Department Store

Columbus, Ohio — DSW has opened two new footwear, handbag and accessories stores, one in Norman, Okla., and a second in Victor, N.Y.

The new stores bring the total number of DSW stores to 379. Locations include 42 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.

New York -- Pure Madness Chocolate has announced a partnership with iconic fashion accessories retailer Henri Bendel in New York City for a pop-up space.
   
Pure Madness Chocolate will be available at the Henri Bendel flagship store on Fifth Avenue Sept. 4 to Sept. 9.

The brand will have a pop-up space on the second floor of the Henri Bendel 5th Avenue flagship store from Sept. 4 to Sept. 8.

HAMPSTEAD, Md. — JoS. A. Bank has appointed Byron "Bud" Bergren to the company’s board of directors. Bergren will also serve on the audit committee.

Bergren was formerly chairman of the board at Bon-Ton Stores from February 2012 to June 2013. From 2002 to 2011, he served as president and CEO of Bon-Ton, where he led the company's acquisition of Saks Northern Department Store Group. Bergren received a B.S. degree from St. Cloud State University. He served on the board of directors of the National Retail Federation from 2008 to 2012.

San Francisco -- Gap Inc. will open its first franchise-operated Old Navy stores in the Philippines in 2014. Earlier this year, the company announced that it would begin franchising Old Navy stores internationally.

Gap will partner with Stores Specialists, which operates Gap brand and Banana Republic stores in-market, to open two Old Navy locations in the beginning of 2014 with plans to open additional stores by the end of the same fiscal year.

Sears Hometown and Outlet Stores saw net income for the second quarter drop to $9.1 million from $21.1 million a year earlier, due, in part, to expenses associated with its spinoff from Sears Holdings Corp, according to the company.

These results come a little more than a week after Sears Holdings saw revenues decrease to $8.9 billion for the quarter from $9.5 billion for the year-ago quarter. Fewer Kmart and Sears full-line stores accounted for approximately $210 million of that decline.

Hoffman Estates, Ill. -- Sears Hometown and Outlet Stores Inc.’s second-quarter net income dropped to $9.1 million, down from $21.1 million a year earlier, on expenses associated with its spinoff from Sears Holdings Corp. The company also announced that its board approved a $25 million buyback.

Revenue increased 2% to $656.9 million from $644.5 million. Same-store sales rose 1.4%, with an 8.2% increase for the chain’s outlet segment.

New York -- A controversial bill requiring Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and other large retailers to pay their employees a "living wage" of at least $12.50 an hour has been sent to District of Columbia Mayor Vincent Gray.   
    
The mayor has 10 business days, starting Tuesday, to either sign or veto the bill, which was passed by the D.C. Council at the beginning of July.

Fort Worth, Texas -- Designer Shoe Warehouse — DSW — has announced plans for a new store at The Shops At La Palmera, a 200,000-sq.-ft. outdoor shopping center in Corpus Christie, Texas, according to Trademark Property Company.

Construction has begun on the 18,000-square-foot DSW, which is located adjacent to Catherine’s. This is the first Corpus Christi location for DSW Inc., which is scheduled to open in early 2014.