Formalwear

The Men's Wearhouse board of directors has promoted Mary Beth Blake to the position of president and chief merchandising officer. She was previously EVP and chief merchandising officer, and will continue reporting to CEO Doug Ewert.

"Mary Beth has been an integral part of our management team since 2008 and has spent her entire career developing creative initiatives to drive sales, expand gross margins and build successful teams," said Ewert.

Fremont, Calif. – Non-deductible costs related to the purchase of Jos. A. Bank helped sharply reduce net earnings at The Men’s Wearhouse during the second quarter of fiscal 2014. The Men’s Wearhouse reported net earnings of $12.3 million, down 71% from $42.9 million the same period a year earlier, although the total still beat Wall Street projections.

Non-deductible costs related to the purchase of Jos. A. Bank helped sharply reduce net earnings at The Men’s Wearhouse during the second quarter of fiscal 2014.

The Men’s Wearhouse reported net earnings of $12.3 million, down 71% from $42.9 million the same period a year earlier, although the total still beat Wall Street projections.

Fremont, Calif. - Jos. A. Bank has reached an early termination agreement with Jim's Formal Wear, effective Dec. 31. The company will record a one-time charge of $4.5 million in its fiscal 2014 third quarter in connection with early termination of this contract to supply tuxedo rental inventory and logistics.

Online sales at regional department store operator Belk grew 43% during the second quarter, prompting the company to announce a major investment in its e-commerce and fulfillment capabilities.

When Blanklabel.com launched in 2009, it set out to redefine notions of custom-tailored menswear, long the purview of the luxury market, by offering bespoke garments at affordable department store prices.

The startup took things a step further by updating the custom concept with a very 21st century, crowdsourcing twist: It offered shoppers a hand in the design of the merchandise by allowing them to pick their own details — from the cut of a shirt to the lining of a collar.

Blank Label is now bringing the disciplines it h

Long Island City, N.Y. -- Steve Madden has completed the acquisition of privately held Dolce Vita Holdings Inc., which specializes in the design, sourcing and sale of branded and private label footwear. The acquisition was completed for $60.3 million.

Regional department store operator Belk wasted no time filling its president and head merchant position after Kathryn Bufano vacated those positions to become CEO of The Bon-Ton Stores.

Within minutes of Bon-Ton’s announcement that it had hired Bufano, Belk named David Zant president and chief merchandising officer, effective August 11. Zant has served as EVP and general merchandise manager of men’s, home and kids since 2008 and in his new role will report to Tim Belk, chairman and CEO of the 299-unit chain.

Fremont, Calif. – The Men’s Wearhouse reported same-store sales growth of 3.6% for the second quarter of fiscal 2014 as of July 19. The retailer’s second quarter ends Aug. 2.

In addition, as of July 19 same-stores sales in Men’s Wearhouse’s Jos. A. Bank division, which was purchased in June 2014, were up 2.4%. Same-store sales at the Moore’s division were up 8.3%.

San Francisco -- Continuing its global growth, Gap Inc. on Monday announced that it will introduce the Gap brand to Slovenia and Austria through agreements with new and existing franchise partners. Magistrat International, a new partner, has been selected for the launch of Slovenia. Gottex, which currently manages the Gap franchise business in Israel and Hungary, will launch Austria.