Apparel

Minneapolis -- Christopher & Banks Corp. reported a loss of $265,000 for the quarter ended Aug. 4, narrowed from a $2.2 million loss in the year-ago period. Sales edged up 1% to $104.2 million from $103.4 million, and same-store sales climbed 7.7%.

Under the leadership of CEO LuAnn Via, the company is in the early stages of a turnaround, with store openings on tap for both fiscal 2013 and a longer-term three-year period.

Houston – Charming Charlie is establishing a “single version of the truth” across multiple business units, including merchandising, store operations, planning and finance, using the ARC Merchandise Analytics solution from Manthan Systems. The solution is designed to deliver real-time merchandise and performance insights across the retail enterprise.

San Diego — Brixmor Property Group has leased approximately 45,000 sq. ft. to Smart & Final Extra! at Brixmor’s San Dimas Plaza in San Dimas, Calif. The supermarket/warehouse store will take over the space formerly occupied by Ralphs. NAI Capital represented Smart & Final.

T.J. Maxx anchors the 119,157-sq.-ft. San Dimas Plaza alongside national retailers Rite Aid, Payless ShoeSource, Sprint and RadioShack.

Los Angeles — PCG Woodland Hills Topanga LLC, an affiliate of Paragon Commercial Group, has acquired the Woodland Hills Shopping Center located in the Warner Center master planned community in the San Fernando Valley. Paragon Commercial Group acquires, develops and manages high quality, value add retail investments. The seller was Woodland Hills Retail.

The 112,649-sq.-ft. center was 100% leased at the time of the sale. Anchor tenants include Toys “R” Us, Office Depot and Off Broadway Shoes.

New York— Robert Graham has announced a new lease agreement to open its first New York City store on Bleecker Street this fall. The West Village Bleecker Street fashion corridor houses Burberry, Brunello Cucinelli, Marc Jacobs, rag & bone, and Ralph Lauren.

Robert Graham currently operates six freestanding stores across the country. They are located in Los Angeles, Houston, Las Vegas, Boca Raton, Fla., Long Island, N.Y., and Short Hills, N.J.

Hilton Head Island, S.C. — Shelter Cove Towne Centre has signed letters of intent with two new tenants: Heritage Fine Jewelry and Jake’s Wayback Burgers.

A joint venture between Blanchard & Calhoun Commercial and Kroger Real Estate, Shelter Cove is being developed into a destination for Hilton Head residents and the area’s 2.5 million visitors. The project includes plans to redevelop the existing mall into a walking village that will consist of 290,000 sq. ft. of retail space anchored by Kroger and Belk.

An article that recently caught my eye adds more evidence to my growing suspicion (and I know I am far from alone in this) that the near-term to mid-term retail outlook might not be quite as positive as we may have thought just a few months ago. The piece, “Gap Stands out Among Retailers in Tough Quarter,” in Women’s Wear Daily highlighted the sobering second-quarter numbers from a long list of big retail brands. As the title implies, Gap, Inc.

 New York - Wayne Kulkin, former vice chairman of Stuart Weitzman, has been appointed CEO of the company, effective immediately. Kulkin will continue to report to Stuart Weitzman, executive chairman of Stuart Weitzman.

"Wayne has been a true partner over the last 23 years,” said Weitzman. “His passion, creativity and business acumen have been essential in driving our growth across diverse channels, and I am confident that Wayne will be equally instrumental in his new role as CEO.”

New York - The importance of brand has increased tenfold for consumers in the past 17 years, currently standing at 30%. When the first wave of the Brand Keys Fashion Index was conducted in 1996, only 3% of U.S. apparel buyers felt fashion brands and their associated logos were of increasing importance to consumers.

New York - Tiffany has appointed Francesca Amfitheatrof as design director effective immediately. She will oversee design of all Tiffany product categories.

Amfitheatrof’s background is as a jewelry designer and silversmith. Her designs have been sold internationally, including at the Museum of Modern Art in New York and Colette in Paris.