National: Dec. 22, 2000
Canton, Mass.-based Reebok International Ltd. will become the exclusive apparel licensee of the National Football League (NFL) under an agreement that will pay the pro league at least $250 million over 10 years; as part of the deal, which goes into effect in 2002, the NFL will become part owner of a new Reebok division dedicated to the manufacture and sale of NFL products; the new contract also ends a system in which there were several NFL apparel licensees, including Adidas, Puma, Nike and Champion; last year, NFL-licensed products tallied approximately $3 billion in sales, according to a trade publication...The Barneys stores in Beverly Hills, New York and Chicago soon will have a new landlord; Isetan, the Japanese company that has owned the store locations since Barneys emerged from its 1996 bankruptcy, is putting them up for sale, though the move is not expected to affect the retailer, which has long-term leases at all three sites...Not surprisingly, Business Week magazine’s Best Products of 2000 is dominated by high-tech gadgetry; the only apparel on the list is ZoZa.com’s line of wrinkle-free, machine-washable fashion made of fabrics customarily found only in outdoorwear; the ZoZa “urban performance” line includes a $250 evening dress that rolls up into a bag and a $245 fleece blazer suitable for both the office and the woods; ZoZa was founded by Mel and Patricia Ziegler, the couple that also founded the Banana Republic and Republic of Tea companies.
