Entertainment Tie-ins / Licensing

True Religion Apparel's first-ever global flagship is also the brand’s largest and most digitally-savvy space to date, starting with storefront windows that display a continuous stream of video content—and also showcase style statements from shoppers themselves. The 3,000-sq.-ft. store is located in downtown Manhattan.

The interior pays homage to the vibrancy and edginess of New York City, starting with a dynamic entrance mural designed and painted by local street artist RAE.

Outdoor specialty retailer Gander Mountain remains on a path for national expansion with its recently opened store in El Paso giving the operator of 160 units its westernmost presence.

Most of St. Paul, Minn.-based Gander Mountain’s stores are concentrated in the upper Midwest and Mid-Atlantic state, but recent years have seen a steady incursion into new markets in the south and West. Prior to the opening of the 61,000-sq.-ft. El Paso location on May 26, Gander Mountain’s westernmost market was Denver where it operates two stores.

Kohl’s is backing up its commitment to families by sponsoring a museum promotion called Thank You Thursday in Milwaukee.

The retailer will be offering free general admission to the Museum Public Museum on the first Thursday of every month. Kohl’s Thank You Thursday marks the first time ever free general admission has been regularly provided to the public and will kick off on June 4.

Baseball fans and pet owners will have an opportunity to take their best friend with them to the ballpark later this summer when Petco holds its 11 annual “Dog Days of Summer” event and pregame “tail” gate party.

Petco hosts the event at Petco Park on Wednesday, July 1 for the 12:40 p.m. home game between the San Diego Padres and the Seattle Mariners. After hosting the event for 11 years, Petco has the logistics and unique operational considerations associated with bringing 500 dogs into a Major League Baseball stadium down pat.

Los Angeles -- Specialty teen retailer Hot Topic is acquiring Geeknet, parent company of online retailers ThinkGeek and ThinkGeek Solutions, for approximately $122 million, which is more than double the company’s market value.  

ThinkGeek sells a wide range of merchandise, including clothing, toys, and gadgets mostly based on popular movies, television shows and brands that have strong "geek" appeal, such as "Star Trek," ''The Big Bang Theory," and ''Star Wars."

Weddings are becoming increasingly pet-friendly, and a new collection from Martha Stewart and PetSmart aims to leverage that trend.

The pet products retailer has announced it will be teaming up with Martha Stewart Pets on a wedding collection for dogs.

Macy’s is out to prove that bigger is better again this July 4 by sponsoring a fireworks display so massive that barges positioned at two locations on the East River in Manhattan are required to launch 40,000 shells.

The 39th annual pyrotechnic extravaganza is scheduled to last 25 minutes and be seen live by an estimated three million people from viewable locations along the shorelines of Manhattan, Queens and Brooklyn.

Build-A-Bear Workshop is aiming to leverage the popularity of "Minions" with a new, interactive and customizable plush toy collection.