Apparel

New York -- Saks Fifth Avenue Off 5th will open its doors in Chandler, Ariz., on Thursday, April 4, 2013.

The new 28,000-sq.-ft. store is located in Phoenix Premium Outlets, which is opening to the public that day. The new outlet center, owned and operated by Simon Property Group, is part of Wild Horse Pass, within the Gila River Indian Community, which includes hotels, a spa, casino, golf, an equestrian center, fine dining and more.

Hoffman Estates, Ill. -- Sears Hometown and Outlet Stores said Thursday it has elected James F. Gooch to its board of directors and as chair of the audit committee.

Gooch had served as president and CEO, as well as CFO, of RadioShack Corp.
 

Burlington, Mass. -- KeyPoint Partners said it has added three Massachusetts retail properties to its portfolio that include property management and leasing assignments.

The firm has been awarded property management contracts for 1080 Route 28, South Yarmouth and 978 Boylston Street, Newton; and property management and leasing contracts for Treble Cove Plaza, Billerica. Marathon Realty awarded the contract.

NEW YORK — Harris Interactive has revealed the brands that Americans rank highest in brand equity. Surveying more than 38,000 American consumers, it measures the level of quality, familiarity, and purchase consideration for each brand, and then awards "Brand of the Year" status to the top-ranked brand from each category.

AVON, Ohio — Duck Tape, a product of ShurTech Brands, announced today a new Duck Tape print featuring the pop music group One Direction.

Indianapolis -- The Finish Line said its fourth-quarter profit dropped 18% as gross margins fell and overall sales declined more than analysts expected. The chain’s adjusted earnings and same-store sales growth, however, were in-line with its expectations.

For the fourth quarter ended March 2, Finish Line reported net income of $34.3 million, down from $41.9 million a year earlier.

Philadelphia -- Destination Maternity Corp. on Thursday opened the first Destination Maternity superstore location in Canada. The 5,000-sq.-ft. store is in Langley, a suburb of Vancouver, B.C.

Imagine a store with a back staff of robots, where items appear, almost magically, in the fitting room. A store where customers pay for their purchases in their dressing rooms, without interacting with a single salesperson. You can stop imagining … check out Hointer, an apparel (mostly men’s jeans) shop in Seattle.

New York -- Kohl’s, Target, and Walgreens were named “Brand of the Year” in their respective categories in the 2013 Harris Poll EquiTrend survey.

The annual study, conducted by Harris Interactive, reveals the brands that Americans rank highest in brand equity. Surveying more than 38,000 American consumers, it measures the level of quality, familiarity, and purchase consideration for each brand, and then awards "Brand of the Year" status to the top-ranked brand from each category.

Plano, Texas -- A Tuesday report by Reuters said that embattled J.C. Penney Co. has recently revived its previously abandoned pricing strategy of raising prices on its own brands then discounting them as a way to spike sales and margins.

Citing an emailed statement by Penney spokeswoman Daphne Avila, Reuters reported that the retailer began changing price tags on merchandise earlier in March and expects to complete the process in April.