Footwear

Menomonee Falls, Wis. -- Kohl's Corp. said Thursday it is doubling the size of its design office in New York City, as well as adding its first design studio on the West Coast, in Santa Monica, Calif.

The move, said the company, represents a commitment to its exclusive brands.

"The investment reinforces our commitment to offering world-class brands at compelling value to our customers," said Kevin Mansell, Kohl's chairman, president and CEO, in a statement.

Roswell, Ga. -- PGA Tour Superstore plans to open a 60,000-sq.-ft. store in the Chicago area in late spring 2012, followed by an additional location in the area later in the year. The two Chicago metro stores will be the company’s first locations in the Midwest.

The first store will be located in Schaumburg at the site of the former Great Indoors store at Golf Road and Meacham Road near Woodfield Mall, the largest mall in Chicagoland. The location of the second store will be announced at a later date.

COLUMBUS, Ohio — DSW is raising its full-year earnings guidance and accelerating new store openings following strong November and December sales results.

The company said it has raised its annual diluted earnings per share guidance to a range of $2.96 to $2.99 for fiscal 2011 from a range of $2.90 to $2.95, excluding any impact from the RVI merger and related items.  

Columbus, Ohio -- DSW Inc. said Tuesday it will open between 35 and 40 stores in 2012, up from an initial plan of 15 to 20 new stores this year.

The footwear and accessories retailer also raised its annual earnings guidance.

“The expansion of our footprint into new and existing markets is a key growth initiative for us,” said Mike MacDonald, president and CEO, DSW Inc.

The majority of the new stores are slated to open in the second half of 2012, according to the company.

Minneapolis -- Christopher & Banks Corp. announced that its board of directors approved a change in the company’s fiscal year-end to the Saturday nearest to the end of January, rather than the Saturday nearest to the end of February.

The retailer said the change, which is effective for the company’s current fiscal year, will provide certain benefits, including aligning its reporting periods to be more consistent with that of other specialty retail companies.
 

Chicago -- Claire’s Stores announced that Eugene S. Kahn has resigned. Kahn has served in the position since the company went private in 2007 in a $3.1 billion takeover by private-equity firm Apollo Management LP.

While the board will conduct a search for internal and external candidates, Claire's Stores President James G. Conroy and Jay Friedman, president of Claire's North American Division, will immediately form an interim office of the CEO.

Chicago -- General Growth Properties announced the addition of Von Maur department store as an anchor to Perimeter Mall, Atlanta, which has sales of more than $550 per square foot.

The department store is projected to open in fall 2012. Von Maur will replace the soon to be vacant Bloomingdale's location. Von Maur joins a retailer line-up that also includes Apple, Nordstrom, Michael Kors, Sur La Table, and Forever 21 among many others. Perimeter Mall is a 1.6 million-sq.-ft. two-level center north of downtown Atlanta.

New York City -- The nation’s discounters and department store retailers turned in mixed results for December, with many chains citing unseasonably warm weather that sapped demand for cold-weather merchandise.

“Cold-weather categories, which are highly profitable and represent approximately 25% of our business in December, were down mid-teens on a percentage basis,” said Tony Buccina, vice chairman, president – merchandising, The Bon-Ton Stores, whose December same-store sales fell 0.7%. The company widened its loss forecast.

REI (Recreational Equipment, Inc.) has opened its first Manhattan location, in the landmarked Puck Building in SoHo. The 35,000-sq.-ft. space (14,000 sq. ft. of selling space) has been restored to honor the iconic building’s more-than-century-old history — with a respect to detail evident throughout. How did REI come to select the Puck Building?

New York — Finish Line Inc.'s third-quarter earnings rose 35% amid rising digital sales and higher demand for running and basketball gear. The chain has reported nine consecutive quarters of same-store sales growth, including a 7.7% jump in the latest period.

For the quarter ended Nov. 26, the company posted a profit of $5.5 million, up from $4.1 million a year earlier. Revenue increased 8.1% to $282 million. Digital sales jumped 61%, following similar increases in the first two quarters of the year.