Apparel

Las Vegas -- Tatyana Designs opened its first Bettie Page store in New York City, in Manhattan’s Bowery neighborhood. The iconic area has recently become a flashpoint for cutting edge, fashion forward designers.

"It's perfect for our brand," noted Tatyana Designs co-CEO Jan Glaser. “This is the perfect place for our first store in NYC."

The new store is the company’s 11th retail location to date.

Atlanta -- Year-over-year retail dollar volume growth on Thanksgiving and Black Friday was healthy at 5.6% as many retailers started the holiday shopping season earlier this year and consumers welcomed the opportunity to find bargains, according to a study by First Data Corp.’s First Data SpendTrend analysis for Black Friday 2012 compared with Black Friday 2011. (SpendTrend tracks same-store consumer spending by credit, signature debit, PIN debit, EBT, closed-loop prepaid cards and checks at U.S. merchant locations.)

NEW YORK — James Gallagher was named CFO at Bluefly, an online retailer of designer brands founded in 1998 in the heart of New York’s fashion district.

Gallagher comes to Bluefly with more than 33 years of  financial, strategic and operations experience with growth oriented international, entrepreneurial and corporate entities across a broad range of industries, including Internet-focused marketing, e-commerce, entertainment and technology companies.

New York -- Many retailers blamed Hurricane Sandy for weak sales in November, although some companies were buoyed later in the month by a long Thanksgiving weekend.

Eighteen retailers reported that sales in November through last Saturday were up 1.7% compared with the year-ago period, according to the International Council of Shopping Centers. That is below the anticipated forecast for a 4.5% to 5.5% gain.

Los Angeles -- Guess Inc. reported Wednesday a profit of $36.6 million for the third quarter, down 44.7% from net earnings of $66.3 million in the same period last year.
 
Revenue fell 2.2% to $628.8 million, from $642.8 million in the prior-year quarter, but beating analysts’ expected $624.8 million in revenue. Retail sales in North America dipped 1.3% to $262.1 million. Same-store sales overall dropped 6%.
 
The company said economic pressures hurt consumer confidence in most of its markets.

Greensboro, N.C. -- Tanger Factory Outlet Centers and Peterson Companies announced that construction has commenced on Tanger Outlets National Harbor, located in the National Harbor, the Washington, D.C., area's premier waterfront resort destination.

Developed by Peterson Companies, National Harbor comprises 350 acres of prime real estate along the scenic Potomac River in Prince George's County, Md. Tanger Outlets National Harbor will feature approximately 80 leading brand name and designer outlet stores.

Pittsburgh -- American Eagle Outfitters Inc. on Wednesday reported a higher-than-expected third-quarter profit, helped by strong same-store sales. The chain also raised its full-year earnings prompting it to raise its full-year forecast for the second time this year.

Net income for the quarter ended Oct. 27 rose to $78.6 million, from $52.4 million a year ago.

Sales rose 11% to $910 million. Same-store sales jumped 10%.

Sandpoint, Idaho -- Coldwater Creek Inc. announced that co-founder Dennis Pence will retire as president and CEO, effective December 31, 2012. He will remain as a director and continue to serve as chairman of the board until January 1, 2014.

Pence will be succeeded as president and CEO by Coldwater president and chief merchandising officer Jill Brown Dean, effective January 1, 2013. Dean has also been appointed to serve on the board of directors, effective January 1, 2013.