Apparel

Harrisburg, Pa. -- The Shoppes at Susquehanna Marketplace, in Susquehanna Township, Pennsylvania, is celebrating its 10th anniversary by adding dining, spa services and two in-demand retailers, announced The Shoppes’ owner and developer, Stanbery Development.

Gordmans Stores new CEO Andy Hall is looking to execute a turnaround at the off price department store chain where weak sales trends and losses indicate he is in for a big challenge.
 

Orlando, Fla. -- JLL continues to build its retail brokerage practice in Florida with the addition of Andrew Dieringer, Terrence Hart and Brandon Delanois. The trio bring more than 40 years of retail agency leasing and tenant representation experience to the team, and will be based in the firm’s Orlando office. Together, they will partner with John Lambert, Florida Retail Market Lead for JLL, and Justin Greider, VP of JLL, to help investors achieve their asset goals and work with retailers to identify and secure optimal new locations.

Price cuts made to clear seasonal merchandise were a primary driver of Chico’s lower net income for the second quarter ended Aug. 2.

The company posted net income of $30.1 million for the quarter, a drop of 31% from $43.6 million in the year-ago period. Net sales for the quarter were $671.1 million, an increase of 3.3% from $649.5 million in the previous year, but driven primarily by sales at 98 net new stores. Same-store sales inched up by 0.3%.

Famous Footwear parent company Brown Shoe said it believes stepped up omnichannel efforts will drive sales this back-to-school season sales after reporting better than expected second quarter results.

For retailers looking to provide an optimal customer experience to harried holiday shoppers, live chat is more than a nice extra.

“Customer expectations today make live chat a necessity; more and more customers are demanding this channel to interact with brands since it’s a convenient and efficient means of getting assistance online,” said Milton Pappas, president of e-commerce for White Plains, New York-based Nine West Group, which operates 183 Nine West stores, 78 Easy Spirit stores and 88 JNY stores in the United States.

Shortly before the 2013 holiday period, Nine West

Fort Myers, Fla. – Chico’s FAS Inc. reported net income of $30.1 million in the second quarter of fiscal 2014, down 31% from $43.6 million in the year-ago period. Price cuts needed to clear seasonal merchandise were a primary driver of Chico’s lower net income. Its results missed Wall Street expectations.

Net sales for the quarter ended August 2, 2014, were $671.1 million, up 3.3% from $649.5 million in the previous year, primarily reflecting the addition of 98 net new stores.  

Total same-store sales rose 0.3%.

Irving, Texas – The Michaels Companies Inc. on Wednesday reported a net loss of $48 million in the second quarter of fiscal 2014, compared to net income of $17 in the year-ago period, as $68 million in costs associated with debt-extinguishment and drove the retailer into the red. Its results, however, beat analysts estimates, and the company raised its full-year outlook. It was Michaels’ first earnings report since it went public again at the end of June.