Apparel

By Les Berglass    The appointments of new chief executives of major brands always cause a stir, but Gap Inc.’s recent announcement that Art Peck would succeed Glenn Murphy hit Wall Street like a truck. Why? Because the investment community  wanted a more predictable, standing CEO—it likes stability. But the truth is, this is a positive and revolutionary change.   

New York -- Saks Fifth Avenue announced that it plans to close its Saks Fifth Avenue store in the Shops at Riverside in Hackensack, N.J. The store is expected to close in late 2014.   “Closing a location is never an easy business decision. At this time, we are committed to offering support and assistance to our team affected by the closing,” commented Marigay McKee, President of Saks Fifth Avenue.

New York –- Online lingerie retailer Adore Me has achieved 300% year-over-year growth in revenue while using Dotcom Distribution fulfillment and logistics solutions. Adore Me has leveraged Dotcom’s capabilities to adjust to increasing order volume to promote rapid growth and customer satisfaction.  

Louisville, Ky. -- GBT Realty Corp., a national real estate development company based in Brentwood, Tenn., is expanding tenant lineups at two Louisville-based regional shopping centers totaling nearly 500,000-sq.-ft. to over 90% leased. Only a combined 23,500-sq.-ft. of retail space remains at Jefferson Commons and at Middletown Commons with the first tenants scheduled to be open in November. Construction is currently underway.  

Beachwood, Ohio --DDR Corp. and an affiliate of Blackstone Real Estate Partners VII announced that a joint venture formed by the pair has closed on the acquisition of 71 shopping centers previously owned by American Realty Capital Properties for $1.93 billion.

The legendary Beatle Ringo Starr will be bringing his talents and style to SKECHERS where he’s agreed to appear in the footwear company’s global marketing campaign for SKECHERS Relaxed Fit footwear.  The new multimedia campaign featuring Ringo will begin in Spring 2015.   World’s most famous drummer will be a face and voice of the campaign which will kick off with a new television spot that adopts the humorous as a signature of the Relaxed Fit footwear commercials.   

The innovative online shopping destination Gilt.com named Clay Cowan chief marketing officer to oversee global strategy, management, and revenue, for all digital channels.

Cowan joins Gilt.com from Starwood Hotels and Resorts global digital business team where he ran digital experiences for nine global brands and Starwood's SPG loyalty program in multiple languages and countries around the world. 

Designer Cynthia Rowley and Staples today announced an exclusive work and home office collection that incorporates bold and artistic designs into everyday work and home spaces.   Cynthia Rowley Collection featuring visionary designs combined with new product finishes and treatments not typically seen in office accessories will debut at Staples stores nationwide beginning mid-Novermber.  

Fashion footwear brand Steve Madden cited a curious lack of significant fashion trends when it lowered its full year financial outlook after reporting a third quarter sales decline.

The company, which is known to be a trend-setting in the footwear world, said sales for the period ended Sept. 30 declined 0.7% to $392 million and indicated full year sales were likely to increase 1% to 2%.