Apparel

SYDNEY, Neb.  — Cabela's is marking its entry in Arkansas with plans for a 100,000-sq.-ft. store in Rogers. The store is scheduled to open in the summer of 2012. The retailer also has also announced plans to build stores in Wichita, Kan., and Tulalip, Wash., as well as Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, all expected to open in 2012.

Milan -- Luxottica Group announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire Erroca, which operates more than 60 sunglass stores in Israel. Over time, the stores will be rebranded under the Sunglass Hut brand.

The deal marks Luxottica's entry into the Israeli sunglass specialty store market, although the company already has a solid presence in the country through its wholesale division.

Colorado Springs, Colo. -- Addison, Texas-based Coyote Management LP said that Jimmy John’s will open a 1,665-sq.-ft. sandwich shop at Chapel Hills Mall, in Colorado Springs, Colo.

The new restaurant is slated to open this fall.

Chapel Hills Mall is a two-level, 1.2 million-sq.-ft. enclosed super-regional mall anchored by Dillard’s, J.C. Penney, Macy’s, Sears, Dick’s Sporting Goods and Burlington Coat Factory.
 

New York City -- Department store retailers registered solid gains in July, with Macy’s, Saks and J.C. Penney all beating analysts’ estimates. Kohl’s, however, fell short of estimates as its sales fell.

At Macy's, same-store sales rose 5% in July, beating analysts' estimates of 4.1%. The company’s online sales (macys.com and bloomingdales.com combined) surged 36.7% in July, 40.2% in the second quarter and 39.2% in the first half of 2011.

LOS ANGELES, Calif. — Costco announced that it is bringing its Kirstie Kelly wedding gowns to the South during limited-time trunk shows at select locations. 

Purchase, N.Y. -- Apparel continued to show gains in July, while housing-related sectors such as electronics, appliances, and furniture remained sluggish, according to MasterCard Advisors SpendingPulse, a macroeconomic report tracking national retail and services sales. (The data estimates total U.S. retail sales across all payment forms including cash and check.)

In other findings, auto parts and service posted its first decline after five months of growth.

New York City -- The nation’s specialty apparel retailers reported mixed results in July. as Hot Topic and Limited Brands turned in strong performances, while Gap and Aeropostale stumbled.

Hot Topic said its same-store sales rose 7.3% in July. far exceeding the 0.5% rise in analysts’ forecast. Hot Topic said the measure rose 6.2% at its namesake stores and rose 11.8% at its plus-sized Torrid division. The teen retailer also raised its second-quarter outlook.

New York City -- Sears Holdings Corp has named former FreshDirect executive Monica Woo to be VP and CMO, effective Aug. 15, according to Reuters. The post has been vacant since January 2010.

Woo will be responsible for the overall marketing, brand and advertising programs for Sears, according to the report. She most recently was the chief marketing and strategy officer of online grocer FreshDirect.