Marketing

New York City -- Frederick's of Hollywood said Wednesday it has named former Gap executive Don Jones as its president and COO. He will be charged with helping to revitalize the Frederick’s Hollywood brand on an international scale.

Jones, most recently a retail consultant, was senior VP of stores and operations for Gap, where led the rollout of the Gap Body line.

New York City -- Planet Fitness said Wednesday that it will open a Manhattan flagship location in Chelsea, at 158 West 27th Street, and is slated to open in early 2012.

The 20,000-sq.-ft. center will be housed at Himmel + Meringoff Properties’ 12-story, 117,000-sq.-ft. office building which has recently undergone a multi-million-dollar renovation.

Planet Fitness currently operates its only New York City fitness center in Harlem on 125th Street.

 

San Francisco -- Williams-Sonoma and Barclaycard announced Thursday a new co-branded Visa credit card and loyalty program, allowing cardholders to earn points redeemable for culinary-themed awards and enjoy a wide range of perks.

 

Fort Worth, Texas -- Pier 1 Imports reported Thursday that second-quarter profit rose to $16.6 million, from $14.4 million a year earlier, matching Wall Street expectations.

Sales for the quarter increased 9.6% to $339.6 million, compared with $309.9 million in the year-ago quarter. Same-store sales increased 10.8%, boosted by higher traffic and average-ticket numbers.

Orange, Calif. -- Indianapolis-based Simon Property Group said that its Block at Orange shopping center will officially be rebranded as The Outlets at Orange.

The new name will signify its distinction as the only outlet and value retail destination in Orange County, Calif. Among the new retail names at the center will be Nordstrom Rack and Esprit.

Hong Kong -- On the heels of a 98% drop in its yearly earnings, Esprit Holdings said it is divesting its North American businesses and exiting three major European markets.

The company said it is actively looking for a partner willing to acquire its North American operations, which include 93 stores in the United States.

OMAHA, Neb. — Long-time retail executive Andy Lundquist has joined apparel and home fashions discounter Gordman's as VP stores.

Lundquist has more than 20 years of retail management experience, most recently as SVP stores for Kohl's where he oversaw 270 stores in 21 states. In contrast, Gordman's operates 73 stores mostly concentrated in the Midwest.  

Lundquist was instrumental in growing Kohl's into one of the largest department store chains in the country.

SEATTLE and NEW YORK — While the threat of having to collect state sales tax still looms, Amazon.com continues to find new revenue sources. The company announced Tuesday that it will become the largest third-party seller of Hearst magazine subscriptions through an expanded agreement with Hearst Corp. Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN - News) and Hearst Corporation today announced that the two companies have entered into an expanded, multi-faceted consumer marketing, e-commerce and content relationship.

VENTURA, Calif. — Patagonia., a designer and distributor of technical outdoor clothing, has announced the appointment of Dmitri Siegel as the company's new VP global e-commerce, effective Sept. 12.

As VP e-commerce, Siegel will provide strategic vision, leadership, and operational expertise in directing Patagonia's e-commerce strategies both domestically and abroad, the company reported. 

BURLINGTON, N.J. — Burlington Coat Factory reported that total sales for its second quarter increased 8.9% to $793 million and comparable-store sales were up 4%.

For the year-to-date, total sales rose 6.1% to $1.8 billion and same-store sales climbed 2.1%.