Apparel

By Gary Ambrosino, President and CEO of TimeTrade   Hidden in the onslaught of negative headlines about former retail heavyweights, like JC Penney and Sears, is a slew of less-publicized, good news from smaller—many formerly online-only—retailers that are not only weathering the storm but are thriving.   

Finish Line and IBM have created a new mobile app to enable the operator of more than 1,000 athletic footwear and apparel stores to fulfill its omnichannel vision.

Finish Line said the new app is focused on providing services and conveniences that reward its Winners Circle loyalty program customers with points and perks, reinforce brand interactions, improve customer service and sales and also provide  timely information about customers’ favorite product releases.

Amazon has sweetened the value proposition for its Prime members this holiday season by offering a 30 minute head start on select Lightning Deals on Amazon.com and daily sales events at MyHabit.com.

The early access deals feature is the latest enhancement to Amazon’s Prime membership which is best known for providing free two day shipping to members who pay a $99 annual fee. The feature brings elements of the competitive shopping behavior to Amazon by creating a sense of urgency to make purchases before the goods are gone.

Leading footwear manufacturer Wolverine Worldwide added an executive with an ideal background for a data insecure world to its board of directors.

Plano, Texas -- J.C. Penney on Monday appointed Marvin Ellison president and CEO-designee, effective Nov. 1. Ellison, executive VP of stores for Home Depot, will also join the company’s board of directors.

Ellison, 49, will succeed Mike Ullman, III, as CEO of Penney on Aug. 1, 2015, when Ullman will become executive chairman of the board for one year.

Denver -- Junction Solutions announced today that it completed the implementation of Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 at 122 stores of Fanzz, a leading sports apparel and team gear retailer.  

Las Vegas -- The Howard Hughes Corp. on Oct. 9 officially opened Downtown Summerlin in Las Vegas, the largest retail development to open in the U.S. since the economic downturn.    The destination features 125 stores, restaurants and entertainment venues located in a 106-acre expanse of prime real estate just off the 215 Beltway, between Sahara Avenue and Charleston Boulevard. The development also features a nine-story Class A office building - One Summerlin.