Apparel

New York – J. Crew received top ranking among all major U.S. online retailers during the month of January 2014. According to the Stella Monthly Ranking from the StellaService customer service analysis firm, J. Crew, which held this ranking from July-September 2013, took the top spot from L.L.Bean.com, which held it in November and December 2013.

Hamilton, Bermuda - In a deal that would combine the two largest mid-tier jewelry chains in the United States, Signet Jewelers Ltd. has agreed to buy rival Zale Corp. for about $690 million dollars. Signet will offer $21 in cash for each Zale share, representing a 41% premium over Tuesday's closing price.

Hampstead, Md. - JoS. A. Bank Clothiers, Inc. has commenced a tender offer to purchase up to $300 million in value of shares of its common stock at a price of $65 per share. The closing price of the company's common stock on Feb. 18, 2014 was $54.20 per share.

While we’re only just getting started on 2014, already one of the big retail stories is store closings. While the economy is far from robust, we aren’t in a recession either, and so at first these closings might seem a little surprising. I don’t see it that way, however: The recent spate of planned store closing for 2014 is exactly what we should expect from an industry in transition. It’s not a crisis, so much as it is a realignment.

San Francisco - Launching Feb. 18 "Lived-In,” Gap's global marketing campaign, features magazine, outdoor and social components. These include Gap's Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram communities, with the hashtag #LivedIn.

In recent years, retailers have aggressively implemented in-store systems to track customers’ every move from the moment they enter till the moment they leave (hopefully including a trip through a checkout lane). Specific details such as how long customers spend in front of a display are also carefully monitored and analyzed. Technology now allows retailers to keep tabs on what customers do in the store almost as rigorously as they follow customer actions online.

Syracuse, N.Y. — Junior fashion retailer, Lexy, has expanded into a new 3,098-sq.-ft. store at Moreno Valley Mall in Moreno Valley, Calif. The new store opened on Feb. 14.

Managed by Spinoso Real Estate Group, the center is home to 130 stores and restaurants including a number of new arrivals. Crunch Fitness recently moved into a 20,000-sq.-ft space. Junior fashion retailer, Image, opened in December 2013.

Plano, Texas -- J.C. Penney Company has named Ed Record as CFO, effective March 24. He will also serve as executive VP. Record, 45, comes to Penney from regional department store chain Stage Stores, where he most recently served as COO and, before that, as CFO.

Record will succeed Ken Hannah, who was hired in May 2012 under former CEO Ron Johnson.