Apparel

As if escalating tensions with Target weren’t enough of a large format competitive concern for Walmart, Dollar General remains on a roll with its 9,641 value-oriented and conveniently located stores.

The company sounded like it lifted a line from Target’s August sales release earlier this week when it reported second quarter results that exceeded expectations due to an increase in customer traffic and average transaction size.

NEW YORK — Despite low consumer confidence, the volatile economy and a hurricane, many retailers reported better-than-expected sales in August. Hurricane Irene appeared to put a dent in the results of some retailers on the East Coast, but the storm did not appear to do as serious damage as some expected.

Total retail sales rose 4.4%, just missing the 4.6% rise that Wall Street analysts had expected, according to Thomson Reuters. Of the 19 out of the 25 retailers that Thomson Reuters tracks, 11 beat expectations.

New York City -- Macy’s reported that its same-store sales rose 5% in August, beating estimates. The retailer said sales would have been higher by 1.5% points without the impact of Hurricane Irene. Industry analysts had warned that the storm would impact department stores and specialty retailers the most as consumers focused on buying generators and other emergency and recovery items versus back-to-school and discretionary products.

Purchase, N.Y. -- The apparel, e-commerce, grocery, and luxury segments all showed continued growth in August, as the hardware, restaurant, and automotive repair sectors returned to positive territory, according to MasterCard Advisors SpendingPulse, a macroeconomic report tracking national retail and services sales.

NEW YORK — Macy’s reported that its same-store sales rose 5% in August, beating estimates. The retailer said sales would have been higher by 1.5% points without the impact of Hurricane Irene. Industry analysts had warned that the storm would impact department stores and specialty retailers the most as consumers focused on buying generators and other emergency and recovery items versus back-to-school and discretionary products.

Indianapolis -- The Finish Line has invested $8.5 million to acquire an 18-store chain of specialty running shops with locations in Connecticut, District of Columbia, Florida, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, and Texas. The stores operate under banners such as Greater Boston Running Co., Texas Running Co., Georgetown Running Co., Princeton Running Company, New York Running Co. and others.

City of Industry, Calif. -- Hot Topic announced that two new executives have joined the company, Don Hendricks as CIO and Jeff Allison as senior VP planning and allocation.

Hendricks, who will lead all information technology for Hot Topic, most recently served as CIO at Gymboree Corp.

Allison, will lead the merchandise planning and allocation teams for both the Hot Topic and Torrid brands, most recently served as senior VP planning and allocation for Chico’s FAS.

CITY OF INDUSTRY, Calif. — Hot Topic has announced that two new executives have joined the company, Don Hendricks as CIO and Jeff Allison as SVP planning and allocation.

Hendricks will lead all information technology for Hot Topic Inc. Prior to joining Hot Topic, Hendricks was the CIO at Gymboree Corp. where he led many successful major systems implementations. In addition to his IT responsibilities, Hendricks was also responsible for distribution and logistics.