Apparel

Philadelphia – Destination Maternity reported improved net income but lower net sales during the first quarter of fiscal 2014 as compared to the same period a year earlier. Net income totaled $4.25 million, up 11% from $3.84 million the same period a year earlier.

Hampstead, Md. – Five major investors in Jos. A. Bank — who combined own 17% of the menswear retailer — have told the company’s board they support dialogue with rival menswear retailer Men’s Wearhouse about its proposed $1.6 billion buyout offer, Bloomberg reports. Jos. A. Bank rejected the offer, which is good until March 28, on Jan. 15, and Men’s Wearhouse has publicly called for Jos. A. Bank to reconsider and said it may raise the offer.

Littleton, Mass. -- Preliminary unaudited revenues for Dover Saddlery during the fourth quarter of fiscal 2013 exceeded revenues in the fourth quarter of 2012 by 13.8%, increasing to approximately $30.3 million. Revenues from the retail channel increased 22.6% to approximately $13.1 million and revenues from the direct channel increased 7.8% to approximately $17.2 million.

Columbus, Ohio – L Brands has named Stephen D. Steinour to its board of directors. Steinour is chairman, president and CEO of Huntington Bancshares Inc., a $59 billion regional bank holding company headquartered in Columbus, Ohio.

"I am excited to welcome Steve to our board," said Leslie H. Wexner, chairman and CEO of L Brands. "I'm confident that his considerable expertise in business, finance and customer service will provide valuable insight and guidance to our company. We're extremely fortunate that he has joined our team."

Fremont, Calif. -- The Men's Wearhouse has sent a letter to the independent directors of Jos. A. Bank Clothiers, Inc. urging them to consider Men's Wearhouse's recent all-cash offer to acquire Jos. A. Bank for $57.50 per share, or about $1.6 billion. Jos. A. Bank initially rejected the offer, which expires March 28, 2014, on Jan. 20.

Philadelphia -- Urban Outfitters, Inc. has selected TXT Integrated Retail Planning from TXT Maple Lake to support end-to-end retail planning across regions, brands and channels, from strategy through to assortment execution. The solution will help Urban Outfitters, Inc. manage the whole spectrum of its retail planning processes: strategic, merchandise planning, store grading, open to buy (OTB) and assortment planning, both pre-season and in-season.

London – Online luxury retailer Avenue 32 has launched a mobile and tablet strategy allowing designers to showcase their collections to the public without having to invest in their own online presence. Since its launch, mobile traffic has more than doubled and average transaction value has increased 270%.

Working in partnership with Usablenet, Avenue 32 provides seamless and customized experiences for both mobile and tablet; the mobile site provides a task-based experience whereas the tablet site is focused around browsing and discovery.

Owings Mills, Md. — Towne Centre at Laurel in Laurel, Md., has announced leases for 14 new retailers and restaurants. The $130 million, 400,000-sq.-ft. mixed-use redevelopment of the former Laurel Mall is now 85% leased and under construction. The first phase is scheduled to open in March with the reopening of a new 70,000-sq.-ft. Burlington Coat Factory.

The remainder of the project will open this fall, featuring Regal Cinemas, Sports Authority and the first Harris Teeter in Prince George’s County, along with the following 14 new tenants:

Chicago — Jones Lang LaSalle has announced that the firm has been retained to manage Shops Around Lenox, a 124,409-sq.-ft. open-air center off Peachtree Road in the Buckhead area of Atlanta. The property’s tenant mix includes Crate & Barrel, Lululemon Athletica, Swank, Deka, Ona Atlanta, Paper Source, Suit Supply, Seven Lamps and Bhojanic.

Plans for the fragrance division of Marc Jacobs to open a pop-up in New York City’s SoHo neighborhood are not terribly unusual. But the type of currency the shop will accept is.

The Daisy Marc Jacobs Tweet Shop, which will be open during New York Fashion Week, from Feb. 7 to 9, will trade in social currency instead of money.