Apparel

Christopher & Banks Corp.’s loss widened in its second quarter amid soft sales its outlet channel and a temporary shutdown of its e-commerce site.   The company reported a net loss of $3.9 million, or a $0.11 loss per share, compared to a net loss for the prior year period of $0.7 million, or a $0.02 loss per share. Same-store sales decreased 5.8%, compared to a 12.4% decrease in the same period last year.  

Abercrombie & Fitch Co.’s turnaround was called in to question on Tuesday as the chain posted a wider loss in its second quarter, hurt by a decline in tourist traffic at its flagship locations.     The teen apparel retailer also revealed that it expects to close up to 60 U.S. stores as their leases expire this fiscal year. On its quarterly conference call, company executives said the chain has flexibility to close even more stores, with about half of its U.S. leases expiring by the end of 2017, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Things are looking bleaker for bankrupt Aeropostale.   A bankruptcy court judge on late Monday rejected a request from Aeropostale to blame its bankruptcy on Sycamore Partners and block an offer from the private equity firm.   Sycamore Partners confirmed it submitted a bid for the chain after the judge issued the opinion. The amount of the bid is unknown, but it may have been $150 million, which is how much Aeropostale owes two affiliates of Sycamore, Aero Investors and MGF Sourcing Holdings.

Branch Properties, which owns 24 retail centers and restaurant parks in the Southeast, made its first foray into Alabama with the purchase of two Birmingham properties from Bayer and a silent partner.   The Atlanta-based Branch gets Inverness Corners, a 236,444-sq.-ft. center anchored by Winn-Dixie and Kohl’s, and Inverness Plaza a 74,818-sq.-ft property that houses Alabama’s only PGA Super Store. The deal was brokered by JLL.  

Chain Store Age unveils its first-ever SPECS/2017 Ambassadors Club, created to recognize 12 retailers who have made significant contributions to the industry and to SPECS, the annual Retail Event for Store Innovation. Produced by CSA, SPECS is attended by retail and food-service executives involved in the planning, design, construction and maintenance of stores and restaurants nationwide.    

DSW Inc. on Tuesday posted better-than-expected results for its second quarter and reaffirmed its full-year outlook.    The company also said it expects to see $25 million of annualized savings in 2017 as a result of a restructuring program it launched earlier this year, with about $7 million of the total to be realized this year. The retailer said the savings would result “from organization realignment and improvements in procurement and other business processes.”  

In effort to protect its organization from potential data breaches and prepare for the delivery of new omnichannel services, David’s Bridal is modernizing its failover network.   

From new store prototypes to merchandise changes, Abercrombie & Fitch has been investing in efforts to transform and update its namesake and Hollister brands.     Unfortunately, getting consumers to change their ideas regarding the brands is not proving all that easy, according to Columbus Business First.