MENOMONEE FALLS, Wis. — February 8, 2021 — Kohl’s announced today it will partner with Eddie Bauer to bring premium-quality performance outerwear and outdoor apparel for the entire family to Kohl’s customers nationwide in Fall 2021. Kohl’s will offer a wide array of apparel from the outdoor brand across women’s, men’s and kids — from a core assortment of year-round products to seasonal selections — in as many as 500 stores. In addition, Kohls.com will offer an expanded assortment of Eddie Bauer favorites including down jackets and parkas, performance bottoms, fleece, flannel, sleepwear, and more — providing families with everything they need for their outdoor adventures.

“We are excited to partner with Eddie Bauer, a brand synonymous with outfitting families for any activity or adventure, to bring their assortment of award-winning, high-quality activewear and outerwear to millions of Kohl’s customers,” said Doug Howe, Kohl’s chief merchandising officer. “Eddie Bauer’s rich heritage of designing authentic, functional apparel that inspires everyone to get outdoors combined with their passion for delivering differentiated, innovative products that meet the needs of today’s consumer has made the brand a leader in the outdoor industry. The addition of the Eddie Bauer brand into our portfolio acutely aligns with our ambition to grow our active and outdoor business, and attract new and younger customers to Kohl’s.”

Beginning in Fall 2021, Kohl’s customers will be able to shop Eddie Bauer’s quality performance apparel designed with function, fabric and features in mind, such as moisture-wicking, packable, anti-pill, and UPF-rated items. Kohl’s will offer a deep, size-inclusive assortment of Eddie Bauer merchandise for the whole family on Kohls.com, in addition to a rotating assortment of seasonally relevant offerings in as many as 500 stores, beginning with outerwear, fleece and flannel this fall.

“For more than 100 years, Eddie Bauer has been inspiring and empowering people to live their adventure, whatever that may be. Through quality apparel and gear that is built to last, and together with Kohl’s, we will expand our reach, increase accessibility and bring the benefits of the outdoors to more communities,” said Damien Huang, president of Eddie Bauer. “Kohl’s is a trusted resource for active, casual and wellness products for the family and a known destination for quality brands at an incredible value.”

The addition of Eddie Bauer bolsters Kohl’s strategic goal to drive the Active category from 20 percent to at least 30 percent of its business, which includes driving growth in the outdoor category. Kohl’s customer insights indicate that shoppers continue to look to Kohl’s for their active and outdoor needs. Eddie Bauer joins Kohl’s unmatched portfolio of active brands including Nike, Under Armour, adidas, Champion, and Columbia, as well its growing assortment of new national brands including Lands’ End, TOMS and Cole Haan. Kohl’s will also launch a new private label, specialty athleisure brand FLX this March.

Posted February 8, 2021

Source: Kohl’s

VALENCIA, Calif. — February 8, 2021 — Mechanix Wear, supplier of high-performance hand protection, announced today an official partnership with clim8, the global innovation leader in intelligent thermal technologies for wearables. Through the new collaboration, Mechanix Wear becomes the exclusive workwear glove licensee of clim8® technologies in the United States for 2021, which will allow the company to launch the first work glove in the United States with an intelligent, self-regulating and activating heating system tailored to each unique individual’s optimum comfort levels.

The partnership between Mechanix Wear and clim8 will enable the companies to develop industry-leading products that thermoregulate the hands of anyone affected by cold weather. clim8’s intelligent technology allows users to control their heating comfort through the clim8 app, creating a unique thermal profile that automates the gloves to their ideal body temperature. The companies will release a limited edition run of their first intelligent thermal gloves for industrial workers and brand loyalists just in time for winter. Following the limited run, Mechanix Wear and clim8 will announce the product’s full availability later this year.

“Mechanix Wear is dedicated to working with partners who can take our best-in-class hand protection and further its performance and versatility to those on the front lines,” said Michael Hale, CEO at Mechanix Wear. “This collaboration with clim8 will allow us to incorporate unique and innovative thermo-technology to Mechanix Wear’s existing gloves while expanding our product offerings to best address cold weather conditions and environments.”

clim8, the French based company, provides the most advanced heating technologies for optimal & personalized thermal comfort for wearables. Its science proofed technologies use smart devices and sensors that are seamlessly woven into garments to create unique intelligent thermo-regulating experiences for users — using advanced algorithms to automatically react and respond based on the user’s desired activity and comfort level.

“Our thermoregulation technology is designed to protect those that work or play in cold weather conditions. Through our partnership with Mechanix Wear, we’re able to collaborate with a proven leader in hand protection and technology to develop safe and innovative products and ensure peak performance,” said Florian Miguet, CEO of clim8. “Our launch with Mechanix Wear of the first ever workwear glove with intelligent, thermo-regulated technology is just the start in a series of advancements we’ll be sharing over time.”

