Footwear

Hibbett Sports has put its succession plan into motion. Effective Feb. 2, 2014, Mickey Newsome will go from executive chairman of the board and CEO to non-executive chairman. Additionally, president and CEO Jeff Rosenthal has been appointed to the board, bringing the total number of members 10.

Stuart Weitzman plans to open up a pop-up shop in the digital space. The upscale footwear brand has partnered with the online shopping destination, Gilt, to launch the store, created exclusively by Gilt.

The online pop-up will celebrate the twentieth anniversary of Stuart Weitzman’s iconic, over-the-knee 5050 boot and feature a 20-piece Anniversary Collection, which includes ten limited-edition styles.

New York — Famous Footwear has leased its second Manhattan location at 48-50 West 14th Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues in Union Square, according to Winick Realty Group. The 7,800-sq.-ft. store is a block-through retail site with 50 feet of frontage on 14th Street and 25 ft. of frontage adjacent to the New School entrance on 13th Street.

Ripco represented Famous Footwear in the transaction. Winick represented the landlord, CB Developers.

Pittsburgh – Dick’s Sporting Goods is opening new stores in Wyoming and Kentucky on Oct. 25. The new stores are located at the Eastridge Mall in Casper, Wy., and Gary Farms in Bowling Green, Ky.

The Casper store will be Dick’s first store in Wyoming, and the Bowling Green will be the retailer’s ninth store in Kentucky. Dick’s will have a total of 547 stores as of Oct. 25.

Somerville, Mass. – Merlin Entertainments has reportedly broken ground on a new Legoland Discovery Center location at the 50-acre, mixed-use Assembly Row development in Somerville, Mass. According to the Boston Globe, the 44,000-sq.-ft. store will open in May 2014.

The store will be the only Legoland location in New England and employ about 100 people. Other retailers planning to open stores at Assembly Row include Nike, Brooks Brothers, Chico’s, and J.P. Licks.

Columbus, Ohio - On Oct. 14, 2013, shareholders of DSW Inc. approved a two-for-one stock split of DSW's common shares, along with approving an increase in the number of Class A common shares authorized for issuance. The company plans to effect the stock split on Nov. 2, 2013, by filing an amendment to its articles of incorporation.  

New York -- J.Crew ranked No. 1 overall in customer service in September for the third consecutive month, in a monthly survey by StellaService, the independent ratings provider that ranks online retailers according to their customer service. StellaService measures companies monthly across four service areas: phone, email, shipping and returns.

Here is a look at the top finishers in the four individual categories:

Centreville, Va. — Sleepy’s The Mattress Professionals has opened a 6,700-sq.-ft. store in Centreville Square II on Lee Highway in Centreville, Va.

A.J. Dwoskin represented the landlord in the lease negotiations. Centreville Square II is a 200,366-sq.-ft. neighborhood center. Current tenants include Party Depot, Five Guys, Wells Fargo, Hair Cuttery and The UPS Store.

Benicia, Calif. — Cycle Gear has announced the opening of its first New York State store in Hicksville. With this new location, Cycle Gear has stores in 31 states. Company officials said this is the first of many planned stores in New York.

Employee-owned and enthusiast-driven, Cycle Gear is an active member of the riding community, sponsoring local events and working with new and experienced riders to help them find just the right gear.

Stride Rite Children's Group, a leading marketer of children's footwear brands, is partnering with the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) to help families stay safe while trick-or-treating this Halloween season.  

Stride Rite offers a wide variety of comfortable shoes, featuring everything from Star Wars to Captain American, which complement Halloween costumes. Stride Rite also offers a variety of styles, from Spider-Man to Disney Princesses, which incorporate unique light-up technology to help trick-or-treaters stand out on Halloween night.