Apparel

The retail industry had some good news on the job front in April.  

Is Neiman Marcus about to be involved in a lawsuit as opposed to a merger?  

Gymboree Corp. is planning a significant reduction in its store fleet.   The retailer is looking to close hundreds of stores part of a restructuring under bankruptcy court protection, The Wall Street Journal reported. The final number of stores, however, has yet to be determined.  

Amazon’s fashion journey may have just hit a bump in the road.   Cathy Beaudoin, the online giant’s president of fashion, has left her post — a position she has held for eight years, reported Business of Fashion.  

The retail environment in Canada is proving more challenging than some U.S. retailers had anticipated.     Express said it will close all 17 of its stores in Canada, and discontinue its Canadian operations through its Canadian subsidiary, Express Fashion Apparel Canada Inc. The retailer will continue to operate 635 stores in the United States.      

The “Amazon effect,” or the impact of digital on traditional retailing, is forcing retailers to step up their game.   As retailers strive to incorporate new services to satisfy shoppers both in-store and online, their first priority is adding services to compete with the promise of free shipping.  

Job losses are piling up in the retail industry amid ongoing store closings.    The retail industry experienced 11,669 job cuts in April, the highest total among all industries, bringing the year-to-date total to 50,133, according to a report released Thursday from global outplacement consultancy Challenger, Gray & Christmas. That is up 36% from the 36,977 retail-sector job cuts announced in the first four months of 2016.   

Maus, Warwick, Matthews & Company have released the names of the first six tenants for a Walmart-shadowed center in Leland, North Carolina, just outside of Wilmington.   Petsense, Cricket Wireless, Miyabi Junior Express Japanese Hibachi, Complete Coastal Dentistry, Charlie Graingers barbecue, and Ganey, Byrd & Dunn Insurance will be the first to inhabit Westgate Marketplace. The 31,600-sq.-ft. center is 50% leased.  

Rent the Runway, a disruptor in traditional formal wear category, is now a leader in the paid search advertising category.  

An executive from Avery Dennison Corp. is headed to Nordstrom.    The retailer announced that Anne Bramman is joining the company as CFO effective June 2, 2017. Bramman comes to Nordstrom from Avery Dennison, where she has served as senior VP and CFO since 2015. She previously held the CFO position at Carnival Cruise Line, and was also CFO of Henri Bendel, a subsidiary of L Brands Inc.