Apparel

Shoppers keep spending in check in August
Retail sales fell more than expected in August after a strong June and a relatively flat July. The National Retail Federation said that retail sales, excluding automobiles, gasoline stations and restaurants, were down 0.3% over July. On a year-over-year basis, however, NRF calculates that retail sales increased 4.1%. The slowdown in August was broad-based and, notably, there was a drop-off in non-store sales, NRF noted. Clothing sales increased 0.7% in August, driven by back-to-school shopping.
Retail vet joins Talbots’ board
The Talbots announced that Michael Weiss, longtime CEO of Express, has joined the Talbots board of directors, effective Sept. 1, 2012. Weiss held various leadership roles at Express, most recently serving from 2007 to 2015 as chairman, president and CEO. He joined Limited Brands in 1981 as the merchandise manager for an eight-store experimental division that became Express.

Smithfield sells five Chicago properties

Smithfield Properties has sold five properties in Chicago to the Acadia Realty Trust for $150 million, reported the deal’s broker, Mid-America Real Estate Corp. The properties were: • North Kingsbury Center on the corner of North Avenue and North Kingsbury Street, with tenants including Old Navy, Pier 1 Imports, Blick Art Materials, and Modani Furniture.
Another sports retailer files for bankruptcy

The waning popularity of golf has taken its toll on the nation’s largest specialty golf retailer.

Golfsmith International Holdings Inc. on Wednesday filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, amid increasing debt and citing a strategy that it launched several years back to open bigger, most costly stores at a time when golf was beginning to decline in popularity. (Just last month, Nike last month announced it was leaving the golf hardware business, its worst-performing division. Adidas is selling its golf equipment business. )
Report: Get ready for most demanding consumers in history

The first generation to grow up online — Gen Z— is also poised to rank as the most demanding consumer group in history.

That’s according to a new report from Fung Global Retail & Technology, which warns that retailers, restaurants and leisure companies will have to adapt to the wants and needs of Gen Zers (refers to those born in 2001 and later.
Startups Spotlight: Holograms Are Coming to a Store Near You

If you think holograms are a thing of the future, then the future has arrived. Innovative companies are developing solutions that leverage holographic displays to attract and engage distracted customers. Another startup is riding the customization bandwagon to deliver perfectly fitting denim, while still others are offering ways to improve your loyalty program, make in-store checkout as painless as possible, and deliver consumer insights that are fresh — not five months old.
Holiday forecast: Higher sales, more online shopping

The holiday shopping frenzy has begun, and it is shaping up to be more digital than ever.

Summer has barely said goodbye, but consumers nationwide have already turned their attention to the holidays. In fact, nearly one third of consumers, and nearly half of parents, began holiday shopping before Labor Day.
Now Trending: Is it closing time?

I’ve been thinking quite a bit lately about an article I read earlier this summer, a piece by Krystina Gustafson that appeared on cnbc.com entitled, “For retailers, closing stores isn't as easy as it once was.”
Report: Amazon claims top spot in social ranking

The real retailer winners are those that truly “listen” to their customers, and then use learned details to motivate consumers to shop. By perfecting this practice, Amazon.com has earned the highest amount of mentions and awareness across social networks, and Tiffany & Co. was the most passionately and positively discussed brand.
Millennials are no fans of Banana Republic

A new study from RBC Capital reveals that reversing Banana Republic’s ongoing sales decline is not going to be an easy fix for Gap Inc., reported thestreet.com.

In the survey, 48% of millennials polled said they disliked the chain compared to 22% who said they liked it. A majority of non-millennials also said they disliked the brand.
Nickelodeon to headline theme park at American Dream

Triple Five’s American Dream project in the New Jersey Meadowlands got closer to the finish line today with the announcement that Nickelodeon would be attaching its name and entertainment brands to the retail-entertainment center’s theme park. To be called Nickelodeon Universe, the 8.5-acre indoor amusement park — reputed by Triple Five to be the Western Hemisphere’s largest — will feature rides themed by Mutant Ninja Turtles, SpongeBob SquarePants, Blaze, and the Monster Machines.
Report: Mobile commerce hits its tipping point

Mobile retailing’s time has arrived. Mobile devices are beginning to dominate the commerce landscape, and retailers ready to capitalize on this trend will be successful at driving transactions for the shopping seasons to follow.