{"id":309,"date":"2011-09-23T08:09:00","date_gmt":"2011-09-23T12:09:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/newsroom.chainstoreguide.com\/2011\/09\/department-stores-and-apparel-industry-updates\/"},"modified":"2011-09-23T08:09:00","modified_gmt":"2011-09-23T12:09:00","slug":"department-stores-and-apparel-industry-updates","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.chainstoreguide.com\/offthechain\/2011\/09\/department-stores-and-apparel-industry-updates\/","title":{"rendered":"Department Stores and Apparel Industry Updates"},"content":{"rendered":"<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: left;\" trbidi=\"on\"><\/p>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\">Personnel Updates:<o:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/b><\/div>\n<div><b><span style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;\">Sears Holdings <\/span><\/b><span style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;\">announced that Raj Penkar will be joining Sears Holdings as Senior VP and President, Supply Chain. He will be accountable for all aspects of the company&#8217;s supply chain, including logistics, warehousing, inventory management and distribution.\u00a0<o:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><b><span style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;\">The Talbots, Inc.<\/span><\/b><span style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;\"> announced that Mr. Michael Smaldone, Chief Creative Officer, has departed the company.<o:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><b><span style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;\">True Religion Apparel, Inc.<\/span><\/b><span style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;\"> announced that Lynne Koplin has been named President.<o:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><b><span style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;\">Zale Corporation<\/span><\/b><span style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;\"> announced that Brad Furry has been named Senior VP, CIO. Mr. Furry will have responsibility for all information technology strategy and operations functions throughout the company. <o:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\">Mergers and Acquisitions:<o:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/b><\/div>\n<div><b><span style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;\">Chico\u2019s FAS Inc.<\/span><\/b><span style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;\"> is set to acquire the Internet and catalogue business Boston Proper.<o:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\">Industry Insight:<o:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/b><\/div>\n<div><b><span style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;\">Bergdorf Goodman<\/span><\/b><span style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;\"> has launched the first-ever Tom Ford women\u2019s shop-in-shop inside of its <st1:street w:st=\"on\"><st1:address w:st=\"on\">Fifth Avenue<\/st1:address><\/st1:street> store in <st1:state w:st=\"on\"><st1:place w:st=\"on\">New York<\/st1:place><\/st1:state>.<o:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><b><span style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;\">Calvin Klein, Inc.<\/span><\/b><span style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;\"> announced the opening of Calvin Klein Underwear\u2019s first freestanding retail store, in <st1:place w:st=\"on\"><st1:city w:st=\"on\">Washington<\/st1:city>,  <st1:state w:st=\"on\">DC<\/st1:state><\/st1:place>.<o:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><b><span style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;\">Christian Louboutin<\/span><\/b><span style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;\"> opened it\u2019s first-ever men\u2019s shop in <st1:city w:st=\"on\"><st1:place w:st=\"on\">Paris<\/st1:place><\/st1:city>&#8216; Galerie V\u00e9ro-Dodat. The 750 sq. ft. boutique is across the covered passageway from his women\u2019s shop.<o:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><b><span style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;\">Coach Inc.<\/span><\/b><span style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;\"> announced the opening of its first European flagship store in <st1:city w:st=\"on\"><st1:place w:st=\"on\">London<\/st1:place><\/st1:city>, timed to the brand\u2019s 70<sup>th<\/sup> Anniversary this year. The store is located at <st1:street w:st=\"on\"><st1:address w:st=\"on\">41 New Bond Street<\/st1:address><\/st1:street>.<o:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><b><span style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;\">Coldwater Creek<\/span><\/b><span style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;\"> will launch it\u2019s first-ever TV campaign in an effort to increase store traffic and broaden the chain&#8217;s appeal.<o:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><b><span style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;\">H&#038;M<\/span><\/b><span style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;\"> will open its first store in the Bulgarian capital <st1:city w:st=\"on\"><st1:place w:st=\"on\">Sofia<\/st1:place><\/st1:city>in March 2012. The 23,700 sq. ft. store will be located in The Mall, the country\u2019s largest shopping center.