Department Store

Change at the top is an inevitable fact of life in any profession, and retail is no exception. While the reasons behind the need to find a new chief executive vary widely, the incoming executives face a common challenge: taking the business — be it faltering or thriving — forward without missing a beat.

PITTSBURGH — With the opening of stores in the new international markets of Morocco, Jordan and Egypt, as well as expansion plans in Saudi Arabia and Lebanon, American Eagle Outfitters is establishing quite a presence in the Middle East.

Pittsburgh -- American Eagle Outfitters announced Wednesday that it has opened stores in three new international markets — Morocco, Jordan and Egypt.

The company said it also opened its third store in Saudi Arabia, and has plans for a second store in Lebanon in early 2012. The retailer currently operates in Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE through its franchise partner, M.H. Alshaya.

Chicago -- A report released Wednesday by ShopperTrak found that holiday shoppers boosted sales 21.7% over the previous week and 1.3% over the same week last year.

According to ShopperTrak, sales increases during the week ending Dec. 17 made this December on pace to have higher retail sales than last year. Month-to-date figures are up 0.5% over December 2010.

New York City -- From the shimmering windows at Harrods in London to the gold-draped storefront at Gucci in New York, Chain Store Age has put together a collection of the best of this year’s holiday windows from around the world.

Click here to view our slideshow and prepare to be transported.

Westboro, Mass. -- Micros-Retail, a division of Micros Systems, said Wednesday that Barneys New York has launched the Micros-Retail miStore mobile point-of-sale solution in its flagship New York store, starting this holiday season. 

Union, N.J. -- Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. reported Wednesday that profit for the quarter ended Nov. 26 rose 28% to $228.5 million, compared with $188.6 million in the year-ago period.

Revenue rose 6.8% to $2.3 billion, from $2.2 billion a year earlier. Same-store sales increased 4.1%.

During the quarter, the company opened seven Bed Bath & Beyond stores, seven Buybuy Baby stores, one Christmas Tree Shops store and one Harmon Face Values store.

New York City -- It’s true: Everything old is new again. New York City’s retail maven, Faith Hope Consolo, chairman of Prudential Douglas Elliman’s Retail Leasing, Marketing & Sales Division, has put together a list of her favorite store makeovers of the past year. As Consolo notes, even the most iconic stores must constantly present a new, fresh face to keep shoppers coming. Here are her faves: