Apparel

E-commerce sales boost Express in Q2
Express delivered solid second quarter results, buoyed in part by e-commerce sales which once again experienced a double-digit increase.

Same-store sales increased 6%, up 1% from the year-ago quarter. Factoring into that same-store sales increase were the company’s e-commerce sales, which were$59.9 million, up 27% from last year’s $47.2 million.

Net sales for the quarter increased a better-than-expected 7% to $486.2 million, from $454.9 million. Net income rose 7% to $16.8 million from $15.9 million and was in line with Wall Street expectations.
Holidays looking happier for Zale
Surprisingly strong sales at Zale’s nearly 1,700 stores propelled the company to its strongest full year financial performance in six years.

Zale said total company same store sales for its fourth quarter increased 5.6% and margins expanded which allowed the company to delivered its highest net income in six years for its fourth quarter ended July 31. Same store sales at Zale branded stores were even higher at 8.1% on top of a prior year increase of 12.3% the prior year.

Williams-Sonoma sitting pretty for Q2

SAN FRANCISCO — Specialty home products retailer Williams-Sonoma is reaping the rewards of a rebounding housing market this second quarter ended Aug. 4.

The company’s net revenues grew 12.3% to $982 million versus $874 million in the year-ago quarter with comparable brand revenue growth of 8.4%, on top of 7.4% in the year-ago quarter.
Report: American Dream Meadowlands mall close to signing big retailers

New York -- American Dream Meadowlands, the much-delayed shopping and entertainment complex adjacent to Metlife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., is close to signing several major retail tenants, according to Crain’s New York.

The complex, originally called Xanadu, was started in 2004, and never completed. It has gone through several changes in ownerships, eventually falling into default. In July, it was acquired by Canadian developer Triple Five Group.
Brown Shoe Co. swings from loss to profit

St. Louis – Brown Shoe Company swung from a net loss in the second quarter of fiscal 2012 to net earnings in the second quarter of fiscal 2013. The retailer also boosted net sales and same-store sales.
Tiffany net earnings sparkle in Q2

New York – Tiffany & Co. grew its net earnings 16% during the second quarter of fiscal 2013, and also increased net sales and same-store sales. Net earnings increased 16% to $107 million, from $92 million in the same quarter a year earlier.
Levi’s in management shuffle

San Francisco -- Levi’s announced several management changes in an effort to drive innovative product and consumer engagement campaigns around the globe.

Jennifer Sey, the current senior VP of e-commerce, will become the global chief marketing officer for the Levi’s brand.
Investing In Neighborhood Retail, Chicago-Style

L3 Capital invests in what it calls prime urban retail, which includes a lot of street retail in the premier cities. "We own retail properties in several neighborhoods in New York City, Los Angeles and Chicago," said Greg Schott managing piincipal.
At the end of last year, L3 made its first investment in its hometown of Chicago. The company bought four retail buildings along a flourishing four-block retail stretch of Southport Avenue in the Lakewood neighborhood. The cost was $13 million for 17,000 sq. ft.
Instant Neighborhoods

Millennials and boomers are driving an urban push
Generations after people deserted cities for the suburbs, young millennial-generation adults and older baby-boomer adults are moving back downtown.
Retailers aren't far behind, and new, seemingly instant neighborhoods — complete with housing, retail, offices and other forms of real estate — are springing up in redevelopment areas of cities across the country.
Project Profiles

WOODBURY TOWN CENTER

Location: Irvine, Calif. (SR 133 —the Laguna Freeway and the I-5 Santa AnaFreeway)

Size: 462,000 sq. ft.

Developer: Irvine Co. Retail Properties

Grocery anchors: Ralphs Fresh Fare, Trader Joe's

Key tenants: Home Depot, LA Fitness, Walgreens, Staples

Status: Open and operating since 2007
PREIT: Matching Mall And Grocer

Turns out, malls and grocers were made for each other.
A few years ago, Philadelphia-based Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust (PREIT) renovated Plymouth Meeting Mall in Philadelphia’s northwestern suburbs.
The renovation replaced an old Ikea on the site with a lifestyle component called Plymouth Meeting Mall’s Plaza Shops, which leads customers to the mall entrance.
PREIT brought in a 65,000-sq.-ft. Whole Foods Market as the anchor.
Reboot: Familiar Brands, New Looks

It could be a smaller-store footprint. Or a design makeover. Or a totally new format. But there comes a time when even the largest and most successful retailers need to freshen up or rethink their store identities. Here's a look at four brands that are trying on new looks.