Apparel

Madison Marquette’s transformation of the MarketFair center in West Windsor, New Jersey, will be complete with next week’s opening of the first Free People store in the Princeton area.   Free People has become a sought-after retail brand known for bringing new creative flair to women’s apparel retailing.  

A brand new women’s contemporary apparel and accessories brand with a French aesthetic is moving fast out of the starting gate.   

A veteran Nordstrom executive has been named COO of DSW.    The footwear retailer appointed Michele Love as executive VP and COO, effective May 1, 2017. With responsibility for marketing and digital, she will oversee all aspects of customer engagement, driving messaging across all touchpoints.  

A San Diego strip center that underwent a repositioning and renovation over the past two years is welcoming six new tenants.   The Presidio, which sits below the 18th Century Presidio fortress in the Linda Vista community has transformed its retail lineup with the signings of Rip Curl, Luv Bridal, Hopsy, Babe Kombucha, West Coast Veterinary Hospital, and Sharetea.  

Amazon on Thursday posted its eight straight quarter of net profitability, fueled by growth in e-commerce sales and its lucrative cloud service platform, Amazon Web Services.   Amazon easily topped earning expectations for its first quarter, ended March 31, reporting $1.48 per share, above the $1.12 Wall Street expected. Net income rose to $724 million from $513 million in the year-ago period.  

E-commerce driven Bonobos continues to expand its physical presence.   The upscale menswear retailer added three new stores (which it calls “guideshops”), with locations at Westfield Century City in Los Angeles; the Summit in Lexington, Ky.; and Chicago’s Southport neighborhood, reported wwd.com. Another outpost is due to in Denver next week.  

Bankruptcies in the sporting goods sector is taking a toll on Under Armour, but the brand still managed to beat expectations in its first quarter.   

A new accounting standard is pushing Tilly’s to get a better handle on its lease administration.   The new accounting standard, FASB ASC 842, requires non-governmental companies to include lease obligations on their balance sheets. To avoid a compliance burden, the teen apparel retailer will use software from Accruent to manage leases for its 222 stores.   

Tommy Hilfiger is giving European customers a new way to connect with its brand.    The specialty apparel retailer joined forces with PredictSpring to launch a mobile app targeting the European market. The app will enable consumers in 17 countries to log into their Hilfiger Club loyalty accounts, and receive personalized messages, promotions and event invitations.  

Authentic Brands Group has taken a 51% stake in Frye, one of the nation’s oldest footwear brands, with an eye to expanding its footprint.   ABG will co-own the brand in partnership with Global Brands Group Holding Limited, from whom it acquired the stake. This is the first time ABG and Global Brands, who have had a long history of collaboration, co-own a brand.