Apparel

SAN FRANCISCO — The Levi’s brand has made significant management changes to its leadership structure in an effort to drive innovative product and consumer engagement campaigns around the globe. 

L3 Capital invests in what it calls prime urban retail, which includes a lot of street retail in the premier cities. "We own retail properties in several neighborhoods in New York City, Los Angeles and Chicago," said Greg Schott managing piincipal.

At the end of last year, L3 made its first investment in its hometown of Chicago. The company bought four retail buildings along a flourishing four-block retail stretch of Southport Avenue in the Lakewood neighborhood. The cost was $13 million for 17,000 sq. ft.

St. Louis – Brown Shoe Company swung from a net loss in the second quarter of fiscal 2012 to net earnings in the second quarter of fiscal 2013. The retailer also boosted net sales and same-store sales.

Bakersfield, Calif. — Foot Locker and Victoria’s Secret have expanded and remodeled at the 1.1 million-sq.-ft. Valley Plaza Mall in Bakersfield, Calif. Victoria’s Secret has also opened a new store for the popular PINK brand.

The newly remodeled Foot Locker, now spanning 5,000 sq. ft., plans to introduce an exclusive department called House of Hoops. It will feature elite athletic apparel and footwear.

San Diego – Ninety-three percent of U.S. families are doing back-to-school shopping for students age 18 and younger this year and are expected to spend a total of $72.5 billion. Results of the 2013 Back to School Intentions Study from TrendSource show that school supplies are far and away the most popular item, with 95% of back-to-school shoppers buying them.

New York -- Tommy Bahama has selected the Hybris commerce platform to improve its omni-channel commerce capabilities. The apparel retailer has seen growth in it online commerce throughout the past few years. Tommy Bahama also offers in-store kiosks, where shoppers can access a commerce channel that enables an "endless aisle" of available products — allowing shoppers to access out-of-stock or online-exclusive items directly in-store.

J.C. Penney filed a registration statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission late Monday that would allow for activist investor Bill Ackman to unload his entire stake in the company via a secondary stock offering.

According to the J.C. Penney’s filing, Ackman and various Pershing Square investment vehicles he controls plan to sell roughly 39 million shares representing 17.7% of the company’s 220.5 million outstanding shares.

The National Retail Federation definition of September 2013 shifts the month one week later in the calendar when compared to 2012. This shift introduces a significant cooler bias in the forecast. Therefore, while the nation on a year-on-year basis trends cooler, most of that will be due to a calendar shift and not a change in the weather. Conditions are expected to be similar to 2012 when the shift is removed.