Apparel

Chicago -- Claire's Stores announced its recent entry into three new countries — Philippines, Costa Rica and Colombia — as well as new license agreements for Brazil, Scandinavia and the Balkans.

Jim Fielding, CEO, stated: "We continue to identify expansion opportunities worldwide. Our franchise partners have opened stores in three new countries in 2013 and we expect to enter an additional three countries during the rest of the year. We are pleased with our progress to date and encouraged by the opportunities."

Philadelphia -- Five Below will expand its presence in Texas by opening 11 stores in the Dallas-Fort Worth area on Sept. 12, 2013. The teen retailer’s entry into Dallas follows four successful store openings in Austin, completed in August of this year.

Puma’s outlet-store prototype is streamlined, sporty and contemporary looking, with strong brand cues. The store model is built around sustainability and flexibility. It features a “design by subtraction” concept that is based on a mobile fixture kit of interchangeable stock parts that yield 30% lower energy consumption. A lack of partition walls results in fewer materials, and enables the entire store to be reconfigured without the need for permanent construction or installations.  

Washington, D.C. -- The National Retail Federation calculated retail industry job gains at 43,600 in August, with marked increases in clothing, general merchandise and electronics stores.
 

San Francisco – Gap reported same-store sales growth in its three global retail brands in August of this year that was significantly lower than in the same month last year. Gap global same-store sales rose 2% compared to 6% last year. At Banana Republic, same-store sales increased 2% compared to 8% last year, and Old Navy same-store sales grew 1% compared to 12% last year.

Net sales for the month were $1.23 billion, up 2.5% from net sales of $1.2 billion for the same month last year.

Jacksonville, Fla. -- Stein Mart Inc. has officially opened its online store, which offers both brick-and-mortar store merchandise and unique online-only offerings. The chain is among the first in the off-price category to enter e-commerce

Lynnwood, Wash. -- Action sports retailer Zumiez reported net income of $4.7 million for the quarter ended Aug. 3, compared with $2.1 million a year earlier. Sales surged 16.9% to $157.9 million, and same-store sales edged up 0.9%.

San Francisco -- Brooks Brothers has opened its second largest store in North America, a 26,000-sq.-ft. flagship in San Francisco’s Union Square. 

The interior takes inspiration from Brooks Brothers’ nearly 100-year-old flagship at 346 Madison Avenue in New York City. In keeping with the atmosphere of the New York space, the first floor of the new store is covered in pale cherry wood. The women’s floor is accented with clean white paneling and marble floors. The mezzanine holds the Red Fleece label for men and women.

Seattle -- Nordstrom plans to Nordstrom Rack at Riverside Plaza in Riverside, Calif. The approximately 45,000-sq.-ft. store will be the Rack's first location in Riverside County when it opens in spring 2014.

Riverside Plaza is owned and managed by Vestar.

"We are excited to have Nordstrom Rack as a tenant at Riverside Plaza," said Jeff Axtell, Vestar VP of acquisitions and development. "Nordstrom Rack is a premier retailer who will be a great complement to our existing tenants."

A survey of consumers conducted by the National Retail Federation and published in the trade group’s September issue of Stores placed Walmart second on a list of the nation’s favorite e-commerce retailers, an encouraging sign given the company’s efforts to drive digital growth.