Strategy

New York - Macy’s Inc. is reaching out to fashion-minded millennials by providing an online link to up-and-coming independent designers.

The retailer is entering a new collaboration with online fashion technology start-up company Nineteenth Amendment on Macys.com.

An innovative company incubated in the fashion tech lab Macy’s helped launched has struck a deal that will expose its roster of designers to the department store retailers’ mass market audience.

Westborough, Mass. – Has BJ’s Wholesale Club found its next CEO?

The retailer named Christopher Baldwin, former CEO of Hess Retail, as president and COO, a position in which Baldwin is poised to succeed Laura Sen, current CEO of BJ’s.

Baldwin will assume his new responsibilities at the chain on Sept. 8, where he will oversee merchandising, logistics, membership, marketing club operations.

Workwear brand Carhartt has opened a flagship in the city where it was founded in 1889.  

The turnaround plan at Big Lots, which is helping the retailer grow profit and same store sales, is also prompting some management changes.

For the second quarter ended Aug. 1,  same store sales increased 2.8%. Net sales increased 1.2% to $1,209.7 million. Big Lots reported a profit of $17.6 million, or 34 cents a share, down from $19.9 million, or 36 cents, a year earlier. Excluding certain items, per-share profit rose to 40 cents from 31 cents. Revenue edged 1.2% higher to $1.21 billion.

Irvine, Calif. – Boot Barn Holdings Inc. is kicking off a set of store openings in Texas with four new stores Aug. 28-30. Three of the new stores will be in the Houston market and one will be in Euless, outside of Fort Worth.

Bolingbrook, Ill. -- Fast-growing Ulta Beauty shows no signs of losing its momentum as the specialty retailer reported better than-expected results for the second quarter and raised its guidance.

On its quarterly earnings call, Ulta said it will launch a national television advertising campaign.

Ulta’s net profits increased 8.5% to $74.2 million, from $60.8 million in the year-ago period, helped by an improved online assortment and less overall discounting.

Dallas – Some major retailers are participating in the 30th Retailing Summit conference hosted by The Texas A&M University’s Center for Retailing Studies at Mays Business School.

Marvin Ellison, the new CEO of The J.C. Penney Co. Inc. and Barry Beck, co-founder and COO of Bluemercury, which was recently purchased by Macy’s, will be among the speakers at the conference, held Oct. 8-9 at the Westin Galleria in Dallas.