Casual

Bebe's Steve Birkhold has resigned as CEO, effective immediately. The board has appointed Jim Wiggett, currently CEO of Jackson Hole Group, as CEO while it starts a search for a permanent replacement.

With coupons for anywhere from J.C. Penney to Jos. A. Bank, instant savings are now in people’s pockets with the addition of Groupon Freebies to the coupon giant’s mobile app.

The feature, which was launched late in 2013 on Groupon’s website, was added to its mobile app on Tuesday. With Freebies now available to deal seekers on the go, some 30,000 coupons, discount codes and other deals that it features will be at customers’ fingertips.

Minneapolis — Christopher & Banks Corp. more than quadrupled its net income to $2.6 million in the first quarter of fiscal 2014 compared to $0.6 million in the same quarter the prior year. The women’s apparel chain also plans to open six new outlet stores and three new stores in its MPW (Missy, Petite, Women) format during the fiscal year.

New Albany, Ohio — Abercrombie & Fitch Co. has named Christos Angelides president of its Abercrombie & Fitch and Abercrombie Kids brands, a position he is expected to take in October 2014. Angelides, 51, will report to A&F CEO Mike Jeffries and will have overall responsibility for all product and customer-facing activities for the Abercrombie & Fitch and Abercrombie Kids brands.  

He will also be accountable for the financial performance of the brands.

Jos. A. Bank continued the positive trend of increases in adjusted earnings that it saw in the second half of 2013. Comparable brand sales increased by double digits in the first two months of the first quarter, and despite slowing down after Easter, still resulted in an 8.4% increase.

Fremont, Calififornia — The Men’s Weahouse reported a decline in first-quarter profit, hurt mostly by expenses. But the retailer’s results still topped Wall Street expectations.
 
Men's Wearhouse, which is acquiring smaller rival Jos. A. Bank Clothiers, reported first-quarter net earnings of $16.5, compared with $33 million last year. Results include $26.5 million in costs related to strategic projects, primarily Jos. A. Bank and cost reduction initiatives.

New York -- Women’s fashions and home décor retailer Soft Surroundings is planning to open six new stores, giving it a total of 18 locations, the St. Louis Business Journal reported.

New locations will include Richmond, Virginia; Lynnfield, Massachusetts; Alpharetta, Georgia; Madison, Wisconsin; Portland, Oregon; and Paramus, New Jersey.

Soft Surroundings launched in 1999 as a catalog.

Los Angeles -- Another online retailer is taking the brick-and-mortar plunge. California lifestyle brand Gypsy05 announced it will open its first two retail locations at the end of this month. After nearly 10 years of business, the brand has decided to open branded Gypsy05 retail stores, in Beverly Hills, and in the Malibu Country Mart in Malibu, California. The brand is set to open a third location, in Orange County, California, later this year, but real estate negotiations have not been completed.

New York -- The Federal Trade Commission on Friday determined that the merger between Men’s Wearhouse and Jos. A. Bank does not violate antitrust laws. The commission had been conducting a detailed review of the proposed $1.8 billion deal.

The Men’s Wearhouse expects to close on its acquisition for Jos. A. Bank in the next 30 days after Men's Wearhouse agreed to pay $65 a share for Jos. A. Bank earlier this year in a deal valued at $1.8 billion that will create a company with more than 1,700 stores and pro forma annual sales of $3.5 billion.

The athletic performance-wear giant known for its commitment to innovation goes big in Manhattan, opening its newest and largest “brand house” location to date. With 10,000 sq. ft. of selling space, the store immerses customers in the Under Armour mystique and houses its most comprehensive assortment of men's, women's and children’s apparel, footwear and equipment in the country.