Apparel

A shift toward online sales is one reason why J. Crew Group Inc. says it lost $30.6 million in the fourth quarter.

The retailer has been dealing with traffic problems at its namesake stores as more of its customers migrate to the J. Crew website, the company says. 

Columbus, Ohio -- On the heels of its announcement that it would open 35 stores in 2015, footwear retailer DSW said Wednesday that 19 of those store openings would occur this spring.

The locations will be nationwide, including 12 new markets.

"We are pleased to grow our footprint in cities DSW already calls home, while also expanding to new areas of the country. Opening 19 stores this season and more throughout 2015 is absolutely thrilling for our brand,” said Carrie McDermott, executive VP and COO of DSW.

Minneapolis -- Target Corp. launched an enhanced return policy covering all of the retailer’s 32 owned and exclusive brands, which extends the return window to one year from the date of purchase.

The retailer also rolled out a one-year return guarantee for guests using Target’s baby, college or wedding gift registry.

Meijer is upping its game when it comes to trendy fashion with a spring launch of a Skechers concept shop.

The Skechers shop is opening inside the Knapp's Corner Meijer in Michigan, roughly one year after the retailer unveiled a fresh approach to lure grocery customers across the center aisle to its apparel offerings. 

Burlington, N.J. – Burlington Stores Inc. beat Wall Street expectations for earnings and sales in a strong fourth quarter of fiscal 2014. Reductions in store payroll and advertising helped drive a net income increase of 49% to $94.86 million, from $63.58 million.

Burlington Stores plans to open 25 net new stores in fiscal 2015.

Total revenue grew 10% to $1.5 billion from $1.34 billion. Same-store sales rose 6.7%

Chicago - West Marine will open a new 20,000-sq.-ft. flagship Midwest store on North Halsted Street in Chicago on April 23. The new Chicago store is located just off the North Branch Canal of the Chicago River that wraps around Goose Island.

DSW Inc. says it plans to open as many as 35 new stores this year after reporting that its profits shot up 10% in the fourth quarter.

The specialty footwear retailer reported net income of $30.8 million, up 10% from $28.1 million the same quarter a year earlier. Cost of sales grew at a slower pace than actual sales, helping boost profits.

Columbus, Ohio - Easton Town Center, a 1.7 million-sq.-ft. “New Urban” shopping center, has announced that 13 new tenants have signed lease agreements to be included in the shopping center’s new 500,000-sq.-ft. north district, Easton Gateway. The announcement was made by Easton Town Center co-developers Steiner + Associates and The Georgetown Company.