Displays & Signs

Dallas -- Zale Corp. and designer Vera Wang announced they are teaming up on an exclusive line of diamond bridal jewelry.

The new Vera Wang Love collection will include diamond engagement rings, matching wedding bands and solitaire bridal jewelry. Each ring will have the Vera Wang Love logo, and every engagement ring will include a blue sapphire.

The collection will be sold only at Zale stores in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. The jewelry will be in United States and Puerto Rico stores in October.
 

Seattle -- Nordstrom reported Thursday that net income for its second quarter rose 20% to $175 million, compared with $146 million in the year earlier period.

Revenue surged 12.4% to $2.72 billion, benefited by strong promotions and matching Wall Street estimates. Same-store sales rose a solid 7.3%. The department store retailer has raised its profit outlook for the full year.

Its outlet concept Nordstrom Rack saw net sales increase 23.4% to $92 million, and same-store sales rose 4.8%.

Walmart pulled out of Korea a few years ago and may not be paying much attention to the market, but there are some interesting things happening there. For example, Tesco has developed an interesting shopper marketing solution that appeals to time-starved Korean commuters. The strategy could be applied to other urban areas where hordes of smart phone wielding commuters have embraced QR codes and ride well maintained mass transit systems. Even though those requirements rule out most U.S.

NEW YORK — Macy's announced that Dev, The Ready Set, Soulja Boy, Cris Cab and Motion City Soundtrack will be among the artists performing at its mstylelab free concerts at 15 Macy's stores nationwide. 

Concert attendees will have the chance to connect with musicians while exploring the newly revamped mstylelab lounge. On display will be back-to-school styles and accessories from Macy's exclusive brands American Rag and Material Girl.

Austin, Texas -- DMX said Thursday it has extended its partnership with 77kids by american eagle.

WOONSOCKET, R.I. — CVS/pharmacy officially has announced the launch of its exclusive beauty collection, Nuance Salma Hayek, developed in partnership with actress Salma Hayek.

The collection is comprised of more than 100 products within four categories — skin care, cosmetics, hair care and body — and is available only at CVS/pharmacy locations nationwide and online at CVS.com/NuanceSalmaHayek. Prices range between $2.99 and $19.99.

San Francisco -- Gap will open two Athleta store this week in Manhattan’s Upper East and Upper West side neighborhoods. The openings mark the women’s active wear brand’s entry into the East Coast market, and support Athleta’s plan to open up to 50 stores by 2013.

“Entering New York is a significant milestone for us as we aim to grow our share of the $31 billion women’s active wear market,” said Scott Key, senior vice president and general manager of Athleta.

Overall, there was an 8 % decline in the number of pages per market across the retailer set, and a 4% decline in number of inserts. Pages being down can be attributed to a steep decline in Kohl’s and Sears' number of pages per market, while the decline in number of inserts was due to Home Depot and Staples decreasing their drops.

Home Depot and Safeway adopted a similar strategy, reducing the number inserts per market in July 2011 compared with last year, while increasing the number of pages per market. 

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Children will be returning to school in a matter of weeks, and many of them will be joining or returning to some sort of sporting activity. Enter Sports Authority, which is answering the need for sporting goods by opening six news stores on Aug. 13. The six new stores will open in five states nationwide, in the major markets of Miami, Los Angeles, Salt Lake City, Chicago and Milwaukee, the company reported.

The store locations will be as follows:

• Miami Beach, Fla. at 3401 N. Miami Ave.

NEW YORK — Macy's announced that it is bringing back its Backstage Pass campaign with even more engaging video content that delivers trend and helpful advice, straight from Macy’s stable of star designers and industry experts. In addition to essential tips, customers will have the chance to instantly win daily shopping sprees worth up to $500, wherever a Macy’s Backstage Pass appears, whether in-store, print or online.