Apparel

Washington, D.C. -- The National Retail Federation reported Thursday that holiday sales edged NRF forecasts, rising 4.1% to $471.5 billion for the period.

NRF predicted 3.8% growth. Results exclude automobiles, gas stations and restaurants.

Tokyo -- Fast Retailing Co., operator of the Uniqlo apparel chain, reported Thursday a net profit of $405.3 million for the first quarter, a 37% rise that the company said was due in large part to a change in accounting methods. Operating profit dipped 2.8%.

Sales gained 8.6% overall for the quarter, but the company has trimmed its full-year outlook as sales in its home market remained sluggish.

Menomonee Falls, Wis. -- Kohl's Corp. said Thursday it is doubling the size of its design office in New York City, as well as adding its first design studio on the West Coast, in Santa Monica, Calif.

The move, said the company, represents a commitment to its exclusive brands.

"The investment reinforces our commitment to offering world-class brands at compelling value to our customers," said Kevin Mansell, Kohl's chairman, president and CEO, in a statement.

New York City -- CM Design Studio announced that Tony Mancini has been appointed president of its Alex Cannon brand. The menswear brand is sold in shops at Lord & Taylor, Liverpool Mexico, and in better specialty stores nationwide.

New York City -- In  response to Columbia Sportswear Co.’s desire to reduce its PCI scope for its retail locations by minimizing or eliminating the need to store any payment data on its network environment, payment processing and security vendors, Equinox Payments Voltage Security, and Merchant Link have collaborated to create a reliable, cloud-based payment solution to protect sensitive point-of-sale payment data.

New York City -- David Yurman on Wednesday announced that Glen T. Senk will join the fine-jewelry company as CEO, effective Feb. 27. Senk, who on Tuesday announced he was stepping down as CEO of Urban Outfitters, will take an ownership stake in the privately owned company.

Looking for a hit list of the hottest new stores outside of the United States? Check out of some of the contenders below. The information comes from the London-based retail consultancy echochamber.com.

New York City --

The government said it would lift the current 51% ownership limit on foreign companies that sell just one brand of products — a group that would include such companies as Gap, Apple and Starbucks — if they met certain strict conditions, the report said.

Roswell, Ga. -- PGA Tour Superstore plans to open a 60,000-sq.-ft. store in the Chicago area in late spring 2012, followed by an additional location in the area later in the year. The two Chicago metro stores will be the company’s first locations in the Midwest.

The first store will be located in Schaumburg at the site of the former Great Indoors store at Golf Road and Meacham Road near Woodfield Mall, the largest mall in Chicagoland. The location of the second store will be announced at a later date.

New York City -- Although online sales grew 15% from 2010 to 2011, many retailers' online ordering, shipping and returns processes failed to keep pace, according to management consultancy Kurt Salmon's rankings of 50 retailers.