<o:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><b><span style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;\">JoS. A. Bank Clothiers Inc.<\/span><\/b><span style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;\"> will be the tuxedo retailer and renter of choice for 53 U.S. <b>Alfred Angelo<\/b> Signature stores, who in turn will be the exclusive wedding gown partner for JoS. A. Bank<b>.<\/b><o:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><b><span style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;\">Limited Brands Inc.<\/span><\/b><span style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;\"> will advance its international strategy by testing two to three <st1:state w:st=\"on\">Victoria<\/st1:state>\u2019s Secret mall stores in the <st1:city w:st=\"on\"><st1:place w:st=\"on\">London<\/st1:place><\/st1:city> area next summer. The first <st1:state w:st=\"on\">Victoria<\/st1:state>\u2019s Secret flagship in the <st1:country-region w:st=\"on\"><st1:place w:st=\"on\">U.K.<\/st1:place><\/st1:country-region>, a 16,000 sq. ft. unit, will open on <st1:street w:st=\"on\"><st1:address w:st=\"on\">New   Bond Street<\/st1:address><\/st1:street> next summer.<o:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><b><span style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;\">The Men\u2019s Wearhouse Inc.<\/span><\/b><span style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;\"> has opened the first of its Big &#038; Tall test stores as part of a push into that key segment. The three test units are in <st1:city w:st=\"on\">Houston<\/st1:city>, <st1:state w:st=\"on\">New York<\/st1:state> City and <st1:city w:st=\"on\"><st1:place w:st=\"on\">Dallas<\/st1:place><\/st1:city>. The <st1:city w:st=\"on\">Houston<\/st1:city> and <st1:city w:st=\"on\">Manhattan<\/st1:city>stores are now open, with <st1:city w:st=\"on\"><st1:place w:st=\"on\">Dallas<\/st1:place><\/st1:city>expected to follow in a few weeks.<o:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><b><span style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;\">Nordstrom<\/span><\/b><span style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;\"> is opening a full-priced store in <st1:city w:st=\"on\"><st1:place w:st=\"on\">Manhattan<\/st1:place><\/st1:city>. But, the store will not have Nordstrom in its name, or even feel like a Nordstrom. Called Treasure &#038; Bond, the new store will open Friday in <st1:place w:st=\"on\">SoHo<\/st1:place> and will be less than a tenth the size of a typical Nordstrom department store. In fact, it is a big experiment that will not even contribute to Nordstrom\u2019s bottom line, as the profits have been committed to charity.<o:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\">Real Estate:<o:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/b><\/div>\n<div><b><span style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;\">Brooks Brothers Inc. <\/span><\/b><span style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;\">will open a new 7,200 sq. ft. concept store in <st1:state w:st=\"on\"><st1:place w:st=\"on\">New York<\/st1:place><\/st1:state>&#8216;s Flatiron District in fall 2011, geared toward college students and young professionals.<b><o:p><\/o:p><\/b><\/span><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><b><span style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;\">Dillard&#8217;s<\/span><\/b><span style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;\"> is shutting its remaining store at Virginia Center Commons in October, a little more than a year after converting it into a clearance center.<o:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><b><span style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;\">Gap Inc.<\/span><\/b><span style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;\"> announced that it has opened its first Banana Republic store in <st1:place w:st=\"on\"><st1:country-region w:st=\"on\">Russia<\/st1:country-region><\/st1:place> through its franchise channel. The company also announced its first Gap store in <st1:country-region w:st=\"on\"><st1:place w:st=\"on\">Serbia<\/st1:place><\/st1:country-region>. This store will represent the company\u2019s 200th franchise store g<\/p>\n<p>lobally.<o:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><b><span style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;\">J. Crew Group Inc.<\/span><\/b><span style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;\"> will open a 3,240 sq. ft. men\u2019s-only store in the Shops at <st1:street w:st=\"on\"><st1:address w:st=\"on\">Columbus Circle<\/st1:address><\/st1:street>in <st1:state w:st=\"on\"><st1:place w:st=\"on\">New York<\/st1:place><\/st1:state>at the beginning of November 2011, bringing the number of its men\u2019s stores to six.