Posted February 8, 2021

Source: Mechanix Wear

SHIRLEY, Mass. — February 8, 2021 — Bemis Associates — a manufacturer of thermoplastic films, tapes, and adhesives for bonding — is hosting an introductory webinar on the ‘basics of bonding’. The webinar will air live on Wednesday, February 10, 2021 at 9:30 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time, and will address bonding in construction applications with some general product information as well.

The company will present an overview of their history in bonding innovation and the benefits it offers. Panelists will share specifics on how bonding not only revolutionized the design and construction of products, but how this method of construction can do more than just stick things together including maximize comfort and feel, enhance aesthetic, streamline production, replace bulky elastics, and construct applications that might not be possible with conventional stitching or liquid glues.

Webinar participants will also learn about the critical factors for adhesive selection, varying elements in product types, and key application guidelines. There will be a segment where Bemis’ design team presents a myriad of bonding possibilities, finished product examples, and provide recommendations as to when to properly select bonding versus sewing.

“We’re pleased to share the expertise our design engineers can offer our customers and partners during this webinar,” said Scott Wood, director of Product & Marketing. “Bemis’ leadership position in specialty adhesives allows us the opportunity to provide this valuable information and insight,” he said.

Posted February 8, 2021

Source: Bemis Associates Inc.

WASHINGTON — February 8, 2021 — Following a record year during 2020, imports at the nation’s largest retail container ports are expected to set new monthly records from now into the summer as the nation’s economy continues to recover from the pandemic, according to the monthly Global Port Tracker report released today by the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates.

“The import numbers we’re seeing reflect retailers’ expectations for consumer demand to the point that many factories in Asia that normally close for Chinese New Year this month are remaining open to keep up,” NRF Vice President for Supply Chain and Customs Policy Jonathan Gold said. “Regardless of whether it’s in-store or on retailers’ websites, the record holiday season and numbers for 2020 show consumers are buying again and have been for a while. This surge has been going on for months, and retailers are importing merchandise faster than ever.”

Retail sales during the November-December holiday season in 2020 hit a record $789.4 billion, up 8.3 percent from 2019, and preliminary figures show retail sales for all of 2020 were up 6.8 percent year-over-year.

“As we continue to struggle with COVID-19 and the ups and downs in the economy, year-over-year increases in the flow of containerized goods have become dramatic,” Hackett Associates Founder Ben Hackett said. “It is impressive that the cargo volumes handled by the ports remain as high as they are despite congestion at the docks and the spread of the coronavirus among workers throughout the supply chain.”

U.S. ports covered by Global Port Tracker handled 2.11 million Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units in December, the latest month for which final numbers are available. That was up 0.2 percent from November and up 22.3 percent year-over-year. A TEU is one 20-foot container or its equivalent.

That brought 2020 to a total of 22 million TEU, up 1.9 percent from 2019’s 21.6 million TEU and beating the previous record of 21.8 million TEU recorded in 2018.

January results aren’t available yet but the month was projected at 2.08 million TEU, which would be up 14.6 percent over the same month last year and the busiest January since NRF began tracking imports in 2002, topping 1.89 million TEU in January 2019.

February is historically the slowest month of the year for imports, both because of the lull between the holiday season and spring and because factories in Asia close for the Chinese New Year holiday. But with 25-30 ships waiting to dock at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach because of congestion at the terminals from reported equipment and labor shortages and with many Asian factories remaining open during the holiday to meet demand, this February is forecast at 1.91 million TEU, up 26.3 percent year-over-year. March is forecast at 1.93 million TEU, up an unprecedented 41 percent from March 2020, when factories in China failed to reopen because of the coronavirus. April is forecast at 1.82 million TEU, up 13.3 percent year-over-year; May at 1.9 million TEU, up 23.8 percent, and June also at 1.9 million TEU, up 18.2 percent.

Each month from January through June would be a record for the month, and the first half of 2021 is forecast at 11.5 million TEU, up 22.1 percent from the same period in 2020, which experienced a major decline in imports due to the impact of COVID-19.

Global Port Tracker, which is produced for NRF by the consulting firm Hackett Associates, provides historical data and forecasts for the U.S. ports of Los Angeles/Long Beach, Oakland, Seattle and Tacoma on the West Coast; New York/New Jersey, Port of Virginia, Charleston, Savannah, Port Everglades, Miami and Jacksonville on the East Coast, and Houston on the Gulf Coast. The report is free to NRF retail members, and subscription information is available at NRF.com/PortTracker .

Posted February 8, 2021

Source: The National Retail Federation(NRF)