Department Store

Fremont, Calif. -- Allen I. Questrom, who has held CEO and other senior executive positions at several major retailers in the past 40 years, has joined the board of directors of The Men’s Wearhouse. With the addition of Questrom, currently a member of the boards of directors of Sotheby's and the Glazer family of companies, Men’s Wearhouse has nine directors, seven of whom are independent.

VERNON, Calif. — True Religion Apparel has appointed David Conn as CEO. He will be joined by a new leadership team that, together with the company’s new owner, TowerBrook Capital Partners L.P., will be charged with guiding the company into its next phase of growth.

Conn joins from VF Corporation and has leadership experience in brand management and marketing in the apparel and footwear industries. Prior to his time as president of VF Retail Licensed Brands, Conn served as EVP of the Iconix Brand Group.

Purchase, N.Y. — Kicks USA has leased a 4,600-sq.-ft. store at CooperTowne Center in Somerdale, N.J., said National Realty & Development Corp.

The urban, family apparel and athletic footwear retailer will Join anchors Wal-Mart Supercenter, Cinemark Theatres and LA Fitness.

Target’s second quarter just ended and if the dourest of back-to-school spending forecasts proves correct the company’s expectations for same-store sale growth in the range of 2% to 3% could prove optimistic and its third quarter outlook could come under pressure.

Washington, D.C. -- The National Retail Federation, Food Marketing Institute and Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) both issued statements applauding the ruling on the Federal Reserve Swipe Fee Regulation. The groups were responding to a U.S. District Court ruling on Wednesday that the implementation rules for debit swipe fee reform established by the Federal Reserve were inconsistent with the intent of the law.

Back-to-school season is underway in Canada and for Target, which opened its first stores in Canada earlier this year, the stakes could not be higher.

New York -- The Jones Group Inc. swung to a loss in the second quarter as the company was challenged with lower sales, weaker margins and higher costs.

Jones Group reported a loss of $3.4 million for the second quarter, compared to a profit of $8.1 million in the year-ago period.

Revenue decreased 1.1% to $845.6 million from $855 million for the second quarter of 2012. Analysts estimated revenues of $832.06 million for the quarter. One bright spot for Jones Group was an almost 21% year-over-year increase in wholesale jeanswear sales.

Laysha Ward was among top business executives and celebrities who participated in the Network of Executive Women’s Executive Leaders Forum July 23-25 near Los Angeles. Ward, along with HSN CEO Mindy Grossman and actress turned activist Gina Davis, share insights about the state of women in business today and their personal experiences.