Retail

Camp Hill, Pa. -- Rite Aid Corp. saw same-store sales edge up 1.1% in August, hurt by a 1.7% front-end same-store sales drop. Pharmacy comps rose 2.5%.

For the quarter, total sales edged up 0.7% to $6.25 billion, and same-store sales rose 1%.

MENOMONEE FALLS, Wis. — Kohl’s is adding designer Peter Som to its DesigNation limited-edition collection roster. Some is the fourth designer to join the team.

As part of the Kohl’s DesigNation concept featuring premier designer fashions based on international inspiration, the collection will draw creative influence from Som’s recent trip to St. Barths. The collection features apparel for women and will be available exclusively at Kohl’s and Kohls.com beginning spring 2014.

New York -- Barneys New York has launched a new credit card program that features an “Influencer tier” for added luxury benefits and incentives.

The new program expands on the My Barneys Bag platform, which offers card members reward points based on annual spend, and offers additional benefits – through the Influencer tier – to a select group of high spenders.

VERNON, Calif. — True Religion Apparel appointed Gary Harvey as the brand’s creative director. In this role, Harvey will work with the company’s senior leadership to define the creative vision and design across True Religion. He will report to Lynne Koplin, chief merchandising officer.

The Woodlands, Texas - Conn’s, Inc. reported net income of $19.2 million, up $7.6 million, or 65.1%, from the prior-year period during the second quarter of fiscal 2013.

Consolidated revenues totaled $270.7 million, an increase of 30.5% from last year.

Same-store sales grew 18.4%. Sales increased significantly in product categories including home appliance, laundry, refrigeration, cooking, furniture, mattresses, TVs, tablets and computers.

Busan, South Korea — Shinsegae Simon, a joint venture between Shinsegae Group and Simon Property Group has announced the grand opening of Busan Premium Outlets, its third Premium Outlet Center in South Korea. The first two are located in Yeoju and Paju.

The new center is located on the southeastern tip of the Korean Peninsula and features 180 outlet stores. Fashion brands include Coach, Ermenegildo Zegna, Isabel Marant, Jill Stuart, Marc Jacobs, Roberto Cavalli and Vivienne Westwood.

August seems to have delivered a mixed bag to various retailers, but Costco seems to have fared well with reported net sales of $7.95 billion for the four weeks ended Sept. 1, an increase of 7% from $7.44 billion during the prior-year period.

Comparable-store sales in the U.S., adjusted to exclude changes in gasoline prices, increased 5% for August and for the fourth quarter and increased 6% for the 52-week period.

For the fourth quarter, the company reported net sales of $31.8 billion, an increase of 1% from $31.5 billion in the prior-year quarter.

Nordstrom never rushes things. It moves forward slowly, thoughtfully and creatively. And when the company makes a decision, observers tend to nod their heads and say: “Hey, that’s a good idea.”

A week ago, in a news conference announcing the acquisition of a West Side Manhattan Nordstrom store site for $102.5 million, Peter Nordstrom said: “We’ve had the intention and the drive, gosh, probably for the last 25 years to try to be here. We fully expect this to be our most successful store.”