Apparel

PLANO, Texas — JCPenney announced that Thomas Engibous will become chairman of its board of directors on Jan. 28.  Engibous was named to the board in 1999 and has served in presiding director and lead independent director roles since 2008.  He will assume the chairman's role from Myron Ullman, III, JCPenney's former chief executive officer, who will step down as executive chairman.

COLUMBUS, Ohio — DSW is raising its full-year earnings guidance and accelerating new store openings following strong November and December sales results.

The company said it has raised its annual diluted earnings per share guidance to a range of $2.96 to $2.99 for fiscal 2011 from a range of $2.90 to $2.95, excluding any impact from the RVI merger and related items.  

REDWOOD SHORES, Calif. — American Apparel has chosen Oracle ATG Web Commerce and Oracle ATG Web Commerce Customer Service applications to help grow its global, multi-channel retail business. The apparel retailer will use Oracle's ATG Web Commerce to personalize the customer experience across all channels, including the web, contact center, mobile devices, social media and in stores.

Philadelphia -- Urban Outfitters announced Tuesday that Glen T. Senk has resigned as CEO, effective Jan. 9. The company named chairman and co-founder Richard Hayne as his replacement.

Senk, 55, joined the company in 1994 as president of Anthropologie. He became a director in 2004 and CEO in 2007. Senk indicated that he plans to pursue another opportunity, but that he will remain with the company for a period of time to assist management with the transition. He has also resigned from the board of directors.

Armonk, N.Y. -- On Tuesday, IBM released its final Benchmark announcement for the 2011 holiday season, detailing a continued strong performance for mobile as well as an overall increase in online spending for December 2011.

According to the report, the U.S. online retail sector delivered 7.5% growth in December 2011 compared to the same period last year. This followed a strong November where both Black Friday 2011 and Cyber Monday 2011 delivered double-digit growth over 2010.

Other key findings of the IBM report included:

Seattle -- Nordstrom said Tuesday it has redesigned its Fashion Rewards loyalty program to include added benefits include complimentary services and other point incentives.

As part of an effort to build customer loyalty, the new program – which launched Jan. 1 – includes complimentary alterations up to $100 based on varying benefit levels, triple point days, and Nordstrom Rack point participation.

Well, the holidays are finally over and the verdict is in: Retailers reported a 3.5% year-over-year sales increase in December — that’s better than I thought we would see — and a 3.3% increase overall for the season. While slightly more than some analysts anticipated (myself included!), it wasn’t the happiest holiday for everyone. Certain sectors (electronics) and brands (Macy’s, Nordstrom) did better than expected, while others (Target and J.C. Penney) did worse.

Redwood Shores, Calif. -- American Apparel has chosen Oracle ATG Web Commerce and Oracle ATG Web Commerce Customer Service applications to help grow its global, multi-channel retail business. The apparel retailer will use Oracle's ATG Web Commerce to personalize the customer experience across all channels, including the web, contact center, mobile devices, social media and in stores.

Atlanta -- Jones Lang LaSalle said Tuesday it has been selected by Boscov’s as the leasing agent for two retail centers in Pennsylvania – Lebanon Valley Mall (Lebanon) and The Mall Steamtown (Scranton).

Lebanon Valley Mall is a 402,400-sq.-ft. regional shopping center anchored by Boscov’s, Hobby Lobby and The Great Escape Theatres. The Mall at Steamtown is a 563,800-sq.-ft. mall anchored by Boscov’s, Boscov’s Furniture Outlet, and Bon Ton.

Cincinnati -- Brixmor Property Group said Monday that a 4,267-sq.-ft. Carter's recently opened at Western Hills Plaza, located in Cincinnati.

Brixmor, headquartered in New York City, is the owner of Western Hills Plaza.