Dive Brief:
- Continuing its focus on clothing, Foot Locker announced on Monday the launch of its first proprietary womenswear brand, Cozi. The collection will be available in stores and online at Foot Locker, Foot Locker Canada, Foot Locker Europe, and Champ Sports, with exclusive styles and colors available at select locations, according to the announcement.
- The retailer has tapped multiple people, including singer and songwriter Sy'rai Smith, skateboarder and community organizer Briana King, content creator Ilianna Ayala Garcia and photographer Christina Paik, to promote the brand, the company said.
- Priced between $35 and $50, the collection will feature items like high-rise joggers, wide-leg sweatpants and quarter zip pullover tops and hoodies and will range in sizes between XS to 3x, per the press release.
Dive Insight:
Foot Locker is launching another apparel brand, this time focused on womenswear. It follows the October introduction of clothing line Lckr and the November launch of lifestyle brand All City by Just Don with Don C. Fellow Foot Locker brand Eastbay also introduced a performance private label line in September, aimed at serving "the holistic athletic lifestyle from on-the-field, to the training room, to the street."
The retailer has been keenly focused on acquiring and revamping sportswear brands. In August, the company bought WSS parent Eurostar for $750 million and Text Trading Company for $360 million as it seeks to expand its reach into key markets. About a month ago, Foot Locker announced plans to merge its Champs Sports and Eastbay brands and created a unified logo.
"At Foot Locker, Inc., we are always thinking about the consumer. We understand that laid-back apparel isn't just for lounging anymore, and wanted to bring a female-centric apparel line to the market that is comfortable, affordable and stylish," Kirta Carroll, vice president, general merchandising manager, global women's at Foot Locker, said in a statement. "The introduction of Cozi allows women to feel confident in pieces that mix and match with their own style and personality."
Meanwhile, Foot Locker has shaken up its leadership as it rethinks its strategy, which appears to be paying off. Among other executive changes, the company announced last month that it promoted Frank Bracken to serve as chief operating officer. It also saw a 3.9% rise in sales to $2.2 billion in the third quarter, and a 13.3% sales increase compared to 2019.
Other athletics retailers such as Dick's Sporting Goods are undergoing some changes of their own with their private label brands. In March, Dick's Sporting Goods debuted VSRT, its men's activewear line, which includes commuter pants, joggers, hooded sweatshirts and shorts priced between $30 and $120. Earlier this month, Carrie Underwood announced on Instagram that she was walking away from Calia, the women's label owned by Dick's.
