. net off 80% U.S. Shoe Corp. said it predicts earnings will drop about 80 percent in the first quarter ending May 3, from year-ago first quarter earnings of $13,223,000 or 60 cents a share. U.S. Shoe said earnings...

Edison sees better quarter. (Edison Brothers Stores Inc.)
May 5, 1986... Edison sees better quarter Edison Bros. Stores, Inc., expects net income for its first quarter ended April 19 to be "significantly above' last year's comparatively weak figures, Julian Edison, chairman, told stockholders last week. ...

Opulence becomes latest Lauren shop. (Polo-Ralph Lauren)
May 5, 1986... Opulence becomes latest Lauren shop The newest and largest Polo/Ralph Lauren shop, which opened here recently, is the ultimate in Ralph Lauren. The store, located on the corner of 72d Street and Madison Avenue in the former Rhinelander...

Two Lips goes to faster looks - and sales jump.
May 5, 1986... Two Lips goes to faster looks--and sales jump Two Lips, a domestic junior shoe manufacturer, has changed its shoe lines to a faster, fashion-oriented look, and the shoes, according to John Donohoe, principal are selling better than ever....