Footwear

Clarksville, Tenn. -- Francesca’s Collections will open a 1,353-sq.-ft. store at Cafaro’s Governor’s Square Mall, in Clarksville, Tennessee. The new store, located across from Gap/Gap Kids, is slated to open May 2015.

Governor’s Square Mall, owned and managed by Cafaro Company, comprises over one million sq. ft. of retail space. It is anchored by Dillard’s, Belk, Sears, J.C. Penney, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Target, Cinema Ten and over 100 other specialty shops and services.
 

Boston - ShoeBuy, a global online retailer of shoes and clothing, is expanding into footwear manufacturing. The company has acquired a minority stake in Boston Boot Company.

Now, the complete Boston Boot Company product line is available at ShoeBuy.com, bringing the brand to millions of shoppers. Financial details of the deal were not disclosed.

ShoeBuy, a global online retailer of shoes and clothing, is expanding into footwear manufacturing.

The company has acquired a minority stake in Boston Boot Company. Now, the complete Boston Boot Company product line will be available at ShoeBuy.com, bringing the brand to millions of shoppers. Financial details of the deal were not disclosed.

At a time when omnichannel retailing is more important than ever for retailers, Gap Inc. is shutting down one of its digital brands.

Gap Inc. said it is dropping its Piperlime channel so the apparel maker and retailer can focus on fixing the problems plaguing the Gap and Banana Republic brands.

San Francisco -- Gap Inc. is shutting down its Piperlime business. The company plans to close the brand’s online platform and single store in New York, by the end of the first quarter of fiscal year 2015.  

The decision comes as Abe Peck, who has led Gap’s growth, innovation and digital unit, gets ready to step into the CEO suite next month.

“We plan to keep on pushing new ideas and look forward to seeing how we can apply what we’ve learned to the rest of the company,” Peck said in a statement.

New York -- Women’s footwear designer Vince Camuto, who co-founded Nine West Group and then went on to establish his own successful namesake clothing and footwear business, has passed away at the age of 78. Camuto died Wednesday at his home in Greenwich, Connecticut, after a battle with cancer.

In 1978, Camuto and Jerome Fisher founded Nine West Group, which they grew into a retail powerhouse. In 1999, the company was acquired by Jones Apparel Group for nearly $900 million.

New York -- Michael Kors is pleased to announce that it will open its largest Japanese flagship store this fall, in Tokyo’s Ginza district. The store will be the first in the world to carry every category offered by the global luxury lifestyle brand.

Canton, Mass. -- Athletic-shoe maker New Balance has teamed up with private-equity firm Berkshire Partners LLC to acquire The Rockport Company from the Adidas Group for $280 million.

Financial terms were not disclosed.

As part of the deal, New Balance affiliate Drydock Footwear LLC, whose brands include Cobb Hill, Aravon and Dunham, will join with The Rockport Co. to create The Rockport Group.

Footwear retailer sales could be in for a “Boost” this spring thanks to a pricy introduction from Adidas backed by some big name athletes and a bold marketing claim.

Adidas contends its new Ultra BOOST shoe is “the greatest running shoe ever,” and for $180 it better be. It goes on sale next month in time for the Spring running season.

Louisville, Colo. -- Nordstrom ranked as consumers’ favorite fashion retailer for the third consecutive year, followed by Kohl’s, T.J. Maxx, Macy’s and Dillard’s. That’s according to a study by Market Force Information, a provider of customer intelligence solutions.