Apparel

Rue La La carries the news to customers
Specialty online fashion retailer Rue La La is telling all the young dudes (or dudettes) about the latest in fashion with a new content site called Rue Now.

Building on the fact that the average Rue La La member visits the site more than twice a week for purposes of learning and discovery as well as making purchases, the retailer launched the Rue Now platform will complement its daily shopping boutiques by giving customers access to timely fashion and lifestyle news.
Sports Authority files Chapter 11; store closings loom
The Sports Authority on Wednesday filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and said it plans to close or sell as many as 140 of its 463 stores nationwide. The beleaguered company has struggled in recent years under increased competition not only from online players, but also from the likes of Dick’s Sporting Goods and specialty retailers such as Lululemon that have capitalized on the “athleisure” boom in fitness apparel.

Abercrombie turnaround continues with 30% jump in Q4 profit

Abercrombie & Fitch's efforts to attract more shoppers with a better store experience and updated merchandise mix are paying off as the retailer reported an unexpected increase in same-store sales and a 30% increase in profit for the fourth quarter.

Abercrombie said overall same-store sales rose 1% in the quarter ended Jan. 30, the first gain in the metric since the third quarter 2012. Analysts on average were expecting a decline of 0.10%. The gain in same-store sales was driven by a 4% increase in the Hollister division.
Shoppers stay away from Ann Taylor, Justice over holidays

Ascena says its second quarter revenue got a big boost from the acquisition of Ann Inc., but same-store sales declined sharply during the period.

For the second quarter ended Jan. 23, the companyreported a net loss of 12 cents per diluted share compared to net income of 5 cents per diluted share in the same period of fiscal 2015.Net sales were $1.842 billion compared to $1.289 billion last year, with the increase driven by the acquisition of Ann Inc. Second quarter total comparable sales were down 6%.
Report: Sports Authority may sell stores to Dick's

Sports Authority Inc., which is reportedly preparing to file for bankruptcy, has discussed selling stores and intellectual property to rival chain Dick’s Sporting Goods Inc. and other parties, according to Bloomberg.

Sports Authority, once the largest sporting-goods retailer in the U.S., is heading toward default after years of losing ground to competitors. The Englewood, Colorado-based chain missed a Jan. 15 interest payment on some of its debt and failed to make the payment during a 30-day grace period.
Ross Stores beats Q4 estimates; cautious about 2016

Ross Stores reported strong results for its fourth quarter. But similar to many other retailers, the off-price retailer sounded a cautious note with regards to sales and earnings for its new fiscal year.

Ross on Tuesday reported earnings per share for the fourth quarter ended January 30, 2016 of $.66, up 10% from the prior year, on net earnings that rose 6% to a better-than-expected $264 million.
Disney Springs gets big retail infusion — one with a Michael Jordan connection

The expanded Disney Springs (formerly called Downtown Disney) center in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., unveiled 30 new retail tenants that will be moving in when the project is completed.
Phillips Edison Grocery Center REIT makes strategic buys

Phillips Edison Grocery Center REIT II announced the strategic acquisitions of four grocery-anchored shopping centers in Colorado, Florida and California.
Mixed-use development planned for Daniel Island

Charleston, S.C. -- Faison Enterprises announced it broke ground on its new mixed-use development, located in Daniel Island’s Town Center, Charleston, South Carolina. The project will include 317 luxury apartment units along with nearly 30,000 sq. ft. of restaurant and retail space.
‘No-Call’ for ‘On-Call’: Illegal Misclassification of ‘On-Call’ Shifts

A new form of wage theft has recently been identified, where employers misclassify employees’ schedules in order to shift the business expenses associated with scheduling to the employee. Illegal misclassification schemes have been around for decades. A common example is an employer misclassifying an employee’s job title, so that the employee is a salaried employee, in order to avoid paying the employee overtime. Here, the employers are misclassifying the employee’s schedules, instead of the employee’s job title, to avoid paying reporting time premiums.
Stein Mart inks new agreement with Synchrony Financial

Stein Mart says it has extended its consumer credit agreement with Synchrony Financial with a new long-term deal.

Since 2006, Synchrony Financial and Stein Mart have partnered to offer credit card programs for qualifying cardholders at the retail chain’s 278 stores and at Steinmart.com. Consumers can apply in-store or online for the Stein Mart Style Credit Card or the Stein Mart Style Platinum Master Card.
Kidpik gives girls fashion power

Young girls are notoriously picky about what they wear, and now someone is doing something about it.

Kidpik, a new online shopping service aimed at girls age 3-12 (and their parents), offers curated, personalized fashion collections. Girls initially fill out an interactive quiz about their apparel preferences, and based on the results are assigned a look such as Girly Girl, Modest or Classic Chic.