Footwear

New York –- Independent real estate firm RKF has arranged a 9,100-sq.-ft. lease for True Religion, a retailer of denim and denim-related sportswear, in the SoHo neighborhood of New York. Acting on behalf of the landlord, 513 Broadway LLC, RKF executive VP Ariel Schuster negotiated the transaction, offering 2,900 sq. ft. on the ground floor, plus two levels below totaling 6,200 sq. ft.   

Clifton, N.J. -- Blink Fitness is set to open its newest New Jersey location at Clifton Plaza in Clifton. The fitness chain will occupy 15,000-sq.-ft. of newly constructed retail space at the 80,000-sq.-ft. shopping center, which is managed and leased by Levin Management. Levin Management negotiated the long-term lease.   

Minneapolis –- Hair salon chain Regis Corp. and specialty footwear retailer Red Wing Shoes both recently engaged Insight Inc. to refresh their store systems.

 

Regis rolled out the Insight Retail Ready program to refresh its network infrastructure, server, wireless and points of sale in more than 2,000 U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico SmartStyle salons located in Wal-Mart stores. 

New York –- Online footwear retailer Zappos is ranked the simplest brand in the U.S. And that’s a good thing. According to the new Brand Simplicity Index ranking of U.S. brands from brand advisory firm Siegel & Gale, the top 10 list is dominated by retailers. The list includes Amazon.com at number two, Subway (#3), Pizza Hut (#4), Netflix (#5), Trader Joe’s (#6), Kroger (#7), McDonald’s (#8), Chipotle (#9) and Dunkin’ Donuts (#10).

Weaker than expected third quarter sales prompted Kohl’s to lower its profit forecast while noting that e-commerce sales increase 30%.

The company held an investor conference on Oct. 29 and said third quarter sales were expected to decline 1.4% due to softer than expected sales during October. The top line weakness caused the company to confirm that profits would be at the lower end of a previously forecast range of $4.05 to $4.45 a share.

Menomonee Falls, Wis. - Kohl’s Corp. expects same-store sales to decrease 1.4% in the third quarter of fiscal 2014. The company said October sales have been softer than the balance of the quarter.    Geographically, Kohl’s expects sales to be consistent across all regions. E-commerce sales are expected to increase more than 30%. By line of business, the company expects children’s to report same-store sales increases for the quarter.  

Sunrise, Fla. - The Sawgrass Mills outlet and value retail shopping center has begun construction on the next expansion of its open-air luxury promenade, The Colonnade Outlets at Sawgrass Mills. The planned project will include an additional 80,000 sq. ft. to comprise 30 additional luxury outlet stores and full-service restaurants, which will join a roster of existing brands like Prada, Gucci, Tory Burch, Burberry and more.  

New York -- Woolrich John Rich & Bros. announced the opening of its first Tokyo flagship, in the fashionable Omotesando neighborhood. Following the opening of the brand’s first U.S. flagship this September, Woolrich John Rich & Bros. continues its global expansion plan with the new addition in Japan.  

New York – Fast-fashion retailer H&M is reportedly opening a new 21,000-sq.-ft. store at the Dayton Mall in Dayton, Ohio on Thursday, Oct. 30. According to the Dayton Business Journal, H&M has hired 30 employees to staff the location.  

New York -- Uniqlo is opening a store at Great Mall in Milpitas, California on Friday, Oct. 31. The new addition signifies the completion of a redesign of Great Mall’s interior mid-section, which has allowed for additional retail space.    This space reconfiguration has extended Great Mall’s growing fashion corridor with other popular retailers, including Guess Factory Store and an expanded Tommy Hilfiger Company store.