Apparel

Loveland, Colo. -- Bass Pro Shops has signed a letter of intent with Loveland, Colo.-based shopping center developer McWhinney to anchor a new northern Colorado development at Centerra.

The approximately 117,000-sq.-ft. Bass Pro Shops is intended to draw shoppers from Colorado, Wyoming, Nebraska, and beyond.

“We are very excited to bring Bass Pro Shops to Loveland and be part of the Centerra development,” said Johnny Morris, founder and CEO, Bass Pro Shops.

By Kevin Kulinowski, Robert Grosskopf and Rick Edwards, Gordon Brothers Group

The defining paradox of our industry is that closing stores has become a trademark of successful retail companies. Certainly healthy retailers are opening new stores; but shuttering locations has become the norm as well and, in most instances, is equally indicative of positive growth.

New York -- Enterprise business solution-provider Jesta I.S. Inc. said Thursday that Sterling Shoes, a division of Toronto-based Town Shoes, has gone live with its Vision Store and Vision Merchandising software.
 
Town Shoes completed the acquisition of 69 Sterling Shoes stores in April 2012 and immediately launched the selection process for POS and merchandising software solutions that could be implemented by Labor Day weekend.

Eighty percent of smarthphone users access retail content on their devices and Walmart is the third most popular destination, according to research from comScore Mobile Metrix 2.0.

The firm’s study found that 4 in every 5 smartphone users – 85.9 million in total – accessed retail content on their device in July. That figure is only going to increase, especially in the coming months as this year promises to be the most mobile Christmas yet.

Foothills Ranch, Calif. -- The Wet Seal Inc. said Thursday it has dropped its temporary shareholder rights plan, citing feedback from stakeholders, and has proposed to expand its board to include two nominees of activist investor Clinton Group.

In July, Clinton Group, which owns approximately 7% of Wet Seal, called for a sale of the retailer, expressing dissatisfaction with its performance, and made a play for four seats on the board. In response, the retailer adopted a temporary shareholder rights plan with a 10% trigger.

Houston -- Wulfe & Co., managing partner of Blvd Place, said that construction has started on Phase II of the mixed-use development located in The Uptown District of Houston.

Blvd Place will contain retail, office and residential components in an urban environment. This phase of the project is 60% pre-leased and will contain approximately 211,000 sq. ft. of upscale retail, restaurant and office space. The retail space will be anchored by a 48,500-sq.-ft. Whole Foods Market.

New York -- Gap announced that it plans to launch a limited-edition collection for men designed by GQ's six Best New Menswear Designers in America for 2012, starting Sept. 27.

With price points starting at $20 for items such as boxer briefs and ranging up to $348 for such pieces as a leather bomber jacket, the collection will be available at select Gap stores worldwide and online at Gap.com.

SINGAPORE and ATLANTA — RedPrairie, a global supply chain and retail technology provider, announced that Adidas, a global leader in state-of-the-art sports footwear, apparel and accessories, has gone live with RedPrairie Workforce Management (WFM) at its Singapore retail locations. Adidas will leverage RedPrairie WFM to increase employee productivity and optimize scheduling to help adidas deliver optimal customer service to Singapore consumers.