Consumer Affairs & Relations

New York City -- Loehmann’s on Monday filed for bankruptcy.  The off-price retailer said it had negotiated a restructuring plan with owner Istithmar Retail Investments and noteholder Whippoorwill Associates before the filing that would cut debt by $115 million. Istithmar and Whippoorwill agreed to invest $25 million in the company, according to court papers.

New York City -- Asking rents for retail spaces in New York City hot spots are rising in certain corridors, according to The Real Estate Board of New York’s (REBNY) Fall 2010 Retail Report.

According to the report, since spring 2010, retail asking rents climbed 21% to $1700 per square foot in the Times Square corridor defined by Broadway and 7th Avenue between 42nd and 47th Streets.

Topeka, Kan. -- Collective Brands, parent company to Payless ShoeSource and Stride Rite, said Tuesday it is planning to take its Stride Rite children’s shoe brand to mainland China next year.

According to Bloomberg, the company is teaming up with Li & Fung Retailing and will also open stores in Hong Kong, Malaysia and Singapore starting in December, according to Matthew Rubel, CEO of Collective Brands.

Atlanta -- Home Depot reported Tuesday that it recorded higher-than-expected earnings in the third quarter, boosted by tighter cost controls.

The company’s net income rose to $834 million in the quarter ended Oct. 31, compared with net income of $689 million a year earlier.

Sales rose 1.4% to $16.60 billion, slightly above Wall Street expectations of $16.59 billion. Same-store sales at Home Depot's U.S. stores rose 1.5%. It was the chain’s fourth-straight quarterly gain after three years of declines