Athletic shoe and clothing retailer Finish Line Inc reported a better-than-expected quarterly profit before special items on Friday March 27, helped by lighter inventories and cost cuts.

Footwear retailer DSW Inc (DSW.N) posted a wider-than-expected quarterly loss, hurt in part by higher costs, and said it would not provide an annual earnings outlook given the uncertainty in the U.S. economy.

Footwear retailer DSW Inc said it named Michael MacDonald as its chief executive, replacing Jay Schottenstein, who retains his role of chairman.

Athletic shoe retailer Finish Line Inc on Tuesday March 24 named as its new chief financial officer Ed Wilhelm, who held the CFO spot at Borders Group (BGP.N) until January.

Deckers Outdoor Corp said its chief financial officer resigned to pursue other opportunities. The footwear maker's shares fell about 7 percent to $45, before recovering most of their losses to trade down 5 cents at $48.

Wolverine World Wide has named James D. Zwiers as the head of its outdoor division, which is comprised of the brands Merrell, Chaco and Patagonia Footwear.

Shares of Crocs Inc are trading at their lowest levels since last fall, as the struggling shoe maker tries to extend its credit facility, which expires in less than two weeks.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission announced on March 17th a voluntary recall of some Chinese-made girls' shoes sold at upscale department store chain Nordstrom Inc, citing a lead hazard.

Shares of Collective Brands Inc, the holding company for shoe sellers like Payless ShoeSource and Stride Rite, fell more than 23 percent Wednesday March 11, a day after the company posted a bigger-than-expected quarterly loss and said it sees store counts dropping in 2009.

Athletic-shoes maker K-Swiss Inc swung to a fourth-quarter loss, which was wider than analysts' average estimate, and forecast weak 2009 results as it was hurt by a 36 percent drop in advance orders, sending its shares to their lowest in more than seven years.

Shoe retailer Geox booked a slight rise in its 2008 net profit on higher sales, and the company's chief financial officer said its start-of-year sales had gone "very well", sending its shares higher.

Footwear retailer Brown Shoe Co Inc posted a quarterly loss hurt by expenses and a weak retail environment, and said it expects a loss for the first quarter as well, given the challenging economic conditions.

Icelandic bank Kaupthing put British unit Mosaic Fashions into administration and announced a deal to buy back some of its brands immediately, saving around 8,700 jobs while leaving about 4,200 at risk on Monday.

U.S. shoe and clothing maker Kenneth Cole Productions Inc posted a wider fourth-quarter loss, weighed down by margin pressures, and suspended its quarterly dividend to conserve cash in an uncertain economic environment.

Shoe company Crocs (CROX.O) on Wednesday named a former top Reebok(ADSG.DE) executive as its new chief, replacing a retiring Ron Snyder.