Footwear

Indianapolis -- The Finish Line said Tuesday that its chief administrative officer and corporate secretary Gary D. Cohen, will retire from the company effective March 29, 2012.

Cohen will step down effective December 1, but will remain with the company during a transition period ending March 29, 2012.

Cohen, 59, has been with Finish Line since 1997, first serving as general counsel and later in his current role.
 

Niwot, Colo. -- Casual footwear-retailer Crocs debuted its new concept store, with locations in Mall of America, Bloomington, Minn.; Barton Creek, Austin, Tex.; and Streets at Southpoint, Durham, N.C.

Westbrook, Maine -- Olympia Sports has opened its 200th store, in Dunkirk, Md., at Dunkirk Gateway Shopping Center.

The regional sporting goods chain has four more confirmed openings by yearend.

“We will continue to expand in our current footprint as well as throughout the Mid-Atlantic States. Our studies have shown a real opportunity for expansion throughout this new market, and we plan to aggressively pursue those opportunities,” said Ed Manganello, president.
 

Philadelphia -- Metro Commercial Real Estate said that Athleta has opened its first store in the Philadelphia area at 1722 Walnut Street in the heart of Center City. 

The 4,000-sq.-ft. store, which is a division of Gap Inc., opened on Nov. 9. Kaiserman Cos. is the landlord of 1722 Walnut Street, a strip of high-end retail along Philadelphia’s Rittenhouse Row.
 

Cherry Hill, N.J. -- Philadelphia-based Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust said that plus-size fashion retailer Fashion to Figure has opened a 2,719-sq-ft. store at Cherry Hill Mall, in Cherry Hill, N.J.

The new store is located on the Upper Level near J.C. Penney.

New York City -- Gap Inc. on Thursday opened its first store in Poland, in Warsaw’s Arkadia mall.

Gap and its Polish franchise partner, Ultimate Fashion, are planning to open more stores in Poland in 2012 and expand to other countries in the region.
 

San Francisco -- Gensler has been selected to refurbish Wilkes Bashford, an upscale men’s and women’s clothing store in San Francisco. The project will involve a top-to-bottom renovation of the iconic, seven-level store.

Topeka, Kan. -- Collective Brands Inc., parent of Payless ShoeSource, reported Monday that it swung to a loss of $114.3 million in the quarter ended Oct. 29, compared with a profit of $47.6 million in the year-ago period. Excluding a tax-related charge, the retailer would have gained $37.1 million in the quarter.

Columbus, Ohio -- DSW Inc. reported Tuesday that net income increased to $53.7 million in the third quarter, up from $35.5 million a year earlier.

Sales rose 8.5% to $530.7 million, from $489.3 million. Same-store sales increased 5.2%.

The shoe retailer cited strong boot sales for the performance surge. “We are confident in our strategies and continue to expect fiscal 2011 to represent a strong year of growth, and as a result we have increased our annual guidance," said Mike MacDonald president and CEO.
 

St. Louis -- Brown Shoe Co. said Monday that while profit rose dramatically in the third quarter thanks to a business unit divestiture, the retailer will cut several of its lines and close underperforming stores nationwide to shore up profitability.