Apparel

River Island is putting a new spin on fashion retailing at its store in Birmingham’s Bullring Shopping Centre. The U.K. retailer’s space is based upon the concept of ‘The Event,’ and it’s meant to convey the essence of being at a fashion show or art exhibit, with all the flexibility and “wow” factors inherent in such happenings.

New Albany, Ohio – Michael Jeffries, former CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch Co., reportedly did not walk away empty-handed when he retired from the company in December 2014. According to the Columbus Business Journal, Jeffries obtained at least $27 million in cash and other benefits.

London – Net-A-Porter is reportedly partnering with Harper’s Bazaar on an interactive ad. According to Luxury Daily, Net-A-Porter’s display ad on the Harper’s mobile site lets consumers type in a keyword that will help personalize the landing page they go to.

Predictive text helps consumers more quickly fill in the keyword. They are then brought to a customized landing page with products relating to their keyword.
 

Kay Jewelers has launched an innovative jewelry collection designed to drive traffic to its stores this Mother’s Day.

The retailer has created Miracle Links, a jewelry collection designed with interlinking circles to symbolize the special bond between a mother and her child, now available in select Kay Jewelers stores nationwide and on Kay.com.

New York – During World War II, Gen. Douglas MacArthur famously said, “I shall return.” Two board members of Aeropostale Inc. are taking the opposite approach.

Robert B. Chavez has advised Aeropostale that he will not seek re-election to its board of directors in 2015 due to his responsibilities and time commitments as president and CEO of Hermes of Paris Inc. Chavez will continue to serve until the 2015 annual meeting.

In theory, the launch of a limited-time, 250-piece Lilly Pulitzer designer collection on Sunday, April 19 should have been a major coup for Target. Instead, it was a major disaster in marketing, CRM, and operations. By now, the story of how consumer demand for Lilly Pulitzer overwhelmed Target’s website and stores has been told many times. Let’s look at three lessons retailers (including Target) can learn from this experience.

Know Your Customer

Toronto – Sears Canada Inc. is reportedly reducing some departments while expanding others in a move to capitalize on the retreat of Target from the Canadian retail landscape. According to the Toronto Globe & Mail, Sears Canada plans to stop selling electronics altogether while also reducing its tool and hardware assortment by more than 50%.

New York -- On the heels of disappointing sales trends, Sears Hometown and Outlet Stores Inc. said that its CEO W. Bruce Johnson will leave the company Aug. 1.

The company also announced that the board of directors has commenced a search for a new CEO and has retained Heidrick & Struggles, a leading global executive search firm, to assist the Board in identifying and evaluating external and internal candidates.