Jewelry

Cranston, R.I. -- Boston-based The Wilder Cos. said Thursday that the second phase of the multi-phased strategy to expand, reconfigure and redevelop Garden City Center, in Cranston, R.I., is officially underway.

The project involves turning vacant former large-format retail spaces into a mix of mid-sized and smaller specialty retailers, including the state’s first Corner Bakery Café which signed a multi-year lease.

Denton, Texas -- The MGHerring Group and Cencor Realty Services said that The Buckle will open a store at Golden Triangle Mall, located in Denton, Texas.

Buckle will occupy 5,040 sq. ft. and will open in fall 2013. In addition, the list of new tenants includes food court eateries Italia Express, Tobu Oriental Eatery and Smoothie Paradise.

Dallas -- Venture Commercial said Monday that The Plaza at Preston Center, in Dallas, will see the Texas debuts of Sprinkles Ice Cream and True Food Kitchen this spring, and international retailers LUBLU Kira Plastinina and Aftershock London have selected The Plaza for their flagship U.S. stores.

Venture, which serves as the exclusive broker for the lifestyle center located in the heart of the Park City neighborhood, also said that Sprinkles Cupcakes and Calypso St. Barth are expanding and/or relocating their stores at The Plaza.

Tiffany & Co.’s dazzling jewel box in downtown Manhattan’s SoHo neighborhood captures the retailer’s signature elegant feel and  heritage of craftsmanship. The interiors of the 7,000-sq.-ft. store, the jeweler's third outpost in New York City, were designed by select artisans who put their own spin on some traditional Tiffany design motifs.

New York -- Jewelry sales are expected to grow more than 11% in the second quarter and 9% overall this year, according to a new IBM Big Data-based forecast.

According to the analysis, improved consumer confidence, lower unemployment and enhanced stock dividends from fourth quarter 2012 have combined to leave people ready to start spending on luxury items again, like jewelry.

New York -- Saks Fifth Avenue announced Monday that John Cruz has been named SVP and director of the New York City flagship store, effective April 29.

Cruz currently serves as VP and general manager of the company’s Beverly Hills store. He has worked at the NYC store before – as general manager 2005-2007 and VP and GM 2007-2010.

Cruz replaces Suzanne Stemper-Johnson, who is leaving Saks to pursue other interests.

New York -- Tiffany & Co.’s fourth-quarter net income inched up 0.7%, but its results still topped analysts’ predictions as strong demand in Asia helped to offset domestic weakness. The company also offered an annual sales outlook that topped analysts' estimates, citing its strong prospects in most Asian markets.
    
For the quarter ended Jan. 31, Tiffany earned $179.6 million, compared with $178.4 million in the year-ago period. Revenue increased 4% to $1.24 billion.
     

CHICAGO — Claire's Stores reported net sales of $493.4 million for the fiscal 2012 fourth quarter, an increase of $58.5 million, or 13.4% compared with the fiscal 2011 fourth quarter. 

During fiscal 2012 fourth quarter, the company entered two new countries, opening three stores in China and two stores in Italy.

Consolidated same-store sales increased 5.4% for the quarter, with North America same-store sales increasing 5.9%, and Europe same-store sales increasing 4.4%.  

Houston -- Francesca's Holdings Corp. reported that net earnings in the fourth quarter rose 78% to $14.9 from $8.4 million in the same quarter last year. The company also said it plans to open 80 stores in fiscal year 2013.

Net sales in the quarter ended February 2, 2013, rose 40.6% to $86.7 million, compared with net sales of $61.7 million during the same period in fiscal 2011. Same-stores sales in the quarter increased 9.2%, driven by increased transactions and strong growth in its clothing and jewelry categories.

COLUMBUS, Ohio — DSW Inc. has launched Luxe810.com, a new website located at dsw.com/luxe810 that offers top luxury brands at up to 50% off. The Luxe810 assortment includes shoes, handbags, jewelry, and other accessories for men and women.  Among the brands featured on the site are Gucci, Prada, Bottega Veneta, YSL, Sergio Rossi, Marc by Marc Jacobs, Pucci, Giuseppe Zanotti and more.