Apparel

New York -- Wall Street is reacting to Jos. A. Bank’s news that it is cutting its second-quarter profit and sales outlook, sending shares spiraling downward.

Company CEO R. Neal Black said, “While our total sales declined in Q2, we achieved stability in our gross profit margin rate. Customers did not respond as well to some of our highly promotional, high sales volume marketing campaigns as they did in the prior year.”

Total sales declined 11% in the second quarter.

New York -- Express staged a fashion show on Friday in New York City's Times Square, providing the specialty retailer with a promotional platform to preview upcoming collections.

Male and female models showed off the retailer's Holiday 2013 collection, which is not scheduled to hit stores for a few months yet, as part of an ad campaign shoot.

"The Holiday 2013 collection is really about a lot of sparkle, shine, glamour and obviously New York City," said Express president David Kornberg.

RFID has occupied a curious position in the retail IT landscape for the past decade. Most observers acknowledge that RFID holds great potential to offer expanded supply chain visibility and collaboration from source to shelf, but aside from a few high-profile programs run by retail heavyweights like Wal-Mart and Target, RFID’s potential still remains untapped after all these years. That may finally be changing.

New York -- Tiffany & Co. today released its annual Corporate Responsibility Report, which affirms what the retailer says are efforts to positively improve the entire jewelry supply chain. This includes promoting responsible mining standards and increasing awareness about critical issues affecting the industry, such as the environmental concerns surrounding the development of the proposed Pebble Mine in Bristol Bay, Alaska.

Online outdoor clothing and gear retailer Moosejaw’s new store in Boston is designed to bring the quirky brand’s “Love the Madness” philosophy to life.    

Unlike the company’s previous stores, which involved taking over existing retail locations from other retailers, the new space was created specifically to evoke Moosejaw’s irreverent style and establish a brick-and-mortar presence that truly reflects the brand.

HAMPSTEAD, Md. — JoS. A. Bank customers did not respond as favorably to some of the company's marketing campaigns as they did in the prior year leading to a total sales decline of approximately 11% in the second quarter ended Aug. 3.

The company expects earnings for the quarter to be approximately $0.49 to $0.53 per diluted share, compared with $0.83 per diluted share in the second quarter of 2012.

DAVENPORT, Iowa — Von Maur has partnered with Brooks Brothers to sell the brand in its stores, making the retailer the second department store in the nation to carry the exclusive line.

The Brooks Brothers line will be available in six stores in fall 2013, and will expand to 13 in spring 2014.

Seattle -- Nordstrom said its net income for the fiscal second quarter, ended Aug. 3, rose to $184 million from $156 million in the year-ago period. But the department store retailer cut its yearly forecast, citing softer-than-anticipated sales trends.

Nordstrom said revenue rose 6.4% % to $3.1 billion, short of the $3.29 billion Wall Street expected. Total company same-store sales increased 4.4%.

Littleton, Mass. -- Dover Saddlery, a multichannel retailer of equestrian products, announced the hiring of James Cullen to the newly created position of executive VP.

Cullen has over twenty five years of leadership experience in operations, finance and marketing, with particular expertise in the retail and distribution sectors including most recently, among others, Bakers Footwear Inc., and Reeds Jeweler, Inc.

Los Angeles — Self-proclaimed beauty and fashion junky, Jennifer Geisman, creator of Beautygrl.com, has begun writing a new fashion and lifestyle blog, “Fearless Fashionista,” for four Southern California retail centers, owned and managed by General Growth Properties.

The centers include Galleria at Tyler, Glendale Galleria, Northridge Fashion Center and Otay Ranch Town Center. The blog is available at each center’s website.