Apparel

GREEN BAY, Wis. — Shopko plans to open five new Shopko Hometown stores in Afton, Wyo., St. Peter, Minn., and Winneconne, Ellsworth and Tomahawk, Wis., in late fall.

A 4.2% first quarter same store sales increase at teen retailer Five Below and better than expected results prompted the operator of 258 stores to increase its full year guidance.
 
Sales for the quarter ended May 4 increase 33.1% to $95.6 million and operating income swung to $3.2 million from a prior year loss of $2 million. Net income was $1.6 million compared to a net loss of $1.2 million the prior year.

Sycamore Partners has acquired mall- and Web-based specialty retailer Hot Topic and its Hot Topic, Torrid and Blackheart concepts for approximately $600 million.

"Hot Topic and Torrid are both leaders in their categories, and we are excited to have both brands as part of our portfolio," said Stefan Kaluzny, managing director of Sycamore Partners. "Sycamore Partners is very pleased to have the opportunity to partner with Lisa Harper and her team to invest in the continued development of both the Hot Topic and Torrid retail brands."

Columbus, Ohio -- Glimcher Realty Trust has announced plains to purchase its remaining interest in WestShore Plaza in Tampa, Fla. and to sell its interest in Lloyd Center in Portland, Ore. Glimcher holds a 40% interest in a joint venture with Blackstone Real Estate Partners VI that owns both properties.

Purchase, N.Y. -- Old Colony Square Center in Jersey City, N.J., will look like new by the end of the year. Owner National Realty & Development Corp. will begin renovations to the Pathmark-anchored center this summer.

Toy collecting is definitely not just for the small fry at Kidrobot, which has evolved from a cool toy store for kids and adults alike in New York City’s hip SoHo into a multimillion dollar retail and wholesale company.

Bradenton, Fla. -- Beall’s Inc. has replaced legacy point-of-sale software and hardware at 450 Beall’s Outlet and Burke’s Outlet stores with the latest version of  SAP’s POS application (POS 2.3 system).

Little Rock, Ark. – By focusing on its brand story and collaborative boards, Southern lifestyle retailer Bourbon & Boots has dramatically increased cross-channel traffic through its presence on the Pinterest social network.

Founder Matt Price described how Bourbon & Boots has maximized the value of its Pinterest activities during a session at last week’s Internet Retailer conference in Chicago.

SIDNEY, Neb. — Cabela’s drew record attendance at its 2013 annual meeting of shareholders June 5 in Sidney, Neb., home of company headquarters.

A crowd of more than 3,000 gathered June 4 to catch a performance by Cabela’s ambassador and Academy of Country Music Entertainer of the Year Luke Bryan, with fellow country star Jon Pardi, at the Cheyenne County Fairgrounds.

H&M is collaborating with Parisian designer Isabel Marant on a fall line, inspired by her signature style, featuring clothing and accessories for teenagers, women and for the first time, men.

The retailer will roll out the collection Nov. 14 in approximately 250 of its stores worldwide.