The Vans and North Face parent jumped at a favorable offer for Dickies from Bluestar Alliance, CEO Bracken Darrell and CFO Paul Vogel revealed at the Wells Fargo Consumer Conference, with proceeds going to pay down debt and free up spending on marketing initiatives for its core brands.

ManU’s commercial revenue improved 24% to £88.2 million ($117.6 mm) in the final fiscal quarter ended June 30, as retail, merchandising, apparel & product licensing grew 26% to £37.0 million ($49.3 mm), driven by its new e-commerce model in partnership with SCAYLE, combined with the launch of its new home kit for the 2025/26 season.

The global consulting firm’s 2025 U.S. Retail Holiday Outlook projects 3% to 5% growth in holiday retail dollar sales this year, essentially flat at the low end, accounting for ~3% inflation.

The owner of more than 29% of The Big Cat’s equity has been in talks with Authentic Brands and private equity firm CVC, Manager Magazin first reported, contradicting other reports that the Pinault family isn’t interested in selling at the currently depressed market value.

Fortified Equity has inked an agreement to acquire Avid, the lifestyle apparel, fishing, hunting, and outdoor adventure brand, for undisclosed terms.

The surfing wetsuits and apparel company has received a $3.5 million financing facility from Rosenthal Capital Group, enabling Xcel to fund new shipments in transit and increase production with its main overseas suppliers.

With Christmas falling on a Thursday this year, Super Saturday (Dec. 20) is expected to be the second busiest brick-and-mortar shopping day of the season in the U.S., Sensormatic Solutions predicted, behind Black Friday in the top spot as usual.