Apparel

VANCOUVER, British Columbia — Lululemon reported results for the first quarter ended May 5, but the news of the day was CEO Christine Day's resignation after five and a half years.

Day will officially step down once the board names a successor. The board has formed a search committee and enacted its CEO succession plan.

Washington, D.C. -- U.S. retailers added almost 28,000 new jobs in May, according to statistics from the Department of Labor. This followed 20,000 new retail hires in April.

Restaurants hired another 38,000 people last month.

New retail and restaurant hires helped drive the addition of 175,000 total new jobs to the U.S. economy in May.

Foothill Ranch, Calif. -- The Wet Seal announced today that retail veteran Lesli Gilbert has been appointed executive VP, stores and operations, effective immediately. Gilbert replaces Barbara Cook, former senior VP store operations, who resigned in February.

Most recently, Gilbert was senior VP of stores at The Talbots, where she was responsible for developing the stores strategy and framework to reposition the business

Chicago -- A lot of IT practitioners talk about “keeping the lights on,” or executing simple but essential tasks such as making sure an e-commerce site is actually up and running. For Michael Hines, VP of e-commerce technology at The Jones Group, keeping the lights on involves a lot more than flipping a switch.

Washington, D.C. -- Americans will spend a little bit more on dad this year, stretching their budgets enough to show their favorite man just how much he is appreciated, according to a survey by the National Retail Foundation.

The group, 2013 Father’s Day spending survey, conducted by BIGinsight, found that the average consumer will shell out $119.84 on dad’s gifts this year, up from $117.14 last year. Total spending for Father’s Day is expected to reach $13.3 billion.

By John Paluszek, [email protected]

This time it is different.
 
But the question remains: Is it different enough? Let us, then, count the ways.
 
The “tipping point” may seem facile, but the current dramatic increment of tragic incidents is now more toxic to more corporate reputations.  That’s a big deal, generating a new dimension of company action.
 

New York -- Isaac Mizrahi has returned to the retail scene. Xcel Brands on Friday announced the debut of Isaac Mizrahi New York, in Southampton, N.Y. (Xcel is the designer’s parent company).

"This is a very exciting opportunity for Xcel and the brand,” said Isaac Mizrahi, creative director, Xcel Brands. “It's great for the consumer to see all products coming together in our own new retail environment."

MINNEAPOLIS — Christopher & Banks, a specialty women’s apparel retailer, reported a same-store sales increase of 23% for the 13-week period ended May 4, 2013, as compared to the 13 weeks ended May 5, 2012.

The company’s net sales totaled $109 million, a 16% increase from $94 million for the 13 weeks ended April 28, 2012. During the quarter, the company operated an average of 10.5% fewer stores than during the comparable period last year.