Shoe Industry

Tamara Mellon, the savvy entrepreneur who took Jimmy Choo shoes from a dodgy London neighborhood to the world's trendiest retail districts, has battled drug problems, a failed marriage and scandal-hungry reporters. Now she's taking on her mother. Mellon filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles County Superior Court last month that accuses her mother, Ann Yeardye of Beverly Hills, of improperly receiving about $8 million in proceeds from the sale of London-based Jimmy Choo in 2004.

While most Americans step into Manolos and Nikes that were stitched together thousands of miles away, J&A Shoe Co. cranks out 50,000 pairs of heels, wedges and thongs every month at a factory 15 miles south of downtown Los Angeles. Gardena-based J&A is a part of a dying breed of shoemakers that manufactures all its products domestically, battling formidable competition from corporations that make shoes overseas for pennies a pair.

Footwear company Skechers USA Inc. said first-quarter profit rose 44% on a jump in sales. The Manhattan Beach-based company reported net income of $23.9 million, or 52 cents a share, compared with $16.6 million, or 38 cents, last year. Revenue rose 24% to $344.9 million. Shares of Skechers rose 50 cents to $35.75 but fell $3.25, or 9.1%, to $32.50 in after-hours trading.

Specialty retailer Finish Line Inc. said Monday it agreed to pay about $1.5 billion for footwear and accessories retailer Genesco Inc., which recently had rejected a lower offer from Foot Locker Inc. Genesco shares rose more than 8% on news of the deal. Finish Line, a leading mall-based retailer based in Indianapolis, said combined sales of the companies amounted to about $2.8 billion from 2,870 retail stores in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. Finish Line agreed to pay $54.

The Beijing Olympics are less than a year away, and one of the hottest races shaping up is not among the athletes but the companies that outfit them. China is one of the largest emerging markets and a top focus for shoemakers fighting for market share. And as the 2008 Beijing Olympics approach, the intensity is reaching a new high. "The Beijing 2008 Games are set to be the greatest sporting event in modern Chinese history," said Paul Pi, head of marketing for Adidas in greater China.

Heelys Inc., the novelty shoemaker that has equipped thousands of children around the world with wheeled sneakers, raised $134.9 million in an initial public offering Thursday, 20% more than it planned. The company and its shareholders sold 6.43 million shares for $21 each, more than the 6.25 million shares it expected to sell at $16 to $18 each, people familiar with the sale said. Heelys is expected to begin trading today under the ticker HLYS.

The European Union widened a probe into Asian footwear imports, saying Chinese and Vietnamese producers might be unfairly undercutting European rivals in the bloc's $15.5-billion leather shoe market. The decision to probe leather footwear, which follows a June 30 move to scrutinize the prices of Chinese safety shoes, adds to a series of trade disputes with China. The two governments last month reached an agreement to limit exports of Chinese textiles and clothing to protect European producers.

Swoosh and stripes, meet Brand X. As sports shoe companies such as Nike Inc. and Adidas-Salomon jump into China with both feet, they face a firmly entrenched homegrown rival that's hatching plans to trip them up: Li Ning Co. For years, the Beijing-based athletic footwear and apparel manufacturer has had the run of a domestic market that is now just finding its 2.6 billion legs.

In an unusual move into controversial political terrain, leading U.S. apparel and footwear makers Tuesday called for a ban on imports from Myanmar, threatening that nation's key export sector and giving a powerful boost to critics of the military regime. The 600-member American Apparel and Footwear Assn. called on the U.S.

Seymour Fabrick moved slowly across the floor at the World Shoe Assn. expo in Las Vegas. After seven decades in the business, moving fast wasn't in the cards. The glittery high heels and sexy thong sandals didn't catch his eye. On this day he was looking for survivors. Guys like Jack Berlin, 74, who has been selling shoes for nearly half a century. "I said, 'Was that Seymour Fabrick who just came by?'