Footwear

St. Louis -- Brown Shoe Co. will test a new retail format, called Mind Body Sole by Famous Footwear, that offers a wide range of fitness footwear for active consumers. The shops, opening in five locations by yearend, will feature footwear for running, walking, hiking, toning and more from top brands including Nike, Reebok, ASICS, Skechers, New Balance, Avia, Saucony, Adidas and K-Swiss.

Hammond, La. -- Hammond, La.-based Stirling Properties, the developer of Hammond Square, has announced that The Children’s Place will open a store at Hammond Square, the company’s power-lifestyle shopping center.

The Children’s Place will occupy 4,290 sq. ft. on Main Street across from Encore Shoe Department. The new store is slated to open early spring 2011.

New York City -- American Eagle Outfitters will open second flagship in Manhattan. The new SoHo store will open Tuesday, Nov. 9.

New York City -- Asking rents for retail spaces in New York City hot spots are rising in certain corridors, according to The Real Estate Board of New York’s (REBNY) Fall 2010 Retail Report.

According to the report, since spring 2010, retail asking rents climbed 21% to $1700 per square foot in the Times Square corridor defined by Broadway and 7th Avenue between 42nd and 47th Streets.

Philadelphia -- Urban Outfitters recorded earnings of $73.1 million for the quarter ended Oct. 31, a 17% hike over the $62.4 million recorded in the prior year period, helped by higher sales and improved growth in comparable store net sales. Quarterly earnings were ahead of the analysts' expectations, while sales came in short of the consensus.

Revenue rose 13.4% to $573.6 million, missing Wall Street estimates of $580 million.

Topeka, Kan. -- Collective Brands, parent company to Payless ShoeSource and Stride Rite, said Tuesday it is planning to take its Stride Rite children’s shoe brand to mainland China next year.

According to Bloomberg, the company is teaming up with Li & Fung Retailing and will also open stores in Hong Kong, Malaysia and Singapore starting in December, according to Matthew Rubel, CEO of Collective Brands.

New Albany, Ohio -- Abercrombie & Fitch Co. on Tuesday reported a profit of $50 million for the quarter ended Oct. 30, compared with $38.8 million in the year-ago period. Its results were helped by improving sales in the United States and international revenue.

Sales rose 18% to $886 million, matching Wall Street expectations. Same-store sales increased 7%. By division, same-store sales rose 8% at namesake stores, 2% at Abercrombie kids stores and 7% at surf-themed Hollister stores.

Seattle -- Nordstrom said its third-quarter profit rose a more-than-expected 43% to $119 million on improved sales and margin improvements. The company raised the low end of its fiscal year profit forecast.

Revenues rose to $2.18 billion from $1.96 billion. Same-store sales increased 5.8%.

Best-selling items were jewelry, shoes and dresses.

"Our customers are highly receptive to newness and fashion in spite of the soft economic climate," company president Blake Nordstrom said in a conference call with analysts.

Plano, Texas -- J.C. Penney announced that its new Foundry Big & Tall Supply Co. division will launch a new retail concept catering to the men’s big-and-tall customer. With plans to open 300 stores -- as well as an e-commerce website -- over the next five years, The Foundry Big & Tall Supply Co. will carry an extensive assortment of national men’s brands along with The Foundry Supply Co. private brand merchandise, offering an upscale, one-stop-shop for the big-and-tall customer, J.C. Penney reported.

San Francisco -- The Gymboree Corp. reported Monday that net income for the quarter ended Oct. 30 dipped slightly to $34.4 million, compared with net income of $34.8 million in the year-ago quarter.

Revenue increased 4% to $280.9 million, compared with $269.1 million in the prior year. 

Same-store sales decreased 4%.