Retail

St. Louis -- Brown Shoe Co., parent of Famous Footwear and Naturalizer shoe stores, said Tuesday that its fiscal third-quarter profit rose to $18.6 million from $16.3 million, topping analysts estimates.

Sales in the quarter ended Oct. 30 rose 14.5% to $716.1 million, from $625.6 million.

Las Vegas -- New York City-based Robert K. Futterman & Associates announced that Skechers has opened inside Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino, in Las Vegas.

Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino is a 1.2-mile retail/entertainment complex on the Las Vegas Strip featuring 170 specialty stores, 15 restaurants and three live entertainment venues.

It is owned by David Edelstein and Aby Rosen, in conjunction with leasing and marketing consultant Robert K. Futterman & Associates LLC. 

San Francisco -- SolutionSet, the fourth largest independent digital, data, direct and local marketing services company nationwide, announced it has been selected by Performance Bicycle to be its direct and digital marketing partner. SolutionSet will provide Performance Bicycle with database management and catalog marketing services.

Indianapolis -- Simon Property Group has launched the Simon Mobile Shopper Club. More than 180 Simon malls will now interact with shoppers who want to receive news of special deals and events on their mobile device via text messaging (SMS).

When a shopper opts-in to the Simon Mobile Shopper Club at their favorite Simon mall, they will receive alerts on special retailer sales or events, such as Santa's arrival. While at the mall, shoppers will be encouraged to interact via SMS and even play text-in games for a chance to win great prizes.

Dallas -- Zale Corp.’s first-quarter loss widened as a debt-related charge hit the bottom line but a slight drop in revenue was offset by higher margins. The jewelry retailer reported a loss of $97.9 million, up from $59.7 million a year earlier.

Sales fell 0.7% to $327 million, from $329 million. Same-store sales in the quarter ended Oct. 31 fell 1.1%.

By Carsten Thoma, [email protected]

Mobile is not just another customer communications channel; it is rapidly evolving into an effective commerce channel. Strengthening the link between existing channels such as physical and online stores, mobile now enables customers to start shopping using their mobile devices and finish the process online, via a contact center, in the brick-and-mortar store, or even on the mobile device itself.