Accessories

San Francisco -- Gap will open its first Italian flagship on  Saturday in the Corso Vittorio Emanuele shopping district of Milan.

The company said that it also plans to open an additional Gap store in Rome next year and a Banana Republic store adjacent to its Milan location "in the near future." The Milan Gap store spans three floors and 25,500 sq. ft. and will offer all Gap clothing collections.
 

Kearney, Neb. -- The Buckle reported Thursday that net income for the third quarter was $34.4 million, compared with a profit of $33.3 million a year earlier.

Net sales increased 5.2% to $243.3 million, from net sales of $231.2 million for the prior year.

Same-store sales edged up 0.5%.

Buckle currently operates 422 retail stores in 41 states.

New York City -- Asking rents for retail spaces in New York City hot spots are rising in certain corridors, according to The Real Estate Board of New York’s (REBNY) Fall 2010 Retail Report.

According to the report, since spring 2010, retail asking rents climbed 21% to $1700 per square foot in the Times Square corridor defined by Broadway and 7th Avenue between 42nd and 47th Streets.

Philadelphia -- Urban Outfitters recorded earnings of $73.1 million for the quarter ended Oct. 31, a 17% hike over the $62.4 million recorded in the prior year period, helped by higher sales and improved growth in comparable store net sales. Quarterly earnings were ahead of the analysts' expectations, while sales came in short of the consensus.

Revenue rose 13.4% to $573.6 million, missing Wall Street estimates of $580 million.

Topeka, Kan. -- Collective Brands, parent company to Payless ShoeSource and Stride Rite, said Tuesday it is planning to take its Stride Rite children’s shoe brand to mainland China next year.

According to Bloomberg, the company is teaming up with Li & Fung Retailing and will also open stores in Hong Kong, Malaysia and Singapore starting in December, according to Matthew Rubel, CEO of Collective Brands.

Seattle -- Nordstrom said its third-quarter profit rose a more-than-expected 43% to $119 million on improved sales and margin improvements. The company raised the low end of its fiscal year profit forecast.

Revenues rose to $2.18 billion from $1.96 billion. Same-store sales increased 5.8%.

Best-selling items were jewelry, shoes and dresses.

"Our customers are highly receptive to newness and fashion in spite of the soft economic climate," company president Blake Nordstrom said in a conference call with analysts.