Apparel

The brick-and-mortar shopping experience is getting a social makeover at Tanger Factory Outlet Centers.

This year Tanger will open four new shopping centers across the country. During each of these grand opening weekends, Tanger will be merging the traditional shopping experience with the excitement of social interaction though three social media activations.

London – Moms with kids younger than 18 are known to be discerning, and only two retailers made the list of top 10 best perceived brands among these special ladies. According to the latest Brand Index from market research firm YouGov, Amazon.com ranked number two with a score of 58.8, Skechers came in at number eight at 48.1, and Samsung nabbed the number 10 spot at 47.7.

Cincinnati -- Bad weather, decreased spending by international tourists  due to the strong U.S. dollar and delayed merchandise shipments from the West Coast port slowdown all contributed to Macy’s missing Wall Street projections for profit and revenue in the first quarter of fiscal 2015. Net income fell 13% to $193 million, from $224 million in the same quarter a year earlier.

Net sales dropped about 1% to $6.23 million, from $6.28 million. Same-store sales declined 0.7%.

Plano, Texas -- J.C. Penney Co. topped analysts estimates for the first quarter, reporting a smaller-than-expected loss. Declaring its intent to become the “preferred shopping choice for middle America” and gain back market share, the company also raised its outlook for the year.

Penney posted a loss of $167 million in the quarter ended May 2, compared with a net loss of $352 million in the year-ago period.

Express is hoping to attract fans of the hit movie “Pitch Perfect” with a new fashion line targeted to Millennials.

The retailer has partnered with Universal Pictures and Gold Circle Entertainment's “Pitch Perfect 2,” in theaters May 15, to create a dual-gender collection based on the looks seen in the film.

Hip-hop artist Kendrick Lamar is lending some old-school street cred to the Finish Line’s launch of the latest reboot of the Reebok Ventilator.

The retailer says Kendrick will be the face of Reebok’s Ventilator campaign, across its channels with exclusive content and key influencer support. Originally introduced to the sneaker world 25 years ago, the Ventilator is back with a classic look featuring four bold new colorways.

Los Angeles – Net loss at American Apparel Inc. grew to $26.4 million in the first quarter of fiscal 2015, from $5.5 million the same quarter a year earlier. Increased cost of sales and foreign currency translation, as well as legal, litigation and consulting costs related to the termination of founder/CEO Dov Chaney, helped boost net loss.

About a year and a half ago, I wrote the following about Sears in an article that appeared in this space: “the company has been run less like a retail operation and more like a REIT for many years now.”