Apparel

Athletic footwear is displayed like prized museum artifacts in Sneakerology, a 600-sq.-ft.-store in Sydney, Australia. Each shoe -- there are nearly 300 in total -- is presented in its own plywood box on the wall. The boxes are neatly ordered and offset by half unit on each level. Each has a number that identifies the shoe inside it. 

St. Louis -- An affiliate of Sun Capital Partners and Kellwood announced an agreement to acquire Amsterdam-based fashion brand Scotch & Soda.  The deal is expected to close in August 2011 upon regulatory approval. Terms of the private transaction were not disclosed.

Quebec -- Fashion brand Groupe Dynamite, based in Quebec, said Tuesday it has selected Oracle Retail applications to support the company’s expansion plans.

Groupe Dynamite said it will implement Oracle Retail merchandising, demand forecasting and store solutions across its 250 “Garage” and “Dynamite” brand locations in North America.

“We want to transform our business and needed a proven retail technology platform as a part of that process,” said Anna Martini, president, Groupe Dynamite.

New York City -- The Retail Orphan Initiative (RetailROI) has launched an online charity locator to match up retailers looking to donate overstocked merchandise with local charities, thus receiving a potential tax deduction for items that were not going to be selling at a profit.

NEW YORK — eBay is taking a stand against counterfeit goods by partnering with the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) to launch "You Can't Fake Fashion," a new campaign to celebrate original design. Part of the campaign includes the creation of totes, customized by 50 designers, which sport the tagline "You can't Fake Fashion."  This collection is now on sale exclusively at eBay Fashion Vault at fixed, "Buy It Now" prices.

NEW YORK — The Jones Group announced that it has entered into an exclusive, world-wide license agreement with Philip Simon Brands Group for the creation, production, marketing and global distribution of a fashion sneaker collection under the Nine West brand.  

San Francisco -- Old Navy will complete its 300th remodeled store in mid-July as it continues to overhaul its entire chain. The design has a racetrack layout and features improved visual merchandising with light wood and white shelving, walls and backdrops that spotlight the core Old Navy product categories. For more photos, click here.

Indio, Calif. -- Jacksonville, Fla.-based Regency Centers announced that Party City has opened Coachella Valley’s first store, at Regency’s Indio Towne Center, in Indio, Calif.

The new 20,390-sq.-ft. store will open this fall, joining an under-construction Toys “R” Us/Babies “R” Us, also slated to open in the fall.

PORT WASHINGTON, N.Y. —  While agreeing on many factors, men and women still value different things when it comes to purchasing decisions. 

According to a recent report from the NPD Group, when shoppers of both genders decide to purchase a consumer electronics product the most important thing to them is that the product be the same brand as something they already own. Men regard popularity of the product as their number two reason to purchase a CE product, while women want the product to work with what they already own. 

Cincinnati -- Macy’s announced that Steven Derwoed has been appointed VP merchandising for the Macy’s Store Planning and Design group (SPACE).

Prior to joining Macy’s, Derwoed served as principal in the New York office of Callison Architects and partner, VP design at RYA Design Consultancy.