Apparel

New York -- Stage Stores said Thursday that its fiscal third-quarter loss widened as some expenses rose. The company cut its fiscal 2013 adjusted earnings forecast.

The department store retailer lost $11 million for the period ended Nov. 2, compared to a loss of $8.9 million.

Revenue declined 3% to $360.2 million, from $370.6 million. Same-store sales fell 4.6%.

Selling, general and administrative expenses climbed to $98.6 million from $92.5 million during the quarter. Interest expense increased to $718,000 from $568,000.

New York -- China takes the top spot in online retail market opportunity, followed by Japan, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Korea, according to a new global e-commerce study by A.T. Kearney. (Kearney’s “2013 Global Retail E-Commerce Index” is comprised of 30 developed and developing markets.)

Despite its continuing turnaround efforts, Sears Holdings widened its loss in the third quarter after sales fell at both Sears and Kmart.

The company reported a net loss for the quarter ended Nov. 2 of $534 million, or $5.03 a share, from $498 million, or $4.70 a share, a year earlier.

Continued sales momentum at Stein Mart helped drive the company’s third quarter results, which saw both net and same-store increases.

The company reported net income for the quarter of $28 thousand compared to a net loss of $1.7 million in 2012.

"Our earnings continue to improve as a result of our continued sales momentum," said CEO Jay Stein. "We have been very focused on refining our brands, pricing and sales execution and the improvements are evident in our results."

New York -- Eminence Capital which owns 9.8% of the common stock of The Men's Wearhouse and is its single largest shareholder, on Wednesday released a presentation describing why Men’s Wearhouse board of directors should engage in merger discussions with Jos. A. Bank Clothiers, Inc. Eminence Capital also said that it has retained Moelis & Company as a strategic advisor.

San Francisco – Gap Inc. is rolling out its “Reserve in Store” capabilities to all U.S. Banana Republic stores and more than 200 Gap stores in 15 major U.S. markets. The launch, which follows a successful pilot in San Francisco and Chicago-area Gap and Banana Republic stores, makes it easy for customers to shop online or with their mobile device, place items on hold and pick them up in local stores.

Seattle – Nordstrom will open a Nordstrom Rack at Village Plaza at Bunker Hill in Houston. The 30,357-sq.-ft. store is scheduled to open in spring 2014.

The first Houston Rack store opened at The Centre at Post Oak in 2010, and the Bunker Hill Rack will be the third Rack in four years to open in the area. Nordstrom first came to Houston with a full-line store at The Galleria in 2003. The company will open its second Houston full-line store at The Woodlands Mall on September 5, 2014.

Washington, D.C. - Earlier this month in Dhaka, Bangladesh, the International Labor Organization (ILO), technical experts from the Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety, the Accord on Fire and Building Safety, and the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) came to agreement on a common, minimum criterion for fire and structural inspection safety standards, pending a few final modifications.

Washington, D.C. -- Unexpectedly strong retail sales in the month of October point to a good holiday sales season ahead. According to the National Retail Federation, October retail sales, excluding automobiles, gas stations and restaurants, increased 2.5% seasonally adjusted over September, and 4.2% unadjusted from 2012.

When the new Nordstrom Rack opened at Mercato in Naples, Fla., in early November, 500 people somehow got into the store within the first five minutes. No kidding.

Nordstrom Rack replaced Books-A-Million in a 30,000 sq. ft. space in the center, joining several other new tenants including The Wine Loft, The Counter, MASA, Kelly Chase Couture and Mark Loren Designs, Le Macaron, Salon Zen AVEDA, Second Cup and TAPS Bar & Lounge.