Footwear

Nordstrom  plans to shutter its location at Horton Plaza, in downtown San Diego.  The store, which opened in 1985, will remain open through August 26, 2016.   "These are always tough decisions to make, but in taking a look at the store's performance and our business needs into the future, we believe this is the best direction to take," said Jamie Nordstrom, president of stores for Nordstrom. "We look forward to serving our loyal Horton Plaza customers at our other San Diego stores.”  

Sports apparel retailer The Finish Line topped Street estimates for its first quarter, turning in a solid performance in a challenging retail environment.    The company reported net income of $9.63 million for the period ended May 28, down 29.9% from $13.73 million in the year-ago quarter, amid higher costs.     Net sales rose 2.28% to $453.52 million, higher than expected,  from $443.39 million in the same quarter last year. Same-store sales increased 1.5%.  

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.