Department Store

Alexandria, Va. -- Douglas Development announced that Anthropologie has signed a lease for 10,500 sq. ft. in the newly acquired Douglas Development property at 610-12 King Street in Old Town, Alexandria, Va.

Anthropologie will move into the former Hallmark store by the end of this year.

New York City -- Coach reported Tuesday that net income for the fourth quarter rose 4% to $202.5 million, compared with $195.5 million in the year-ago period.

Revenue surged 9% to $1.03 billion, edging Wall Street estimates. Same-store sales rose 10.1% in North America.

Coach’s performance is in line with overall strength in the luxury category. During the recessionary onslaught, the company pushed sales of handbags priced under $300, but said its average retail price of handbags is now inching back up.

NEW YORK — Discount stores will continue to dominate as the destination for the majority of consumers’ back-to-school dollars this year, with office supply stores also remaining strong, according to a survey by Accenture on parents’ back-to-school shopping plans. The majority of parents (59%) will spend between $100 and $500 on back-to-school shopping this year, with 21% of consumers saying they plan to spend more than $500 this year. That’s down from 28% in 2010, indicating a decline in spending on the big ticket items for school.

New York City -- Discount stores will continue to dominate as the destination for the majority of consumers’ back-to-school dollars this year, with office supply stores also remaining strong, according to a survey by Accenture on parents’ back-to-school shopping plans. The majority of parents (59%) will spend between $100 and $500 on back-to-school shopping this year, with 21% of consumers saying they plan to spend more than $500 this year. That’s down from 28% in 2010, indicating a decline in spending on the big ticket items for school.

With the promise of mesmerizing merchandise, an exclusive assortment of My Little Pony products are receiving special toy department treatment at Target this week. The popular Hasbro property is based on a talking unicorn pony and her unique collection of friends, which has made “My Little Pony Friendship is Magic” that airs on Hasbro-owned channel The Hub the number one television show for kids ages two through 11.

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. — Sears Holdings announced that Edgar Huber has joined the company as CEO and president of Lands' End.  Huber is responsible for driving growth and profit opportunities for Lands' End, as well as continuing to drive the culture that provides customers with the quality, value and service that the brand has long been known for.  He was most recently EVP global business development for Liz Claiborne Inc.

WASHINGTON — Amazon and other online-only retailers have been dealt a major blow, as legislation introduced last week seeks to require such retailers to collect sales tax.

The Main Street Fairness Act would allow states that have adopted the Streamlined Sales and Use Tax Agreement to require out-of-state sellers to collect sales tax whether they have a physical presence in their state or not. The bill would cover all “remote sellers,” which include online retailers, catalog merchants and “1-800” offers on radio and television.

Hoffman Estates, Ill. -- Sears Holdings Corp. announced Monday it has hired Edgar O. Huber as CEO and president of Lands' End.

Huber most recently was with Liz Claiborne, where he was the executive VP global business development. He will be based at Lands' End's home office in Dodgeville, Wis.