Apparel

The Finish Line is off to a strong start in fiscal 2015, according to chairman and CEO Glenn Lyon, who credited the company’s omnichannel efforts for its first-quarter success.

The company reported consolidated net sales of $406.5 million, an increase of 15.8% over the prior year period. Comparable store sales increased 5%.

Chico's FAS has appointed Todd E. Vogensen as SVP, CFO, replacing Pamela Knous, who has left the company.

Prior to his appointment as CFO, Vogensen had been the company's SVP of finance. He will report to Kent Kleeberger, who himself filled the CFO spot from 2008 to 2011 and is currently EVP, COO.

Trenton, N.J. -- TerraCycle, an international recycling company, and The North Face are working together to pursue a solution to the common problem of massive amounts of left over polyethylene bags that are used to protect merchandise through distribution and transit. The North Face has engaged 25 of its retail stores in TerraCycle’s The North Face Polybag Brigade, to ensure these plastic bags get recycled. Together the two companies have kept 1.5 million plastic polybags, equaling more than 62,000 lbs., of plastic out of U.S. landfills.

San Francisco - Salesforce.com has released Salesforce1 for Retail. Retailers can now leverage Mobile Clienteling and Salesforce Communities for Retail to help build one-to-one relationships with shoppers anytime, anywhere and on any device.
 

King of Prussia, Pa. -- eBay Enterprise, an eBay Inc. company, announced that Designer Shoe Warehouse will expand its omnichannel fulfillment capabilities with eBay Enterprise In-Store Pickup. The company is also poised to launch ship-to-store as part of its progressive omnichannel strategy.
  

New York — Handcrafted eyewear retailer, Dita, has leased a 1,300-sq.-ft. store at 273 Lafayette Street in SoHo. It will be Dita’s first Manhattan locations and its New York flagship. RKF represented Dita in the transaction, while The Lansco Corp. acted on behalf of the landlord, 157 Prince Street Associates.

DSW is expanding its omnichannel fulfillment capabilities with eBay Enterprise In-Store Pickup. The company is also poised to launch Ship-to Store as part of its omnichannel strategy.

DSW selected eBay Enterprise as its omnichannel fulfillment partner more than a year ago, and has reportedly seen success with its Ship-from Store and Dropship capabilities.

Women’s sportswear and apparel retailer Fresh Produce has appointed Dorothy Sadd as its COO, the company announced Thursday. The 25-year industry veteran will oversee growing the 30-year-old brand’s footprint, using her expertise in several different facets of clothing production and inventory management.

The Sports Authority enlisted the aid of current and former San Francisco 49ers greats to promote awareness of 18 stores it remodeled recently in the Bay Area.

Grand re-opening festivities were scheduled for the 18 stores beginning on Saturday, June 28. Each of the remodeled stores features an intuitive design and specialty sport shops with products from top brands like Nike, Under Armour, Adidas and The North Face, according to the company.

New York - L.L. Bean had the overall best customer service performance in May, the second time the retailer has topped the list in the past three months. According to monthly benchmark analysis from customer service analysis provider StellaService, L.L. Bean’s performance was strong in nearly every area — fourth in phone, sixth in email, eighth in chat and fourth in returns/refunds.