Apparel

Improved, "costumer-focused" merchandising helped American Eagle Outfitters post record net income in the first quarter.

Seattle - Nordstrom Inc. is launching a text-based shopping service called TextStyle at all 116 U.S. stores. Customers can now make curated purchases from their salesperson or personal stylist using text messaging.

In 2014, the retailer launched Next, an opt-in, secure one-to-one service that lets Nordstrom customers communicate with their salesperson using their smartphone. TextStyle leverages the security, privacy and capabilities built into the Nordstrom Next texting service.

Columbus, Ohio - The Limited is launching a new program called Reserve Online, Ready In-Store, that allows customers to shop TheLimited.com and place items on hold for purchase and pick-up at their local store. Reserve Online, Ready In-Store is available at The Limited's nearly 225 full-line retail store locations across the U.S.

This full-scale launch follows a successful pilot in select stores in Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio, markets.  

Minneapolis – Target Corp. plans to roll out RFID-enabled “smart labels” later this year to aid inventory accuracy and improve in-store stock levels. In a corporate blog post, Keri Jones, executive VP, global supply chain and operations of Target, said the retailer is working with “key vendors” on a “fast paced timeline” to deploy RFID.

Framingham, Mass. – The TJX Cos. enjoyed a successful first quarter of fiscal 2016 that included profit results surpassing Wall Street expectations. TJX reported net income of $474.6 million, up 4% from $454.32 million a year earlier.

Growth in expenses and cost of sales did not keep pace with revenue growth, resulting in higher pretax income that fueled the profit increase. Net sales rose 6% to $6.86 billion from $6.49 billion. Total same-store sales growth of 5%, driven by increased customer traffic, helped boost revenue.

Menomonee Falls, Wis. - Kohl’s Corp. is preparing to open a store in southern New Jersey called "Off Aisle by Kohl's," a name that suggests the company may be following the lead of other retailers opening off-price formats.

Merrillville, Ind. – Buying club DirectBuy is launching its My Rewards loyalty program. The program allows DirectBuy members to earn My Rewards points by purchasing products from select brands who otherwise would not be able to offer merchandise through DirectBuy because of their minimum resale pricing (MRP) policies.

Houston – Specialty accessory retailer Charming Charlie is supporting international growth by moving its POS operations to the cloud. Charming Charlie has moved to a cloud strategy that leverages the POS engine in the cloud, but provides offline capabilities in the event the store loses cloud connectivity.

Pittsburgh – Dick’s Sporting Goods Inc. met Wall Street expectations with net income of $63.34 million in the first quarter of fiscal 2015, a 9% decrease from $69.99 million the same period a year earlier. The retailer also met the Street with consolidated net sales of $1.56 billion, a 9% increase from $1.34 billion.

However, same-store sales growth of 1% fell short of Wall Street predictions. Rising selling, general and administrative (SG&A) and pre-opening expenses dug into Dick’s profit.

Pittsburgh - American Eagle Outfitters Inc. continues its global expansion with new license agreements in South Korea with SK Networks Co. Ltd.; in Singapore with Trendz 360 Pte. Ltd.; and in Greece with Notos Com Holdings S.A. Stores will begin opening in mid-2015, and American Eagle currently expects to open approximately 40 licensed stores in fiscal 2015