<o:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><b><span style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;\">Kitson<\/span><\/b><span style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;\"> plans to open three new stores in <st1:place w:st=\"on\">Southern California<\/st1:place>in fall 2011. In September 2011, the company plans to open a 3,600 sq. ft. Kitson store in <st1:place w:st=\"on\"><st1:city w:st=\"on\">Santa Barbara<\/st1:city>,  <st1:state w:st=\"on\">CA<\/st1:state><\/st1:place>. In October 2011, Kitson is scheduled to open another 3,600 sq. ft. store at the <st1:placename w:st=\"on\">Fashion<\/st1:placename><st1:placetype w:st=\"on\">Island<\/st1:placetype> retail center in <st1:city w:st=\"on\">Newport Beach<\/st1:city>, CA. Additionally, the company is planning a larger expansion effort that will entail rolling out more than 200 Kitson stores, including 40 in the <st1:place w:st=\"on\"><st1:country-region w:st=\"on\">United   States<\/st1:country-region><\/st1:place> and the rest spread around major cities around the world.<o:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><b><span style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;\">Mulberry <\/span><\/b><span style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;\">opened its largest <st1:country-region w:st=\"on\"><st1:place w:st=\"on\">U.S.<\/st1:place><\/st1:country-region>store. The 5,000 sq. ft. flagship is at 134 Spring St. in <st1:state w:st=\"on\"><st1:place w:st=\"on\">New York<\/st1:place><\/st1:state>.<o:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><b><span style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;\">Tiffany &#038; Co<\/span><\/b><span style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;\">. recently announced plans to open 17 company-operated stores, including six in the <st1:country-region w:st=\"on\">Americas<\/st1:country-region>, three in <st1:place w:st=\"on\">Europe<\/st1:place> and eight in the Asia-Pacific region. Additionally, one store in <st1:country-region w:st=\"on\"><st1:place w:st=\"on\">Japan<\/st1:place><\/st1:country-region> is slated for closure.<o:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\">Technology News:<o:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/b><\/div>\n<div><b><span style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;\">Pacific Sunwear <\/span><\/b><span style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;\">announced that it has implemented Apple iPads into 300 stores and plan on adding to an additional 100 stores by year\u2019s end. <o:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div><b><span style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;\">Target Corp.<\/span><\/b><span style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;\"> is set to launch a retooled website that is easier to shop, has faster checkout and more closely resembles the store shopping experience.<o:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><b><span style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;\">Urban Outfitters<\/span><\/b><span style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;\"> CEO Glen Senk told analysts that \u201cmobile POS is now in 107 stores, with plans to be in all stores by the beginning of the holiday.\u201d That means a majority of the chain\u2019s 176 stores are already using iPod Touches equipped with attached readers for swiping payment cards.<o:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><b><span style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;\">Zara<\/span><\/b><span style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;\">, a Spanish fast-fashion brand and division of Inditex Group, launched it\u2019s first-ever <st1:country-region w:st=\"on\"><st1:place w:st=\"on\">U.S.<\/st1:place><\/st1:country-region>e-commerce site, www.zara.com. The brand&#8217;s online platform sells the full range of women&#8217;s, men&#8217;s and children&#8217;s clothing that also is available in-store. The website also features free delivery to all 50 states. The <st1:country-region w:st=\"on\">U.S.<\/st1:country-region> online store is Zara&#8217;s first outside <st1:place w:st=\"on\">Europe<\/st1:place>, where shoppers can already buy online in 16 countries.<o:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>2012-11-09 21:18:24<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"post-template-no-sidebar.php","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[6,11],"class_list":["post-309","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-apparel-department","tag-csg-old","tag-eupdate","entry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.chainstoreguide.com\/offthechain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/309","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.chainstoreguide.com\/offthechain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.chainstoreguide.com\/offthechain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.chainstoreguide.com\/offthechain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.chainstoreguide.com\/offthechain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=309"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.chainstoreguide.com\/offthechain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/309\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.chainstoreguide.com\/offthechain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=309"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.chainstoreguide.com\/offthechain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=309"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.chainstoreguide.com\/offthechain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=309"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}