Personnel Updates
Aerogroup International LLC has appointed R. Shawn Neville as CEO.
American Eagle Outfitters Inc. announced Michael Leedy, Chief Marketing Officer, will step down from his position effective Sept. 15.
Barneys New York announced Leah Kim was promoted to Senior VP, DMM ready-to-wear and contemporary brands, Jay Bell was promoted to Senior VP, DMM contemporary, and designer sportswear, Melissa Gallagher has been promoted to Senior VP, DMM men’s footwear, accessories, and home, and John Totolis is now VP, DMM children’s.
Bonobos announced its founder Andy Dunn will reassume his role as CEO.
Cabela’s announced that Brian J. Linneman, Exec VP and CMO, will transition from his current position and become a strategic adviser to the company. As part of this change, the company is promoting Scott K. Williams to Exec VP and Chief Commercial Officer.
Crocs announced that Jeff Lasher, Senior VP and CFO, is leaving the company in early November.
Pacific Sunwear of California Inc. announced that Michael Kaplan has departed as Senior VP and CFO. It also announced the promotion of Chris Tedford to VP and Interim CFO, and Ernie Sibal to VP Real Estate, Construction and Strategy.
Sears Holdings Co. announced that Lynn Pendergrass has joined the company in the new role of President Hardlines.
Financial Focus
Quiksilver Inc. has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The retailer got preliminary permission to close 27 underperforming stores and liquidate extra inventory.
Mergers and Acquisitions
Belk Inc. announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to be acquired by Sycamore Partners.
Industry Insight
Bealls Inc. announced the new format Bunulu made its debut at Coconut Point Mall in Estero, FL. Two additional locations at St. Johns Town Center in Jacksonville, FL and The Garden Mall in Palm Beach, FL are set to open by the end of this year.
Bebe Stores Inc. has signed a five-year exclusive license to open between 60 and 150 retail and wholesale points of distribution in Greater China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan. The first boutique is expected to open in the summer of 2016.
The Bon-Ton Stores is opening a new 743,000 square-foot direct-to-consumer fulfillment center in West Jefferson, OH.
Chico’s FAS will sell its direct-to-consumer brand Boston Proper and close all 20 of the brand’s stores.
The Children’s Place has opened its first store in India, a 2,500 sq. ft. flagship in Bangalore.
Dick’s Sporting Goods will begin testing store-within-a-store merchandising for Nike’s Air Jordan footwear, rolling out new Polo Sport athletic wear by Ralph Lauren and offering Skechers footwear. Plans include 10 Jordan stores expected to open in the fall, and 75 Polo Sport stores featuring a mix of athletic apparel.
The Finish Line Inc. has teamed up with PUMA for the launch of the PUMA edge at Finish Line stores. Finish Line opened ten initial PUMA experiences within targeted retail locations across the country and online.
Gap Inc. is the latest retailer to say it will cease the practice of assigning store employees on-call shifts with little advance notice. Gap joins other chains such as Abercrombie & Fitch and Victoria’s Secret in pledging to eliminate the practice from its stores.
Gordmans Stores announced it will begin selling online.
Hudson’s Bay Company and German retail giant Metro Group have agreed on a deal for the Galeria Kaufhof chain in Europe. The two parties have entered into a definitive agreement under which HBC will acquire Kaufhof and its Belgian subsidiary Inno.
JCPenney is teaming up with former NFL star Michael Strahan on the Collection by Michael Strahan, an exclusive brand of men’s tailored clothing, dress shirts, neckwear and accessories now available in over 200 JCPenney stores and at jcpenney.com.
JCPenney began testing its first private-label fast-fashion line dubbed Belle + Sky online and at 50 of its stores earlier this month.
John Varvatos Enterprises has opened a new 3,500 sq. ft. retail location at Fashion Valley Mall in San Diego, CA.
Louis Vuitton opened a new store in downtown Washington D.C. located at 924 Palmer Alley.
Macy’s Inc. and Best Buy signed an agreement to test to test licensed consumer electronics departments in 10 Macy’s stores beginning in November. The departments will be about 300 sq. ft., and staffed by Best Buy employees. A limited assortment of consumer electronics products will be offered.
