Apparel

Sunderland, Vermont --The Orvis Company has launched iPhone and Android rich apps powered by mobile commerce provider Digby. The apps complement all of Orvis’ cross-channel touch points including retail stores, e-Commerce, catalogs, and a mobile-optimized website, which is also powered by Digby.  

Dodgeville, Wis. -- Lands' End  announced the promotion of Tim Martin to COO and CFO and Chris Kolbe to brand president.  

Martin most recently served as senior VP, CFO. Kolbe most recently served as chief merchandising and design officer for Lands' End.

New York -- In a surprise announcement, Target said that Michael Francis, executive VP and chief marketing officer of Target Corp., has elected to leave the company.  In January, 2011, Francis was charged with overseeing with Target’s Canadian entrance. 

The retailer was short on specifics regarding Francis’ departure. 

"We would like to thank Michael for his many contributions and wish him the best in his future endeavors" said Gregg Steinhafel, chairman, president and CEO, in a statement. 

Secaucus, N.J. — The Children's Place Retail Stores, Inc. said Friday that it has named Peter Warner as SVP global sourcing, for the chain.

Warner will be responsible for the global sourcing and production functions, technical services and Asian operations. Most recently, he served as SVP of Global Sourcing & Operations for Liz Claiborne Inc.

Seattle -- Nordstrom announced plans to open a new Nordstrom Rack in Temecula, Calif.

The 35,700-sq-ft, store is scheduled to open during spring 2012 at Commons at Temecula, a regional shopping center. It will occupy the former Linens 'n Things space.
 

New York City -- The nation’s first lady did some shopping Thursday at a Target store in Alexandria, Va.

Mrs. Obama was casually dressed and virtually incognito with a baseball cap and sunglasses. She spent about 30 to 40 minutes in the store, according to reports, and was accompanied by an assistant.
 

New York City -- A Thursday Reuters report said that Liz Claiborne has won the dismissal of a shareholder lawsuit that accused the company of misrepresenting its relationships with Macy's and J.C. Penney.

U.S. District Judge Richard Holwell said Thursday that the investors failed to show that Liz Claiborne intended to mislead them about the relationships.

The class period ran from Jan. 16 to April 30, 2007, the day before Liz Claiborne reported much lower-than-expected profit and sales at department store chains.
 

So much for the weak economy. A record number of people, 161 million to be precise, are expected to celebrate Halloween this year, according to the National Retail Federations annual survey.

NRF has been conducting the consumer intentions and actions survey for 10 years and the outlook for this year is the brightest ever with average spending per person expected to increase to $72.31 from $66.28 last year.

Columbus, Ohio -- DSW said Thursday that it opened two new stores on Sept. 28.

A new store opened at Vintage Oaks Shopping Center in Novato, Calif., and a new store opened the same day in Boise, Idaho, at Franklin Towne Plaza.

 

As part of our in-depth coverage of mixed-use developments – see the October 2011 issue of Chain Store Age – we talked with Rob Wetherald, VP development for Peoria, Ill.-based Cullinan Properties, Ltd., owner and developer of the Streets of St. Charles mixed-use project in metro St. Louis, about how the format draws, and supports, retail.

How important are design and amenities to today’s mixed-use projects, especially with regard to the retail component?