Shoe Carnival

Highly promotional activity and increased multichannel initiatives not only helped Shoe Carnival hit its expectations, but exceed $1 billion in net sales for the year.   For the quarter ended January 28, 2017, the retailer’s net sales were $234.2 million, a 0.2% increase, compared to net sales of $233.7 million for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2015. While it was in line with its goals, this was just shy of Wall Street’s prediction for sales of $235 million.  

Main Street Promenade

Location: Naperville, Ill.

Size: About 182,000 sq. ft.

Owner: Retail Properties of America Inc.

Key tenants: Anthropologie, J.Crew, Soft Surroundings, Ann Taylor Loft, Sur La Table, White House Black Market, and Hugo’s Frog Bar & Fish House

Status: Open and operating, but includes a vacant parcel that has approval for future development of up to 62,000 sq. ft. of mixed-use space

RCG Ventures has purchased Oak Brook Square in Flint, Michigan, for $14.2 million. Anchored by TJ Maxx and Hobby Lobby, the 152,073-sq.-ft. center is located across the street from the Genesee Valley Mall in Flint’s largest trade zone.

Clint Pierce is joining Shoe Carnival as its VP, divisional merchandise manager for athletic footwear.   Pierce, who will oversee the athletic footwear category for the entire enterprise, will report to Carl Scibetta, executive VP, chief merchandising officer.    Most recently, Pierce served as senior VP, general merchandise manager for footwear and apparel at Sports Authority.   

The pace of expansion slowed at Shoe Carnival in 2015 but the company produced respectable growth against a challenging prior year comparison that has it poised to achieve a major milestone in 2016.

Shoe Carnival has picked a new executive for a key role in its omnichannel-oriented growth strategy which could involve accelerated expansion of a small format.

The retailer has named Jeff Fink as its senior vice president of real estate. Fink will oversee the Company’s store site selection and lease administration functions.

Shoe Carnival tapped Jeff Fink as senior VP real estate, effective Oct. 12. He will oversee the company’s store site selection and lease administration functions.

Fink joins Shoe Carnival with over 27 years of experience in the real estate industry focusing on footwear and specialty retail. Most recently, he worked for La-Z-Boy, as VP of real estate.

From 2003 to 2014, Fink worked for Jo-Ann Stores as senior VP, real estate and lease administration where he oversaw the addition of 366 stores totaling 2.8 million retail sq. ft.

Most consumers would prefer to buy products from nearby stores. Shoe Carnival Inc., an Evansville, Indiana-based specialty footwear retailer with 404 stores, is responding to that preference with a new local marketing initiative.

Shoe Carnival has implemented the SIM Partners Velocity local marketing automation platform, to scale local search marketing in an effort to drive incremental in-store traffic and sales, as well as improve the overall customer experience.