California Apparel News

Winston Retail, a New York–headquartered retail agency, made a Jan. 13 announcement that it will acquire the Market Connect Group, a third-party merchandiser, from apparel-and-accessories company Randa. “The acquisition of MCG will add significantly to Winston’s reputation as the leader in in-store merchandising for image brands,” Winston Retail Chief Executive Officer and founder Jan Croatt said in a statement. “Our main focus will continue to be visual merchandising, store design, sales staffing and pop-up consumer experiences for brands and retailers, as well as expanding our technological capabilities.” Among its clients, Randa counts Under Armour, Adidas, Shinola, Bombas, Casper and certain VF Corporation brands.

Afterpay, a financial-technology firm headquartered in Melbourne, Australia, that focuses on digital buy now/pay later services, announced the appointment of David Katz as global chief product officer. Effective Jan. 12, the new role follows Katz’s time as senior vice president of product management and design at Fanatics, Inc. “The customer demand for Afterpay has grown beyond our expectations in markets across the world,” Anthony Eisen, co-founder and chief executive officer of Afterpay, said in a press release.

Fashion-and-lifestyle company PVH Corp. announced the sale of its Speedo North America Business to the Pentland Group, the parent company of Speedo International Limited. The $170-million cash sale is subject to a working-capital adjustment, with Speedo International licensing the Speedo trademark to a subsidiary of PVH for use in perpetuity in North America and the Caribbean. “This strategic announcement aligns with PVH’s goal to optimize and streamline its Heritage Brands business in the ever-evolving retail environment and focus on delivering sustainable, profitable growth of its global brands, Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger,” said Emanuel Chirico, chairman and chief executive officer of PVH Corp. The news comes ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics. “With the Tokyo Games this year, now is the right time to bring Speedo North America back into our brand portfolio,” said Andy Long, CEO of the Pentland Group’s Pentland Brands division.

Carol Lim and Humberto Leon, founders of the luxury retailer Opening Ceremony, announced in a Jan. 14 email the closure of all retail locations throughout 2020. Launched in 2002 on New York City’s Howard Street in SoHo, the retailer grew to include additional locations in Manhattan, next door to the original and a gift shop at the Ace Hotel in Midtown. Eventually, doors were also opened in Los Angeles, London and Tokyo. In the email, the pair commented on the joy they found by bridging people from around the world through their business. “This is why it’s incredibly emotional for us to announce today that we will be closing our Opening Ceremony retail locations sometime in 2020,” read the joint statement from Lim and Leon. “We’ve made a decision to focus on growing the Opening Ceremony collection and brand with our new partners, the New Guards Group, and expanding the designs of Opening Ceremony.”