Apparel

New York -- Macy’s on Wednesday outlined a new initiative to grow its business with the Millennial generation (ages 13 to 30). The group spends an estimated $65 billion each year for the type of goods sold at Macy’s.

New York -- Kohl’s Department Stores announced plans to launch an exclusive American Idol apparel collection. The newly created line -- Authentic Icon (AI) -- will be available exclusively at Kohl’s and Kohls.com beginning in April.

Plymouth Meeting, Pa. -- Fameco Real Estate announced that Sports Clips has signed its sixth lease in the Philadelphia region as part of an aggressive store roll out campaign.

Sports Clips is focusing its efforts on the Philadelphia MSA and Fameco’s Jim Creed is spearheading the expansion in this market which includes southeastern Pennsylvania, southern New Jersey and Delaware.

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. — Sears Holdings announced that David Lukes has joined the company in its real estate business unit as president real estate development. Lukes comes to Sears Holdings from Mall Properties Inc. where he served as president and CEO of the privately owned $3 billion real estate firm. 

WASHINGTON — While intentions aren't always equal to results, if NRF's predictions are correct, consumers will be shelling out quite a bit of cash this Easter. According to NRF’s Easter spending survey, conducted by BIGinsight, Americans will spend an average of $145.28 on everything from apparel and candy to food and decorations this year, up 11% from $131.04 last year. Total spending is expected to reach $16.8 billion.

Washington, D.C. -- Spring apparel and candy are predicted to push Easter sales past the $16 billion mark this year, according to a new survey released Tuesday by the National Retail Federation.

The Easter spending survey, conducted by BIGinsight, found that Americans will shell out an average of $145.28 on everything from apparel and candy to food and decorations this year, up 11% from $131.04 last year. Total spending is expected to reach $16.8 billion.

It doesn’t really surprise me anymore when I hear about another national brand rolling out a smaller store format or compact new prototype. Recognizable names like Target, Walmart and Best Buy have all had some success with smaller formats, particularly when it comes to penetrating new markets. But I think the fact that Kohl’s has now joined the crowd is a little bit different — and a little bit more interesting.

New York -- Importers who sell to America’s major retailers are preparing for a significant uptick in consumer spending this spring and summer according to a recent survey conducted by Capital Business Credit, (CBC), a non-bank lender that services the retail sector.

Columbus, Ohio -- DSW Inc. reported Tuesday that profit for the fourth quarter rose to $19.4 million from $200,000 a year earlier, beating analysts’ estimates for the quarter.

Fourth-quarter revenue rose 10% to $513.7 million, surpassing Wall Street’s estimated $511.2 million in revenue. Same-store sales increased 5.6%.

New York City -- Tiffany reported Tuesday that its fourth-quarter profit slipped to $178.4 million from $181.2 million last year. Revenue met expectations, rising nearly 8% to $1.19 billion.

For the year, net earnings surged 19% to $439 million, and sales rose 18% to $3.6 billion.

The jewelry retailer said it plans to open 24 new stores in 2012, including nine in the Americas, seven in Asia-Pacific, three in Europe and five in the United Arab Emirates. It plans nine new stores in 2013.