Apparel

Saks and nine top fashion footwear designers offered their stunning interpretations of Cinderella’s slipper to generate in-store excitement at Saks’ flagship store.

Baltimore -- Under Armour has opened its largest store to date, on Michigan Avenue in Chicago. With nearly 30,000 sq. ft. of retail space, the store is designed to provide an immersive and interactive brand experience.  It features the latest in video and digital technology, and also includes a section dedicated to wearable fitness devices.  And for a local feel, a large wall is covered in ivy, inspired by the Wrigley Field ivy.
 

Boston – Kohl’s will be pleased to hear that women love shopping for clothes there. According to a new survey from Piper Jaffray, a leading 12% of female consumers selected Kohl’s as their preferred clothing brand/store/website for spring 2015. Macy’s took second place with 9%, followed by J.C. Penney and Wal-Mart (7%) and Amazon (5%).

Kohl’s has taken the top spot in Piper Jaffray’s biannual survey since fall 2013.

New York – Specialty retailer Aerie, a subsidiary of American Eagle Outfitters, is capitalizing on the “selfie” craze in its newest promotion. The company has created what it calls the world's largest unretouched selfie and photo shoot as part of its #AerieREAL “Love Your Real Selfie” promotion.

Las Vegas -- The Las Vegas Strip has a brand new retail attraction: Grand Bazaar Shops. The two-acre, open-air center is located adjacent to Bally’s Las Vegas.

San Francisco -- Gap Inc., Petco Animal Supplies, Levi Strauss are the only U.S. retail brands to be recognized by the Ethisphere Institute as a 2015 World’s Most Ethical Company.

The annual designation, which recognizes organizations that foster a culture of ethics and transparency at every level of the organization was given to 132 companies. The only other retail brands on this year’s list are Sweden’s H&M and the United Kingdom’s Marks and Spencer.

Houston -- Simon is further elevating its signature Houston Galleria by investing in a $30 million renovation of the luxury wing in addition to adding a new Saks Fifth Avenue flagship, 110,000 sq. ft. of new retail space, and a 14,000-sq.-ft. freestanding retail building.

The Ethisphere Institute is out with its “World’s Most Ethical Companies” list and the names of retailers are few and far between.