A 75% jump in interest expense hit Designer Brands’ bottom line in the first quarter, helping sending net income down 92% to $885,000 from $11,373,000 on sales that grew 1% to $746,596,000 from $742,082,000, with total comps down 2.5%.

Net loss in the first quarter expanded by 16% to $18,066,000 from a loss of $15,639,000 last year, on 9% lower revenues of $244,240,000 down from $267,529,000 in a seasonally small quarter.

As its transformation program hits the 18-month mark, the luxury brand will work to boost operating margin and improve its store fleet this year, building on workforce reductions and ongoing expansion into non-down categories, GOOS outlined at TD Cowen’s investor conference.

The embattled Swedish textile recycler has been acquired out of bankruptcy by PE firm Altor Equity Partners, and will rename the company after its core product Circulose.

The athletic and recreational apparel brand, which shuttered all of its brick-and-mortar stores in Mar., has now been acquired by PE firm Consortium Brand Partners for undisclosed terms.

In the fifth consecutive month of year-over-year declines, NSSF’s adjusted NICS background checks dropped 7.2% in May to 1,089,117 down from 1,174,142 last year.

Effective June 1, Gordon Geiger, who is EVP and co-owner of OH-based Geiger’s, began his three-year term as chairman of the National Sporting Goods Association’s board of directors.