Nordstrom launched a new shop featuring emerging and advanced designers. SPACE boasts its own boutique-like area inside the Nordstrom Collectors department and features a wide variety of seasonal collections of apparel, shoes, handbags and accessories collections. SPACE is located in the following flagship Nordstrom stores: Downtown Seattle, San Francisco Centre, Michigan Avenue in Chicago, and Pacific Centre in Vancouver, Canada (opening September 18th, 2015).
Rebecca Minkoff opened its largest store in the world on Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles, CA. The 4,600 sq. ft. store marks Minkoff’s first flagship in the city.
Saks Fifth Avenue is stepping up its 10022-Shoe salon game with the opening of a permanent boutique dedicated to shoemaker Manolo Blahnik. The shop-in-shop will be one of Manolo Blahnik’s largest boutiques in the world as well as the first time the brand has been physically present within a Saks Fifth Avenue storefront.
Salvatore Ferragamo has debuted a new design concept with the reopening of its flagship on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, CA.
Real Estate
Bealls Inc. opened a new store concept, called Bunulu. The first Bunulu store opened near Fort Myer, FL. Stores will open in Jacksonville and Palm Beach by the end of the year. Another is expected to open later at Tampa’s International Plaza.
Carhartt, Inc. opened its 20th store last month in Detroit, MI.
City Sports has opened a new 10,000 sq. ft. store in Merrifield, VA.
Dick’s Sporting Goods continues to expand its newly introduced All-American Sports Center concept with two additional locations slated to open on Sept. 17. The company will open its second center at Polaris Fashion Place, in Polaris, Ohio. The third store will open at the Easton Gateway Shopping Center, in Columbus, Ohio. The All-American Sports Center features a Dick’s Sporting Goods and a Field & Stream store in one location under the same roof.
H&M is opening a 2,960 sq. ft. Cos store on Newbury Street in Boston, MA on Sept. 25.
Hudson’s Bay Co. announced the addition of three retail banners to American Dream New Jersey located in East Rutherford, NJ. A new 131,906 sq. ft. Saks Fifth Avenue, a 119,605 sq. ft. Lord & Taylor store, and a new 30,000 sq. ft. Saks Fifth Avenue OFF 5TH will open in late-summer 2017.
Lucky Brand has introduced a new concept with a new store at The Point in El Segundo, CA. The 5,740 sq. ft. space serves as a prototype for a second shop opening this month in Summerlin, NV.
Macy’s, Inc. announced plans to close 35 to 40 underperforming Macy’s stores in early 2016.
Saks Fifth Avenue Off 5th plans to open a new 50,000 sq. ft. store in spring 2016 at Gateway Shopping Centers in Austin, TX.
Saks Fifth Avenue announced the first Saks Fifth Avenue OFF 5TH store in Western Canada is coming to the CrossIron Mills shopping center in the Calgary marketplace. The 30,000 sq. ft. store will open in September 2016. The company previously announced three stores in Ottawa, Niagara-on-the-Lake and Vaughan, ON are to open next spring.
Stage Stores Inc. lowered its profit forecast for the year and said it plans to close at least 90 underperforming stores as the retailer invests more on digital.
Torrid, operated by Hot Topic, opened its first Canadian store in Toronto, ON at the Toronto Eaton Centre on Sept. 1.
The UGG brand, a division of Deckers Brands, opened two pop-up stores in Boston, MA and Elizabeth, NJ. The 1,764 sq. ft. Boston pop-up is located at Faneuil Hall. The 1,429 sq. ft. New Jersey outlet pop-up is located at Jersey Gardens.
Uniqlo will make its Midwestern debut on Oct. 23 with the opening of a massive three-floor, 60,000 sq. ft. store on Chicago’s Michigan Avenue near Water Tower Place.
Technology News
Macy’s Inc. has announced the launch of a collaboration with online fashion tech start-up company Nineteenth Amendment on macys.com. The exclusive partnership will expose Nineteenth Amendment’s stable of up-and-coming designers to Macy’s Millennial shoppers, who will have the opportunity to purchase garments made on-demand in the United States from more than 300 designers worldwide.
The post Industry Updates: Apparel Specialty Stores and Department Stores – September 2015 appeared first on Chain Store Guide.