Apparel

Neiman Marcus is closing in on a deal to be purchased by Ares Management and the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board for $6 billion, according to reports.

WASHINGTON — The National Retail Federation confirmed that the retail industry added 43,600 jobs last month, particularly in general merchandise, electronics and clothing.

The numbers were based on calculations from the NRF, out of a total 169,000 jobs that the Bureau of Labor Statistics said the economy added in August, bringing the country's unemployment rate down to 7.3%.

Chicago -- Claire's Stores announced its recent entry into three new countries — Philippines, Costa Rica and Colombia — as well as new license agreements for Brazil, Scandinavia and the Balkans.

Jim Fielding, CEO, stated: "We continue to identify expansion opportunities worldwide. Our franchise partners have opened stores in three new countries in 2013 and we expect to enter an additional three countries during the rest of the year. We are pleased with our progress to date and encouraged by the opportunities."

San Francisco -- Brooks Brothers has opened its second largest store in North America, a 26,000-sq.-ft. flagship in San Francisco’s Union Square. 

The interior takes inspiration from Brooks Brothers’ nearly 100-year-old flagship at 346 Madison Avenue in New York City. In keeping with the atmosphere of the New York space, the first floor of the new store is covered in pale cherry wood. The women’s floor is accented with clean white paneling and marble floors. The mezzanine holds the Red Fleece label for men and women.

San Francisco – Gap reported same-store sales growth in its three global retail brands in August of this year that was significantly lower than in the same month last year. Gap global same-store sales rose 2% compared to 6% last year. At Banana Republic, same-store sales increased 2% compared to 8% last year, and Old Navy same-store sales grew 1% compared to 12% last year.

Net sales for the month were $1.23 billion, up 2.5% from net sales of $1.2 billion for the same month last year.

Retail sales associates just became obsolete. We don’t need them anymore. Like travel agents, technology has made them an endangered occupation. I witnessed this paradigm shift in a small hotel ballroom in Portland, Ore., where Storycode, an app development thought leader, demonstrated a sales enablement iPad app built for Nike.

Philadelphia -- Five Below will expand its presence in Texas by opening 11 stores in the Dallas-Fort Worth area on Sept. 12, 2013. The teen retailer’s entry into Dallas follows four successful store openings in Austin, completed in August of this year.

A survey of consumers conducted by the National Retail Federation and published in the trade group’s September issue of Stores placed Walmart second on a list of the nation’s favorite e-commerce retailers, an encouraging sign given the company’s efforts to drive digital growth.