adidas Peaks with Valley

Effective this month, adidas America (Beaverton, Ore.) turns nearly all of its development, sales and marketing for adidas adult-licensed apparel over to Valley Apparel Co. (Cedar Rapids, Iowa). The sportswear retailer has had a licensing relationship with Valley since 1999, but the new deal includes products licensed through the National Football League, Major League Baseball, Major League Soccer, Collegiate Licensing Co. and some adidas collegiate partners.

“adidas is very excited about the increased involvement with Valley, which allows us to offer more diverse licensed products to ourcustomers,” says David Howitt, director of licensing and businessdevelopment for adidas. “They have proven that their centralizedmerchandising and production capabilities allow greaterspeed-to-market.”