Footwear

Kevin Mead, the former SVP, director of stores for the Children's Place, has joined the senior team at Aerosoles as EVP, retail reporting directly to CEO Jules Schneider. Mead will lead the strategic direction, ongoing expansion and operations of Aerosoles retail and outlet locations.

Aerosoles has brought in Mead to spearhead for the retail division the company’s growth strategy, following its recent partnership with Palladin Consumer Retail Partners (PCRP). 

Dodgeville, Wis. -- Lands’ End has brought on San Francisco-based Secret Sauce Partners to help improve the retailer’s online shopping experience.

Lands’ End has deployed Secret Sauce’s Fit Predictor service, which proactively finds a customer's best fit in seconds using existing data, without the need for physical measurements.  

Katy, Texas - Academy Sports + Outdoors announced a third planned Louisville-area store, in Elizabethtown, Kentucky, scheduled to open in 2015. Academy previously announced stores opening in Louisville and Middletown, which will both open prior to the 2014 holiday season.

All three locations were developed in partnership with GBT Realty Corporation. Academy Sports + Outdoors also announced new multi-year partnerships with both the University of Louisville Cardinals and also the University of Kentucky Wildcats.

Sidney, Neb. -- Cabela’s Incorporated announced today plans to open a store in Calgary, Alberta. Construction is scheduled to begin later this year, with a fall 2015 opening.

The 70,000-sq.-ft. store will be located adjacent the Deerfoot Mall, which is currently under plan review as an open air shopping center redevelopment project.

It will be Cabela’s third location in Alberta, joining two locations in Edmonton, which opened in 2011 and May of this year.

Stuart Weitzman has named Monica Schwartz as chief global digital and e-commerce officer. She will report directly to CEO Wayne Kulkin and will be based out of the company's international headquarters in New York.

In this newly created position, Schwartz will oversee all aspects of global e-commerce and digital strategies for the stuartweitzman.com platforms in the United States, Canada, Europe and Hong Kong, as well as the soon-to-be-launched e-commerce site in China.

Dublin, Calif. – Ross Dress for Less will open one new store in Las Vegas and two new stores in Florida on July 19. The new stores are part of the retailer’s 2014 expansion program, totaling approximately 75 new locations during the year.

The Florida stores will be located in Pier Park North in Panama City Beach and Royal Gardens Plaza in Hialeah Garden. They will give Ross a total of 140 stores in Florida.

Newport News, Va. - Marketplace at Tech Center, a mixed-use lifestyle center Newport News, Va., will be the site of several stores and restaurants that cannot currently be found elsewhere on the Virginia Peninsula. These “first-to-market” retailers (with the exception of those that have outlet stores in Williamsburg) that have inked deals include:

• Whole Foods: 35,000-sq.-ft. of retail space
• DSW Shoe Warehouse: 18,062-sq.-ft. of retail space
• BJ’s Brewhouse: 7,400-sq.-ft. of retail space

The Running Specialty Group, an operating segment of the Finish Line, has appointed Scott Goodmon as VP, store operations. Goodmon will lead the group’s nearly 800 employees serving the running community nationwide. He will report directly to Running Specialty Group president Bill Kirkendall.

New York -- Online menswear brand Bonobos has raised a total of $55 million in venture capital funding, bringing the brand's total funding to $128 million. The company plans to use a large part of the latest investment to quadruple its physical store count, growing from 10 locations to 40 nationwide by 2016, The New York Times reported.

Swirl Networks, provider of a leading enterprise-class beacon marketing platform, has entered into a strategic relationship with Motorola Solutions. The two companies will work together in the areas of product, sales and services to support iBeacon technology rollouts in large-scale retail environments.

The news follows the recent unveiling of Motorola's MPact Platform for Mobile Marketing, which leverages Swirl to power the beacon marketing capabilities for its indoor locationing platform.