Apparel

Yonkers, N.Y. – Banana Republic will become a new retailer at the Ridge Hill shopping center in Yonkers, N.Y. Forest City Ratner Companies (FCRC), the developer and owner of Ridge Hill, said the Banana Republic location will open beneath the center's Uniqlo store.

Retailers have been known to employ all sorts of clever devices when commemorating a grand opening, but shapewear retailer Spanx takes the practice to a new level.

Home Depot was known to saw a board in half in lieu of a traditional ribbon cutting and outdoor retailer Gander Mountain once had an archer with a razor tipped arrow sever the ribbon. When Spanx opens its fourth retail location on April 11 at the International Plaza mall in Tampa the company plans to commemorate the occasion with a hosiery cutting as part of a “jiggle-free jubilee.”

REI, a leading specialty retailer of outdoor gear and apparel, achieved record annual sales of $2 billion in 2013, up 5.9% from $1.9 billion the previous year, despite a challenging retail environment and severe winter weather.

Comparable store sales, including direct-to-consumer sales, increased 2.9%.

Jessica Simpson’s plus-size swimwear line is now available at Swimsuitsforall, a leading online retailer for women's swimwear.

The collection features tankinis, swimdresses and plus-size bikinis, including high-waisted bottoms paired with bandeau/halter bikini tops.

Recently, Swimsuitsforall debuted their Designer Boutique swimwear collection, featuring MICHAEL Michael Kors, Anne Cole, Becca ETC, Kenneth Cole Reaction, La Blanca, Carmen Marc Valvo, Badgley Mischka and Jessica Simpson.

 

Dallas -- Greenway Investment Co. has acquired Denton Town Center in Denton, Texas, from a family trust represented by the Dallas office of Transwestern. Dollar-Flowers Realty Partners represented Greenway.

Land of Nod was founded 18 years ago as an online retailer of furniture, décor and bedding for infants and kids but has since become an omnichannel operator with an upscale brand.
 
The company currently operates five stores in California, Illinois and Seattle. Managing director Michelle Kohanzo shared some perspective on what it’s like to work at an omnichannel retailer in the latest installment of This Is Retail from the National Retailer Federation.

Birmingham, Ala. – Net income and sales declined at Hibbett Sports Inc. during the fourth quarter of fiscal 2013. Net income dropped 13% from $19.6 million in the fourth quarter of the prior fiscal year to $16.4 million, while net sales inched upward 0.2% to $217.8 million from $217.4 million.

Same-store sales rose 1.7% during the quarter. Hibbett Sports cited slowing sales in January due to inclement weather and a less favorable sales impact from the national college football championship game as impacting net income.