Apparel

New York -- Retailers across the board, from Victoria’s Secret parent L Brands Inc. and American Eagle Outfitters to Family Dollar Stores and Bed, Bath & Beyond, cut their fourth-quarter earnings forecasts on Thursday as heavy promotions and discounts cut into profits. Results were also impacted by multiple snowstorms, a shortened shopping season and cautious consumers.  

Staten Island, N.Y. -- Women’s apparel retailer Cato has made its debut into the world of online shopping with the launch of its first ever e-commerce site. With the help of its implementation partner Celerant Technology, the new website will support the growth of the brand and will offer the same collections as its brick-and-mortar stores, as well as additional sizes, colors and exclusive items.

Philadelphia – Net sales at Urban Outfitters for the two months ended Dec. 31, 2013, increased to $716 million, or 8% from the same period in the previous year. Same-store retail segment net sales, which include the direct-to-consumer channel, increased 3%.

Same-store retail segment net sales increased 21% at Free People and 11% at Anthropologie and decreased 6% at Urban Outfitters. Wholesale segment net sales increased 21%.

Pittsburgh – Total net revenue for American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. decreased 2% to $882 million during the fourth quarter of fiscal 2013, compared to $904 million for the same quarter a year earlier. Consolidated same-store sales decreased 7%, compared to a 5% increase for the comparable period in 2012.

Philadelphia -- Net sales for the first quarter of fiscal 2014 at Destination Maternity Corporation decreased 0.3% to $134.8 million from $135.3 million reported for the first quarter of fiscal 2013. Same-store sales slightly increased 0.7%.

New York – Robert Graham has signed a new lease agreement to open a branded retail store featuring the full Robert Graham collection in The Shops at Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Conn. The store will carry the complete range of Robert Graham apparel products.

Greenwich, Conn. — Urstadt Biddle Properties Inc. has acquired two shopping centers in New Jersey: Boonton A&P Center in Boonton and Bloomfield A&P Center in Bloomfield.

The company paid $18.4 million, subject to an existing $7.8 million mortgage, for the 63,000-sq.-ft. Boonton A&P Center. Constructed in 1999, the center features a 49,463-sq.-ft. A&P plus Dunkin’ donuts, Chase Bank, Subway, Supercuts and Sprint. More than 90% of the tenants are national or regional names.

Seattle — Nordstrom plans to open a 35,000-sq.-ft. Nordstrom Rack at The Greene Town Center in Dayton, Ohio, in the fall of 2014. Olshan Properties, formerly known as MPI, Mall Properties, Inc., manages The Greene Town Center.

Nordstrom Rack has four other locations in Ohio, two of which opened this past fall in Columbus and Westlake. Another Rack location is set to open at Sun Center in Columbus this spring. Nordstrom operates three full-line stores in Ohio.

Philadelphia — Franklin Flea’s successful holiday season earned the once-a-week indoor flea market a return booking for April.

Starting back in November, Franklin Flea brought local artisans and vendors together in Center City Philadelphia to showcase handmade, repurposed and antique items as well as an assortment of artisan foods.

Women’s apparel retailer Cato has made its debut into the world of online shopping with the launch of its first ever e-commerce site. The announcement came as the retailer reported holiday sales for the five-week period ended Jan. 4.
 
Founded in 1946, Cato operates approximately 1,100 apparel and accessories specialty stores throughout the United States. With so many brick-and-mortar locations, the ability to supplement in-store inventory with an e-commerce strategy geared toward a new generation of connected shoppers became crucial for continued growth.