Germany's flat sandal maker Birkenstock stepped into the luxury league on Friday, with an LVMH-backed company and the French group's billionaire owner Bernard Arnault snapping up the iconic brand.

​Ethical footwear brand Allbirds has invested $2 million into a material innovation firm, Natural Fiber Welding, and the result is what it claims to be the world’s most sustainable leather alternative for fashion.

Steve Madden Ltd. announced a 32.8 percent decrease in full year revenues on Thursday, as the company continues to feel the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. 

The Rockford, Michigan-based outdoor and active apparel and footwear company reported a Q4 net loss of $170.7 million on Thursday, as quarterly revenues fell 16.1% year over year.

​It looks like the long rumoured private equity takeover of family-owned Birkenstock could actually be happening soon. L Catterton, the group with close links to LVMH, is said to be “nearing an agreement” to buy it.

​The two major name retailers have signed deals with logistics specialist Clipper Logistics, with the details of the deals highlighting how important automation and omnichannel have become.

Online retail group N Brown said Thursday that its chairman Matt Davies is stepping down from his post at the end of next month in order to “spend more time on his other business activities”.

Primark will have lost around £1.1 billion worth of sales due to lockdowns and other restrictions in the 27 weeks up to the end of this month, the value retailer said on Thursday.

The American brand founded by Ronnie Fieg is opening a store in the French capital. Spread over three floors, the 16,000-square-foot location not only offers the label's latest collections, but also a restaurant. 

​John Lewis’s buying director of fashion is set to stand down after many years at the firm. But it seems the move isn't linked to the retailer’s general restructuring. Christine Kasoulis will leave to focus on her MBA. 

Fanny Moizant has informed the board of SMCP that she’s stepping down as a director. The move comes as she needs to be “fully focused on her other activities, in particular the development of Vestiaire Collective”

Increasingly under-fire e-commerce retailers are making a stand. ASOS, Boohoo, The Hut Group, Ocado, AO World and Gymshark have launched The UK Digital Business Association (UKDBA).

H&M is launching a new product concept called Innovation Stories with the first of a range of collections that will drop this year debuting March 18. Each drop will celebrate "forward-thinking sustainability processes”.

The Broomfield, Colorado-based footwear maker reported record annual revenues of $1.4 billion on Tuesday, with progress driven by booming digital sales and solid growth in the company’s Americas region.

One of the great retailing experts, Helen Lambert, talks with Godfrey Deeny about what's next in e-tailing and what's up with her latest project, online wholesale platform Style Pulse, in our latest podcast.

Hotter Shoes’ CEO Ian Watson has a long-term vision for the comfort shoe brand’s stores to become “experiential centres”, but for now his focus is on more technology and a more digital future.