Nike is in “final negotiations to sell its Cole Haan handbag and shoe brand to private equity firm Apax Partners, in a deal that could fetch around $500 million,” according to sources cited by Kim & Oran of REUTERS. Sources said that London-based Apax has “teamed up with former Converse Chief Executive Jack Boys to help run Cole Haan after a takeover.” Nike in May said that it was “looking to sell Cole Haan and soccer gear unit Umbro and announced a $225 million deal last month to sell Umbro to Iconix Brand Group” (REUTERS, 11/5). USA TODAY’s Peter Lattman notes among Cole Haan’s “best-selling lines are its Maria Sharapova signature ballet flats,” which Sharapova “helped design.” It was unclear “whether an independent Cole Haan would continue to use Nike’s air-cushion technology.” But if it did, Cole Haan “would probably have to pay its former parent a licensing fee” (USA TODAY, 11/6).