Footwear

Columbus, Ohio -- DSW’s Affiliated Business Group division and Yellow Box Corporation have opened the first-ever Yellow Box Footwear store in California, at the Westfield Topanga Mall, in Canoga Park.

Founded in 1998, Yellow Box is a footwear wholesaler best known for its jeweled sandals for women. The Yellow Box retail concept made its debut in June, with a store in Miami.

Los Angeles – American Apparel has relocated its Aix-en-Provence store in France. Set in a former private hotel, the new location features an open, single floor layout and flower garden.

The shop maintains much of the building's early architecture including stone walls, a fireplace (transformed into a shoe display) and double front doors depicting the city's emblem of two lion faces. With history dating back to the 16th century, it marks the company's oldest interior in Europe.    

As the start of the school year gets closer, Kids Foot Locker has joined forces with Los Angeles Clippers point guard Chris Paul, widely known by fans, media and fellow athletes as CP3, to promote the store’s line of Jordan products.
 
A new commercial, produced by BBDO and slated to start airing on children’s networks Aug. 8, features Paul taking photos with young basketball players wearing Jordan gear.

A more cautious consumer led to weaker-than-anticipated traffic at Hibbett in the second quarter, prompting the sporting goods retailer to revise its earnings expectations for the full year.

Net sales for the 13-week period ended August 2 are expected to increase 4.2% to $194 million compared with $186.2 million for the year-ago period. Comparable store sales are expected to increase 0.1% for the quarter.

Stein Mart is marking its ninth consecutive quarter of positive sales. The company reported total sales of $75.3 million for July, a 0.9% increase from $74.6 in the prior year.

The company has generated $298.1 million in total sales for the second quarter so far, a 2.5% increase from $290.9 in the year-ago period. Comparable-store sales have increased 1.3%.

Rock Hill, South Carolina — Southern home furnishings retailer Home South will open a 30,000-sq.-ft. store at Rock Hill Galleria, located in Rock Hill, South Carolina. The new store is slated to open this fall.

The Rock Hill Galleria location marks the company’s second store. Its original store is situated in Charlotte, North Carolina. The company was founded in 2013 by the operators of Carolina Pottery.

Plano, Texas -- J. C. Penney Company will open its first-ever store in Brooklyn, further increasing its New York City footprint, on Aug. 29. The all-new 124,000-sq.-ft., single-level store, located in Gateway Center, will provide a look at Penney's updated store model, which includes a new footwear format.  

Build-A-Bear Workshop CEO Sharon John will be joining Jack in the Box’s board of directors, effective September 18.

John has more than 25 years of retail marketing, branding and executive management experience in the public and private sectors. Prior to joining Build-A-Bear Workshop in 2013, she served three years as president of the Stride Rite Children’s Group, a footwear division of Wolverine Worldwide with more than 300 stores in the U.S. and abroad.

Foothill Ranch, Calif. - Christine Lee has been appointed executive VP and chief merchandising officer, starting on Sept. 3. Lee served as senior VP/general merchandise manager, women’s apparel, accessories and design at Pacific Sunwear of California Inc since 2010.

Prior to Pacific Sunwear, Lee spent 18 years with Urban Outfitters Inc. Brieane Breuer, who joined PacSun in 2007 and is the company's current VP of women's design, will replace Lee on an interim basis.

Madison, Wisconsin -- Hilldale, a 675,000-sq.-ft. center in Madison, Wisconsin, is preparing to launch a major redevelopment that will add 53,000 sq. ft. of new retail and restaurant space built in an outdoor streetscape. As part of the redevelopment, Kate Spade New York, Lucky Brand, Michael Kors and Sperry Top-Sider will join the existing roster of national and local retailers, restaurants and specialty boutiques. The center is owned and operated by WS Development, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts.