Apparel

LONDON — Image-conscious women don't "dress their age" until they reach 70 years old, according to new research carried out by the retailer Debenhams, a department store group that has a strong presence in such categories as women's clothing, shoes, children's wear and beauty.

New York City -- The 100th annual “Big Show,” the National Retail Federation’s annual event in New York City, launched at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center on Sunday, Jan. 9 with a lineup of sessions and plenty of buzz.

One of the most talked-about topics? Facebook has a booth at NRF this year, representing the power that social media does, and will, play in the retail industry.

Redwood Shores, Calif. -- Ascena, parent company of Dress Barn, Maurices and Justice, said Friday that it has selected Oracle E-Business Suite Financials to streamline financial operations across the company’s growing retail operations.

Philadelphia -- Teen value retailer Five Below said that the company is launching a major expansion into Chicago, with the signing of 12 store leases.

The new stores, which are planned to open in the spring, are the first of up to 20 new stores that will open in the Chicago market this year, according to the company.

Over the next three to five years, Five Below anticipates expanding its foothold in Chicagoland and increasing the number of stores in the region to as many as 60 locations.

Vernon Hills, Ill. -- Beachwood, Ohio-based Chase Properties announced that Hawthorn Hills Square in Vernon Hills, Ill., is being redeveloped to coincide with the opening of Dick's Sporting Goods (December 2010) and PetSmart and Five Below that are expected to open in the spring. Additionally, Noodles will be opening a new freestanding restaurant at the center in the fall.

New York City -- On the heels of a strong November, some department store retailers reported surprisingly weak December revenue. Results were impacted by a blizzard in the Northeast, which took a bite out of sales after Christmas.

The results raised some worries that the holiday season might be less stellar than some had hoped. Still, much of Wall Street still predicts that November and December spending will show the largest annual increase since 2006.

Parsippany, N.J. -- CyberShift, a provider of workforce management services and solutions, has added Metropark, a Los Angeles-based specialty chain with 70 stores, to its roster of retail clients. The specialty apparel retailer has deployed CyberShift’s workforce management solution via its Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) model to automate store scheduling and will be expanding the relationship to include time and attendance.

SAN JOSE, Calif. - Ebay has announced that it will engage fashion publishing innovator and style luminary Andrea Linett as creative director for Ebay fashion. Working with Ebay’s fashion business, marketing and communications units for North America, and the company’s technology team, Linett will drive the creative vision for the company’s multibillion-dollar fashion business and will be responsible for advancing the image, voice and editorial style for the marketplace’s clothing, shoes and accessories category, the company reported.