Apparel

New York – Tiffany & Co. overcame the negative impact of a strong dollar on global performance to beat Wall Street with smaller-than-expected declines in net earnings and sales during the first quarter of fiscal 2015. Net earnings declined 17% to $105 million from $126 million a year earlier, with increased marketing spending contributing to the decrease.

Ft. Myers, Fla. -- Chico's FAS Inc. on Wednesday reported that its first-quarter profit dropped 18% amid restructuring charges and lower sales.

The apparel retailer reported a profit of $32.5 million for the period ended, down from $39.9 million in the year-ago period. The results met Wall Street expectations.

Revenue rose 1.7% to $693.3 million in the period, which was short of Street forecasts.

Same-store sales fell 0.1%.
 

The stronger dollar hurt Tiffany and Co. in the first quarter, but the retailer's new efforts to woo ultra-wealthy shoppers helped offset weakness in its tourist business.

Weddings are becoming increasingly pet-friendly, and a new collection from Martha Stewart and PetSmart aims to leverage that trend.

The pet products retailer has announced it will be teaming up with Martha Stewart Pets on a wedding collection for dogs.

New York -- Saks Fifth Avenue Off 5th will open its first metro downtown store, on Market Street in downtown San Francisco. The new 40,500-sq.-ft. store will celebrate its grand opening on May 28.

“This store is the first Saks Fifth Avenue Off 5th store in a city center, and we believe San Francisco is an ideal location as we begin to expand into metropolitan markets,” said Jonathan Greller, president of outlets, Hudson’s Bay Company, parent company of Saks.
 

Reports of the death of brick-and-mortar stores have been greatly exaggerated. How else to explain the throngs of shoppers still crowding physical stores in the major shopping districts of the U.S., especially over the weekend at H&M's grand opening in New York?

Waban, Mass. - Chick-fil-A took the second spot in the annual Temkin Customer Service Ratings, tops among all retailers and food service chains. Other retailers and food service companies in the top 12 include Aldi, Trader Joe's, Publix, Panera Bread, H-E-B, Amazon.com, and Bed Bath & Beyond.

Supermarkets, retailers, and banks, as an industry, earned average ratings of "strong.” Retailers RadioShack and Sears were ranked at least 15 points below retail industry average.

Saks Fifth Avenue is expanding its off-price business to major urban centers with a new OFF 5th store opening in downtown San Francisco.

The new 40,500 square foot store features an assortment of more than 800 brands from top designers to emerging labels, with fashion and accessories for women and men arriving weekly.