Footwear

West Marine's renewed focus on omnichannel growth seems to be paying off as the specialty retailer reported a big spike in same store sales in the second quarter.

Skechers USA Inc., which recently passed Adidas to become the number two athletic footwear brand in the United States, is on the fast track.

The company, whose second quarter sales beat estimates, has carved out a lucrative niche in casual athletic footwear and in kids’ athletic footwear. It is in expansion mode, with plans to open 125 to 135 company-owned and third-party-owned stores later this year.

New York -- Jones New York stores won’t be shutting out the lights up north.

Canadian menswear retailer Grafton Fraser Inc. has acquired Jones New York’s 35 stores in Canada for an undisclosed amount. The Toronto-based company said it is planning "significant growth" in the number of Jones stores going forward.

Framingham, Mass. – The TJX Cos. Inc. apparently has a taste for vegemite.

TJX is purchasing Trade Secret, an off-price retailer that operates 35 stores in Australia, from Gazal Corp. Ltd. for $58.45 million. The acquisition of Trade Secret provides TJX an opportunistic entry into Australia, where it currently operates one of its 13 buying offices.

Boston -- A veteran retailer with experience in running big national chains has joined City Sports as its new chief executive.

The Boston-based company tapped Marty Hanaka, who has served on the board of directors of City Sports since 2008, as its new chief executive. Hanaka was the interim CEO of Guitar Center from January 2013 to April 2013. Previously, he served as CEO of Golfsmith Holdings (from June 2008 to November 2012) and of The Sports Authority (from September 1998 to August 2003.) Prior to that, he was the president and COO of Staples.

A veteran retailer with experience in running big national chains has joined City Sports as its new chief executive.

TJX has been on a growth and revenue spree of late, and now the off-price retailer is apparently looking to expand down under.

As shoppers get ready to slip back into their jeans for the upcoming fall and back-to-school seasons, it makes sense that Target has given its denim assortment a big refresh.

Target’s team of designers went to work to completely overhaul the retailer's denim assortment. The result? New styles and revamped fits, fabrics and finishes — comparable to what you’d find at a high-end department store — all for $30 or less. 

New York – Although overall back-to-school shopping is starting later in 2015 than the prior year, online back-to-school shoppers are getting an earlier start than their brick-and-mortar counterparts. According to a new trend report on back-to-school shopping from Internet marketing agency PM Digital, 30% of online shoppers will start buying back-to-school items at least two months before school starts, compared to 22% of overall shoppers.

The CEO of Big 5 Sporting Goods Corp. says sales and earnings are growing at the California-based retailer despite the recreational impacts of the drought in that state.