Apparel

Montreal -- Town Shoes Ltd. will upgrade its POS and merchandising systems with the Jesta I.S. Vision solutions in its network of close to 200 stores across Canada. With the upgraded suite of solutions, Town Shoes will be able to modernize its supply chain and deliver the right products to customers, faster than ever before.

I indulged in a shopping center grand opening on May 22 – and I’m glad I did.

Themed “Indulge,” the opening event marked the official unveiling of the nation’s first truly downtown outlet center, Outlet Collection at Riverwalk, located in the heart of New Orleans, and built by West Coast developer Howard Hughes Corp.

A recent Infosys Rethinking Retail Survey found that 86% of consumers who have experienced personalization technology while shopping have admitted that it has influenced their purchasing decisions. Moreover, 69% of consumers responded to the study stating that consistency of customer service across physical and online stores was of importance to them.

Aeropostale has added Stefan Kaluzny, managing director at Sycamore Partners, and Julian Geiger, former director and CEO of Crumbs Bake Shop and former chairman and CEO of Aeropostale, to its board of directors.

Arthur Rubinfeld is also stepping down as a director of Aeropostale. In addition, the company's board of directors will nominate Kenneth Gilman, currently a director of Zale Corp. and Kate Spade & Co., for election as an independent director.

Leading U.S. toy manufacturer Jakks Pacific has entered into a long-term licensing agreement with Sketchers to manufacture, distribute and market a line of toys and products inspired by the lifestyle and entertainment brand, and the Twinkle Toes children’s footwear brand.

The agreement covers multiple product categories including collectibles, dress-up and role play, Jakks’ miWorld line of miniature play environments, and a line of Skechers Twinkle Toes themed Cabbage Patch Kids, which will launch in June.

Woodland Hills, Calif. — Peak Financial Partners, Inc., a private real estate investment firm and Misuma Holdings, have acquired a $45 million note secured by Myrtle Beach Mall, a 521,000-sq.-ft. enclosed mall facility in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

Baltimore — The Mall of Istanbul opened today in Istanbul, Turkey. The 34.5-acre mixed-use development features 2.1 million sq. ft. of retail space, 1.4 million sq. ft. of residential space and 322,600 sq. ft. of office space.

Baltimore-based DDG won the design contract for the mall in 2009 in an international competition.

Kansas City, Kan. — Lids and Haggar Clothing Co. will open at Legends Outlets Kansas City in Kanas City, Kansas, over the Memorial Day weekend. Lids will occupy a 1,368-sq.-ft. space, and Haggar has taken 2,476-sq. ft.

The new tenants will join other recent new tenants including Woody’s Automotive, sweetFrog, Pizza Studio, Bath & Body Works, Nail Envy and Coach Factory.
 

Birmingham, Ala. – Hibbett Sports Inc. plans to open 75-80 new stores, expand 10-15 stores and close 10-15 stores during fiscal 2015 (which coincides with calendar 2014). These aggressive growth plans comes as Hibbett reports increases in net income and sales during the first quarter of fiscal 2015.

New York – Aeropostale Inc. reported a net loss of $76.8 million in the first quarter of fiscal 2014, up from the $12.2 million net loss it reported a year earlier. It also projected a second-quarter loss forecast bigger than analysts expected.

The struggling retailer, which has reported a loss for six consecutive quarters, had a generally difficult quarter overall, as net sales fell 12% to $395.9 million from $452.3 million and same-store sales decreased 13%.  Aeropostale has reported declining comparable sales for seven straight quarters.