Apparel

New York City -- Kenneth Cole Productions announced that effective June 20, 2011, Paul Blum will be appointed to the position of CEO. Kenneth Cole will continue as chairman and chief creative officer, maintaining his creative role over design and advertising.

Hired in March as vice chairman, Blum brings over 25 years of experience in footwear, accessories, apparel, wholesaling and retailing to the position. He most recently held the position of CEO at luxury jewelry company David Yurman.
 

Indianapolis -- Lids Sports Group announced the acquisition of Buckeye Corner stores, which operates four stores in the Columbus, Ohio, area. The acquisition also includes Buckeye’s e-commerce website and a catalog business.

Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.

Markham, Canada -- Donna Karan Co. is implementing a new merchandise, store and assortment planning software solution, QuickAssortment from Maple Lake, that will enable it to create assortments that align to the purchasing preferences of its customers in each location, as well as via its e-commerce stores.

QuickAnalytics is also being used to provide extensive reporting and
analytical capabilities.

“The economic model of Outlet is the highest return on capital and is where customers gravitate," Gap CEO Glenn Murphy said at an investment conference in New York City, where he revealed the company will close 200 U.S. Gap stores and expand its outlet base.

But don’t expect the stores to be filled with last year’s castoffs.

"I don't want them bringing stripes in the stores if stripes are last year's idea,” Murphy said.

HINGHAM, Mass. — Talbots announced that it has named Lesli Gilbert SVP stores, effective June 27. In this role, Gilbert will be responsible for overseeing all aspects of Talbots core retail operations in the United States and Canada, as well as supporting the implementation of the company’s store reimage and rationalization programs. She will report directly to Trudy Sullivan, president and CEO of the Talbots.

GLENDALE, Calif. — Ahead of the upcoming Licensing International Expo in Las Vegas, Disney Consumer Products chairman Andy Mooney showcased the companies plans to expand its retail presence. According to Mooney, who was speaking at a media presentation, sales of Disney-branded merchandise have grown at a compounded rate of 12% per annum over the last 10 years. 

New York City -- J. Crew Group reported Thursday that it lost $29.9 million in the fiscal third quarter, compared to a profit of $44.7 million in the year-ago period.

The apparel retailer said the loss was due to markdowns to clear out excess inventory and charges related to being acquired.

J. Crew went private in March in a $3 billion deal with two private-equity firms.

Revenue dropped 3% to $281.2 million. Same-store sales fell 3%.
 

Niles, Ohio -- Youngstown, Ohio-based Cafaro Co., which owns Eastwood Mall in Niles, Ohio, announced Thursday that anchor Macy’s will begin a multi-million dollar renovation, which will be its first full-store refresh since its opening in 1969.

The renovation to the two-level, 157,000-sq.-ft. Macy’s will include new flooring, ceiling and wall treatments, additional accent lighting and new fixtures. The aisles will be reconfigured to improve flow and sight lines.

Hingham, Mass. -- The Talbots said Thursday it has named Lesli Gilbert as senior VP stores, effective June 27.

Gilbert will be responsible for overseeing all aspects of Talbots core retail operations in the United States and Canada, as well as supporting the implementation of the company’s store reimage and rationalization programs. She will report to president and CEO Trudy F. Sullivan.

Gilbert was most recently regional VP East for T-Mobile USA, and, prior to that, was senior director of sales and customer experience at Gap.

San Francisco -- At an investor conference on Thursday, Gap CEO Glenn Murphy announced the company will close 200 of its 900 U.S. namesake stores even as it expands its outlet presence.

While the company did not identify which stores will close, Gap said the 200 Gap brand closures over the next two years will be accompanied by a push to expand its Gap Outlet and Banana Republic factory chains.