Issue link: https://viewer.e-digitaledition.com/i/1171994
C hris Hufnagel will head the Merrell brand following the departure of Sue Rechner, parent company Wolverine World Wide announced. Hufnagel most recently served as global brand president of Wolverine's Cat Footwear brand. In his new position, he will continue to report to President of Wolverine Michigan Group Todd Spaletto. "Chris took aggressive action to help the Cat Footwear team rapidly evolve its growth and go-to-market strate- gies," Spaletto said in a statement. "His dem- onstrated collaboration and partnerships within Wolverine, coupled with deep apparel and life- style brand experience, make him an ideal fit to build on the strong foun- dation already in place at Merrell." Hufnagel's earlier r o l e s a t W o l v e r i n e include president of consumer direct, SVP and head of corporate strategy and co-chief transformation office for the company's Wolverine Way Forward strategic initiative. He previ- ously worked at Under Armour, the Gap and Abercrombie & Fitch. "Merrell is a very special brand with a rich heritage and an even more promis- ing future," Hufnagel said. "I'm excited to join the team as we work together to build amazing products, tell compelling stories, drive accelerated growth around the world, and continue helping everyone experience the power of the trail." The Merrell brand posted mid-single- digit growth in the second quarter, driven by new launches and strong upward momentum in DTC. Cat sales grew almost 25 percent in the same period. No president has been named for Cat. Until a replacement is named, Cat leader- ship will report to Spaletto. — By Jennifer Ernst Beaudry New President at Merrell NB Pays Homage to NYC BUSINESS RUNNING THE FOOTWEAR EYE Wolverine vet Chris Hufnagel replaces departing Sue Rechner Prints and patterns in New Balance's footwear and apparel collection for the 2019 New Balance TCS New York City Marathon pay homage to New York City's Pulaski, Willis Avenue, Verrazzano- Narrow, Queensboro and Madison Avenue Bridges (the latter two major elements of the marathon course). The apparel collection is available now. Footwear in the collection goes on sale Oct. 1. l 10 • Footwear Insight ~ September/October 2019 footwearinsight.com