Apparel

Atlanta, Ga. — Fashion basics brand Alternative Apparel appointed Erik Joule as its president and CMO, effective January 7, 2013.

Joule will be based out of the company’s design office in Los Angeles, where he will report directly to CEO Evan Toporek and work closely with founder and CCO Greg Alterman.
 

LOS ANGELES — Kim, Kourtney and Khloé Kardashian’s eyewear line available through Sears Optical is now available online as well as in stores.

The Kardashian Kollection Eyewear line was introduced at retail locations nationwide in July of this year and includes eyeglasses and sunglasses.

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — Fruit of the Loom has chosen Crispin Porter + Bogusky to oversee and manage advertising for the Fruit of the Loom, Vanity Fair and Russell Athletic brands.

The leading international, vertically integrated basic apparel and athletic goods company’s brands include Fruit of the Loom, Vanity Fair, Russell Athletic and Spalding. It is an independent wholly owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway, which is chaired by Warren Buffett.

New York -- Amazon and Costco lead the pack lead the pack when it comes to the e-tailers that have most satisfied their customers, according to the "2012 Harris Poll Shopper Satisfaction Study of Online Retailers." The survey used a 100-point scale to measure customer satisfaction with the e-commerce sites of 14 big retailers. Amazon.com ranked first with a score of 82.

Newton Upper Falls, Mass. -- Shoe manufacturer and retailer Clarks Cos. announced it has put a new real estate team in place to help reach its aggressive expansion goals.

According to Somerset, England-based parent C&J Clark, its retail division has opened nearly 300 company-owned, full price and outlet stores in the U.S. over the last 18 years and plans to add 30 to 50 new stores per year, with a goal of doubling its footprint over the next five years.

New York -- Shopper sentiment tracker NetBase said that, since Black Friday, it has been tracking the changes in shopper moods for 10 retailers with its Holiday Shopping Mood Meter.

The company found that Kohl’s was No. 1 more often than Amazon, Walmart was the only brand with a net negative sentiment, and Old Navy broke the Top 5 only once.

Minneapolis -- Christopher & Banks said its net income totaled $3.6 million for the quarter ended Oct.27, compared with a loss $13.7 million in the year-age period.

Revenue rose 2%, to $117.3 million from $114.6 million. The chain has closed more than 100 stores during the last year, but strong sales at its existing locations boosted revenue. Same-store sales rose 13.7%.

Christopher & Banks noted that effective Nov.26, LuAnn Via joined the company as president and CEO.

Fort Worth, Texas -- Pier I said its total sales increased 10.9% to $425 for the third quarter, ended Nov.15, with comparable-store sales rising 7.9% from the year-ago period.

Nashville, Tenn. -- Genesco Inc. said Friday its third-quarter profit increased to $41 million, from $26.2 million in the year-ago period, better than Wall Street expected. The company also raised its fiscal 2013 outlook, even as it warned that November was off to a slow start.

Women’s specialty retailer Coldwater Creek said co-founder, chairman and CEO Dennis Pence will relinquish his role of CEO at year end.

Replacing Pence and joining the board of directors of the Sandpoint, Idaho-based chain will be Jill Brown Dean, the company’s current president and chief merchandising officer. Assuming Dean’s role will be Michele Donnan Martin who joins the company as SVP/GMM responsible for all merchandising functions.