Marketing

New York -- Jones Group Inc. reported Wednesday that it swung to a first-quarter loss of $1.2 million, compared with a profit of $25.7 million in the year-ago period. Costs of closing stores, paying severance, acquisitions and a strategic review impacted the results, which still surpassed analysts’ expectations.

Revenue for the manufacturer and retailer of brands such as Nine West, Jones New York and Stuart Weitzman slipped 2.6% to $936 million in the quarter ended March 31, missing Wall Street’s expected $937.3 million in revenue.

The Minnesota Vikings are in need of a new football stadium and Target’s EVP property development John Griffith sees a proposed downtown Minneapolis location as one element of a larger development and revitalization plan. That’s according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune, which reported this week on Griffith’s involvement in the downtown deal-making and track record at Target. Read the article here.

Hampstead, Md. -- JoS. A. Bank Clothiers said Wednesday that Frank J. Barbarino has been promoted to senior VP and general merchandise manager for the chain, effective April 15.

In his new role, Barbarino will continue to lead the Tailored Clothing Department and will add Sportswear and Furnishings to his responsibilities. He will oversee product design, manufacturing and sourcing, as well as all retailing of the company’s merchandise lines.

Barbarino was most recently VP for tailored clothing.

Hoffman Estates, Ill. -- Sears Holdings has expanded the availability of its in-store professional apparel shop to 91 Sears and Kmart stores nationwide. The concept, called, "Scrubology," is already open in 39 stores and offers work apparel and uniforms for professionals in industrial, service and healthcare fields.

The concept is a partnership with Work 'N Gear.

New York -- Whether your company is already in the cloud or still on the fence about making the move, retailers can gain additional insight at “Legacy Modernization to the Cloud,” a FREE roundtable luncheon moderated by Chain Store Age. Attendees will learn how to move legacy workloads to the Cloud at a low cost and repurpose the savings on strategic imperatives like loyalty, mobile, and seamless digital connections.

The Minnesota Vikings are in need of a new football stadium and Target’s EVP property development John Griffith sees a proposed downtown Minneapolis location as one element of a larger development and revitalization plan. That’s according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune, which reported this week on Griffith’s involvement in the downtown deal-making and track record at Target. Read the article here.

Ankeny, Iowa -- Casey’s General Stores said Tuesday it will break ground on its first site in Tennessee in June, marking the thirteenth state in the c-store chain’s area of operations.

The debut store will open in Dyersburg, Tenn., in October.

“We believe the state of Tennessee provides an excellent opportunity for Casey’s,” said Robert Myers, president and CEO.

HOUSTON — Mid-price apparel retailer Stage Stores has named Steven Lawrence as chief merchandising officer, effective April 30. Lawrence will be responsible for all of the merchandising, planning and allocation functions of the company.

Prior to joining Stage Stores, Lawrence spent 11 years with JCPenney, where he was most recently co-chief merchant EVP GMM men’s, kids and home.