Seasonal

Chesterfield, Mo. -- Taubman Centers announced the opening of Taubman Prestige Oulets, a new fashion outlet center, located in the western-St. Louis suburb of Chesterfield. The opening coincides with Missouri’s Tax-Free Weekend.

OAKLAND, Calif. — Clorox sales results for the fourth quarter ended June 30 increased slightly, but despite being lower than anticipated, the company is ready to take on competitive pressures and increase its merchandising activity.

San Jose, Calif. -- Retailers are cautiously optimistic about the 2013 holiday season, with 60% forecasting revenue growth in excess of 10%, in line with industry forecasts, according to a survey by Baynote, a provider of personalized customer experience solutions.

Dallas -- The Army & Air Force Exchange Service announced a refresh of the organization’s official website, Shopmyexchange.com, in preparation for the key holiday selling season.
 
Improvements include a new homepage layout design, complete with an updated visual look and industry-standard navigation; more product categories; easy-to-find links to specialty stores and online mall vendors; improved product pages; and easier checkout.
 

Berlin, N.J. — A.C. Moore Arts & Crafts will mark the opening of its new store at The Town Center at St. Lucie West with a week long grand opening celebration starting Aug. 4.

The 21,000-sq.-ft. store carries an arts and crafts merchandise assortment with more than 40,000 items.

A.C. Moore operates about 140 arts and craft stores along the East Coast.
 

Alameda, Calif. — Trabocco, a new, independent chef-owned restaurant, will open this fall at Alameda South Shore Center, according to Jamestown, the center’s owner.

Founded by Chef Giuseppe Naccarelli, a native of Palombaro, Italy, and his wife, Christine, the 4,700-sq.-ft. restaurant will occupy a prominent position in Center Court, the 594,000-sq.-ft. center’s main plaza.

Los Angeles — Hakkasan Ltd. has announced the opening of Hakkasan Beverly Hills, a 10,000-sq.-ft. restaurant in the most exclusive neighborhood in Los Angeles.

The international restaurant group’s newest offering will open in early fall.

New York -- The Jones Group Inc. swung to a loss in the second quarter as the company was challenged with lower sales, weaker margins and higher costs.

Jones Group reported a loss of $3.4 million for the second quarter, compared to a profit of $8.1 million in the year-ago period.

Revenue decreased 1.1% to $845.6 million from $855 million for the second quarter of 2012. Analysts estimated revenues of $832.06 million for the quarter. One bright spot for Jones Group was an almost 21% year-over-year increase in wholesale jeanswear sales.

El Segundo, Calif. -- Big 5 Sporting Goods reported that its second-quarter profit more than doubled from a year ago on higher sales and expanding margins, but its revenue fell short of expectations.

The sporting goods’ retailer said its net income increased to $6.1 million for the period ended June 30, up from $2.6 million in the year ago period. Net sales climbed 5.9%, to $239.9 million, below the $244 million expected by analysts.

The focus of retail analysts will be squarely on Target later this year when the company hosts an investor conference in Toronto on October 30. It will be the company’s first such event since entering the market and by the fall the company should have all of its 124 planned stores open and ready to roll for Christmas. For more details and to add to your calendar, click here.