Department Store

Plano, Texas -- J.C. Penney Co. reported Friday a bigger-than-expected second-quarter loss of $147 million, compared with net income of $14 million in the same period last year.

Sales plummeted 22% to $3.02 billion from $3.9 billion, and same-store sales tumbled 21.7% after an 18.9% fall in the first quarter. Wall Street had forecast revenue of $3.2 billion.

Facing the investment community on Friday, CEO Ron Johnson admitted to some strategic pricing mistakes, but said he and his team will stay the course.

If JCPenney CEO Ron Johnson is concerned by a 21.7% second-quarter same-store sales decline and a worse-than-expected loss, it wasn't evident Friday morning.

The retailer said sales for the second quarter ended July 28 declined 22.6% to a little more than $3 billion, resulting in a $147 million loss, or 67 cents per share. After adjusting for $159 million in restructuring charges, the company reported a loss of $81 million, or 37 cents per share. The 21.7% comp decline follows a first-quarter decline of 18.9%.

New York -- Only 26% of parents say they are shopping wherever the best back-to-school promotions are offered, according to a study by WSL/Strategic Retail. The finding was revealed as part of the company’s Back-to-School 2012 How America Shops trend report, which tracked what stores and categories parents are shopping.

Vince Camuto's namesake store in Grand Central Station, New York City, reflects the footwear's designer's edgy and feminine style and modern sensibility with mirrored product displays and polished chrome metal accents. Other materials include white lacquer and a ceramic floor.

The design team created a  shelving system that  wraps the columns on the left side while connecting them on the right side.  The color palette takes on different shades of gray for a balance of modernism and sophistication.

By Craig LaRosa, [email protected]

A consumer walks into a store, tries on a pair of running shoes, and then hops online to buy them from someone else—10% to 15% cheaper. It’s called “showrooming” and it has a lot of businesses scrambling.

Specialty retailer Express expects to have its first stores in Latin America open by year end.

Hoffman Estates, Ill. -- Sears Holdings said Friday it has again been selected to participate in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Energy Star National Building Competition: Battle of the Buildings.

For the third consecutive year, Sears will participate in the competition, this year entering 56 facilities that will compete against thousands of other teams representing buildings across the country. All efforts will be focused on eliminating waste through improvements in energy efficiency with help from EPA's Energy Star program.

New York -- Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia Inc. filed a notice of appeal in a lawsuit by Macy's Inc. in New York State Supreme Court in Manhattan, Bloomberg reported.

Macy’s sued Martha Stewart Living in January to stop the company from executing a sales agreement that it announced in December with J.C. Penney Company.  Macy’s said it had the exclusive right to sell Martha Stewart-branded products in certain categories.