The trade war was expected to stop dealmaking in its tracks — with many bankers and would-be buyers saying it was just impossible to price a company given all the sudden economic uncertainty. 

Nobody told 3G Capital, which agreed to buy Skechers in a $9 billion deal that ranks as the largest footwear acquisition in memory. 

[To listen to the episode, CLICK HERE.]

In this episode of “From the Newsroom,” Footwear News senior editor Stephen Garner breaks down the mega deal and how it could change the massive sneaker brand. 

Garner said analysts are seeing the deal as an exit strategy for chairman and chief executive officer Robert Greenberg, who founded the brand in 1992 and whose family controls 60 percent of voting rights at the company.

While the deal is set to close in the third quarter, Garner said there are still plenty of question marks on how it plays out for Skechers. 

For one, 3G is getting into the footwear business with a mega deal. 

“They’re a private equity firm based in Brazil and most of their investments so far have been in food,” Garner said. “They’ve pumped money into Burger King, into Tim Horton’s, into Firehouse Subs, into Kraft Heinz. So this is actually their first…venture into fashion. I don’t know if this is a sign of more to come from them or they’re just trying to dip their toe into something different.”

[To listen to the episode, CLICK HERE.]