Apparel

Seattle – Nordstrom plans to open two new Nordstrom Rack stores in fall 2014. The approximately 35,000-sq.-ft. stores will be located at Tempe Marketplace in Tempe, Ariz. and Plaza at Jordan Creek in West Des Moines, Iowa.

The Tempe property is owned and managed by Vestar and the Plaza at Jordan Creek is being co-developed by Hurd Real Estate Services, Inc. and Signature Real Estate Services, Inc.

New York — Reebok has leased an 11,600-sq.-ft. space at 1 Union Square West in Manhattan for a combination Reebok Fit Hub store and Reebok Cross-fit gym. Slated to open in the spring of 2014, the location will house the bran’s Manhattan flagship store and the largest Reebok Fit Hub in the chain.

A two-year product development process has come to an end at Bauer Hockey where the company has introduced a new line of equipment, including a futuristic full body suit, made of ultra light materials to be worn by the world’s best players in February.

Akron, Ohio – Kay Jewelers has launched a "Merry Match" sweepstakes on its Facebook page and for Twitter pages from Dec. 20-Dec. 24.

Moreno Valley, Calif. — Image, a junior fashion retailer, has re-opened at the Moreno Valley Mall in Moreno Valley, Calif., with a big brand new image. The new store has expanded to 10,000 sq. ft. and is located on the lower level between Crazy 8 and Sports Treasure, according to Spinoso Real Estate Group, the mall’s property manager.

LLBean.com provided the highest-rated customer service of all major online retailers during the month of November 2013, according to the Stella Monthly Ranking from the StellaService customer service analysis firm.

L.L. Bean was ranked number one for overall customer service and also in the email customer service area.

SierraTradingPost.com took top honors for phone customer service, Sears.com had the highest ranked shipping customer service and Bloomingdales.com has the best returns customer service.

San Jose, Calif. – Samsung has reportedly hired a high-level store designer from Apple. According to multiple media reports, the U.S., telecom unit of Samsung recently hired Tim Gudgel, a five-year veteran store designer at Apple, as VP and GM of retail sales operations.

New York – Barney’s New York plans to open a flagship in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan in 2017. The downtown store will consist of five floors totaling close to 57,000 sq. ft. and be located on the site of a former Barney’s flagship on Seventh Avenue that was open from 1923-1998.