Apparel

The momentum at Coach Inc. continued in the fourth quarter, as the company reported healthy same-store sales growth at its North American stores and better-than-expected earnings.   

Bankrupt Aeropostale Inc. may not be going out of business after all.   The teen apparel chain has resolved a dispute with lenders that threatened to sink a potential bid from a unit of Versa Capital Management to buy the chain out of bankruptcy, Bloomberg reported.   Versa would keep about 500 Aeropostale stores open, according to the report. 

The off-price retailer sector will continue to build momentum and outperform the apparel retail segment during the next five years.   That’s according to a new report, "Off-Price Retailers Continue to Build Momentum on Value Appeal,” by Moody's Investors Service. Off-price retailers are anticipated to experience apparel revenue growth of 6% - 8%, outperforming the broader apparel segment by a collective 4% in the timeframe.  

Dick’s Sporting Goods is expanding its footprint in the Houston market.   The retailer is looking to open six stores this fall in the Houston area, up from the five it had previously announced, the Houston Business Journal reported.   In November, General Growth Properties announced it had signed lease agreements with Dick’s to open in five GG shopping centers in Houston: Baybrook Mall, Deebrook Mall, First Colony Mall, The Woodlands Mall, and Willowbrook Mall.

Uniqlo is in the final stages of an extensive makeover of its first-ever store in New York City.      Located in Manhattan’s Soho neighborhood, the 10-year-old, 36,000-sq.-ft. store is being redone to the theme of "a new Tokyo in Soho." Scheduled to unveil its new look on Sept. 2, the store was the chain’s first global flagship. Hiroshi Taki, Uniqlo U.S.A. CEO, described it as “an important milestone in the company's plans to expand internationally.”  

Gap Inc. unveiled preliminary results for the second quarter that were not very promising as Banana Republic continues to bleed. The retailer said revenue and same-store sales slipped for the month of July, and for the second quarter, which ended July 30. Gap’s net sales for the quarter were $3.85 billion, compared with $3.90 billion for the second quarter last year.

The brand known the world over for its iconic crocodile logo has a new retail strategy.   In a move to enhance its brand in the United States, Lacoste is renovating high-profile locations and opening more impactful, larger-format retail stores in the its key U.S. markets, which include New York, south Florida and southern California.   

VF Corporation announced the promotion of Jim Pisani to the position of global brand president, Timberland, effective immediately.   Pisani most recently served as president of VF’s licensed sports group.