Footwear

The renovation of Philadelphia Mills, that city’s largest outlet shopping center, is now complete according to owner Simon. New entrances, lighting, flooring, and dining pavilion highlight the project, which was begun in 2014.   The renovation attracted several new retailers to the location, among them Express Factory, Rack Room Shoes, Steve Madden, and Starbucks.  Longtime tenants such as Saks Off 5th, HomeGoods, and Marshalls followed Simon’s lead with store re-dos of their own.  

Timberland announced a goal to double its footprint in five U.S. cities by 2020 -- but not in the conventional year.   Each year for the next five years, the brand will choose a different city with a Timberland  store, and match its retail floor space with the creation or restoration of an equivalent amount of green space in that city.  

Regency Centers announced the signing of nine new tenants for The Market at Springwoods Village, a Kroger-anchored center slated to open in 2017 in the outer northern beltway of Houston.   New neighbors of the 100,000 sq.-ft. Kroger Marketplace will be Chick-fil-A; Cold Stone Creamery; Lovett Dental; Nails of America; MOD Pizza; Supercuts; Tarka’s Indian Kitchen; Torchy’s Tacos; and Zoe’s Kitchen. Retail space in the first phase of The Market totals 170,000 sq. ft.  

Macy’s is set to debut a store design at its remodeled location in Easton Town Center, Columbus, Ohio, that will be “100% brand new.” 

PGA Tour Superstore opened its 26th store to date — and first store in Minnesota — on June 11.   Located in Minnetonka, in a previous Sports Authority location, the 41,000-sq.-ft. store has 12 interactive simulators, practice hitting bays, a large putting green measuring more than 1,500 sq. ft. and an in-house club-making and repair facility to provide an interactive experience to golf enthusiasts of all levels.  

A veteran creative executive is coming back to Under Armour in a new role, following a short hiatus.
 
Dave Dombrow, former Under Armour senior VP, creative footwear and accessories, will return to the brand as chief design officer, beginning Aug. 1, 2016. In his newly created role as chief design officer, Dombrow will guide the design of Under Armour's entire collection of footwear, apparel and accessories.

Shoe shoppers know how individual fit can be, and footwear chain DSW Inc. is trying to be as accommodating as possible.
 
DSW is partnering with 3D footwear printing specialist Feetz to create custom fit, sustainably made shoes. Feetz uses a combination of 3D printer technology and human craftspeople to make new pairs of shoes in hours and designed software to custom fit shoe designs to consumers’ feet.
 

Mary Meixelsperger, senior VP and CFO DSW Inc., is shifting professional gears

Meixelsperger has resigned from the company effective June 10, to pursue another unspecified opportunity. Coincidentally or otherwise, DSW recently missed expectations for both profits and sales in a difficult first quarter of fiscal 2016. Net income fell 37% and same-store sales also declined, although revenues grew below Wall Street forecasts.

Incorrect fit is costing retailers billions of dollars — literally.
   
In 2015, $62.4 billion worth of global apparel and footwear purchases were returned due to incorrect sizing, according to a survey by digital body analysis technology provider Body Labs.

The survey found that that 23% of all clothing gets returned, with 64% of respondents claiming “incorrect fit” as the major reason for the return. And 77% of respondents who prefer shopping online stated that poor fit is the biggest reason for returning clothing.

A company named after the first reptile to develop the feather for flight is opening freestanding stores.
 
Arc’teryx Equipment, a Canadian manufacturer and retailer of high-performance outdoor apparel and equipment, will open a store in Manhattan’s SoHo neighborhood this July. It will follow that up with a store in Chicago’s Buckhead neighborhood in August, and one at Toronto’s Yorkdale Mall in October, giving it a total of 11 locations.