Apparel

Hancock Fabrics’s CEO says the company is “heading in the right direction” after reporting an increase in same store sales for the fourth quarter.

The financial news comes just a few weeks after the retailer announced the refinancing of the company’s existing senior debt under a new credit agreement with Wells Fargo Capital Finance and Great American Capital Partners.

San Francisco – The Gymboree Corp. shrank its net loss in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2014 to $7.4 million, from $167.2 million in the same quarter a year earlier. The elimination of a non-recurring $157.2 million non-cash impairment charge in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2013 contributed to the reduction in net loss.

Net sales rose 7% to $375.6 million, from $351 million. Same-store sales rose 5%. In fiscal 2015, Gymboree plans to close 30-40 stores and open about 12 stores.

Seattle – Curbside pickup is easy, and so is texting. Combine them, and you have the supreme convenience of a new service Nordstrom is reportedly piloting in several U.S. stores, including its flagship in downtown Seattle.

According to the Puget Sound Business Journal, the service allows customers to text or call ahead of time so a store associate is already waiting on the curb when the customer arrives. Nordstrom, which has allowed in-store pickup of online items since 2008, also plans to pilot the service for men’s alterations.

REI is looking to strengthen its omnichannel capabilities with a new distribution center in Arizona.

The outdoor retailer that it will open a third distribution center, located in Goodyear, Ariz., in 2016 to better support its website, stores and customers through faster product replenishment and delivery.

Seattle - REI will open a third distribution center, located in Goodyear, Arizona. The specialty outdoor retailers seeks to better support its stores and customers through faster product replenishment and delivery.

Frank & Oak, the online membership-based menswear retailer,  is also  expanding in the physical space, with both permanent locations and pop-ups. The company's Toronto flagship  features the brand’s monthly menswear collections and special capsule collections. The spacious, contemporary space reflects the brand’s lifestyle approach to retailing with a café and full-service barbershop.

Greenboro, N.C. – The Fresh Market Inc. has elected Michael D. Casey, CEO and a director of Carter’s Inc., and Robert K. Shearer, formerly CFO of V.F. Corp, and currently a director of Church & Dwight Co. Inc., as independent directors. With these additions, The Fresh Market’s board has nine directors, eight of whom are independent directors.

Athleisure apparel continues to be a driver of growth for Columbia Sportswear Co., which posted record sales in its first quarter.