Footwear

It’s official: The Finish Line considering selling its specialty running store chain.   The company announced that it is currently exploring strategic alternatives for its JackRabbit division (previously known as Running Specialty Group). The segment includes 70 specialty running stores in 17 states, such as Brooks, ASICS and Hoka One One.  

Macerich is rolling out a plug-and-play concept that allows it to bring new retailers to its centers in a most untraditional way.    The mall owner announced it is expanding its portfolio for WithMe, an interactive physical store platform that allows brands to set up  limited-time shops in a most expedient way. WithMe offers brands a fully portable, pre-fabricated and high-tech retail environment that blend the best of online and offline shopping.    

The Butler North component of Butler Enterprises’ massive retail complex in Gainesville, Florida, brings itself close to 100% occupancy with next week’s opening of Total Wine & More.   The 20,000-sq.-ft store is the latest in a series of new store openings at the center. Also debuting there over the past four months were Walmart Supercenter, Aldi, Marshalls, Payless Shoe Source, and Dollar Tree.  

Nike has upped its game in downtown Manhattan.    The athletic giant has opened a five-level, multi-sport category outpost in the heart of New York City’s SoHo neighborhood.   

Eager to keep early omnichannel holiday shoppers from “shopping around, Zappos.com unveiled introduced its “price promise” program.   The program, which launched on Oct. 31 and runs through Nov. 20, uses software to automatically price match the site’s most popular products with those found on qualifying online competitors’ sites.   

Apple’s App Store has been awash in recent weeks with hundreds of fake retail and product apps, the New York Times reported.  

Saks Fifth Avenue has opened its third location in Miami, and seventh location year to date, at the just opened Brickell City Centre in the city’s financial district.   

Finish Line Inc. is searching for a buyer for its JackRabbit chain of running-shoe stores, Bloomberg reported.  

Modell’s Sporting Goods is opening a flagship on the site of a former rival.   Modell’s will open a two-level, 20,000-sq.-ft. store on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, in a site formerly occupied by Sports Authority. The opening is slated for mid-November.    The store will become Modell’s flagship store in Manhattan, said William Rudin, CEO of property manager Rudin Management Company, in a release.  

Boot Barn’s second quarter performance rose slightly, meeting Wall Street estimates. The western-influenced specialty retailer reported $134 million in revenue for the second quarter ending Sept. 24, 2016, a 3.3% increase from $129.7 million in the prior-year period. This jump also exceeded Wall Street’s estimate of $131.61 million. Boot Barn credited the increase to 13 new stores opened over the past 12 months, and a 1.8% increase in same-store sales. Two of those stores opened the chain during the second quarter.