Apparel

More Stride Rite shoe stores are closing as parent company Wolverine World Wide increases its focus on direct sales and improving the performance of lifestyle brands.

In addition to the requisite comment about expecting the holidays to be highly promotional, Famous Footwear also expects the momentum it saw during back-to-school season to carry over to the fourth quarter.

Famous Footwear’s third quarter same store sales increased 4.4% and total sales increased 4.8% to $456 million, excluding the performance of the divested Shoes.com business, to represent 63% of parent company Caleres total sales of $728.6 million. Caleres is the company formerly known as Brown Shoe Company that changed its name earlier this year.

Sam Edelman continues to expand its West Coast retail presence.

The footwear brand turned lifestyle retailer opened a 2,896- sq.-ft. store Westfield Valley Fair Mall in Santa Clara, Calif. The new location is the second in California, and the largest of all Sam Edelman stores, including those planned to open in the next year.

Designed by Dagnell Folger of Architecture + Information, the store stays true to the Sam Edelman aesthetic with a mix of materials that includes reclaimed wood and raw concrete with rose-colored brass and black leather.

Muji, the minimalist Japanese lifestyle brand, has opened its largest U.S. location yet, a two-level, 12,000-sq.-ft.

Leading footwear retailer DSW Inc. made significant omnichannel upgrades during the third quarter but warm weather kept shoppers from buying shoes in stores or online.

Sales declined 0.6% to $666 million and same store sales declined 3.9% compared to a 2.6% comp increase during the same period the prior year. Profits declined 20.7% to $39.3 million and earnings per share declined 20% to 44 cents, in line with the company’s guidance range of 41 cents to 44 cents.

Saks Fifth Avenue Off 5th is making progress in its plans to open up to 25 locations across Canada by 2018.

The retailer announced three new locations in Canada: Toronto Premium Outlets, Halton Hills, Ontario; Rideau Street, Ottawa, Ontario; and Premium Outlets Montreal, Mirabel, Quebec City.

Chico's FAS blamed the holiday calendar and a volatile stock market for its disappointing financial results in the third quarter.

The growth streak at Citi Trends came to a halt in the third quarter, as the urban retailer posted a drop in same store sales.

For the third quarter ended Oct. 31, same store sales decreased 0.5%. Net income was $0.6 million, or $0.04 per diluted share, compared with a net loss of $(2.2) million, or $(0.15) per diluted share, in last year’s third quarter.