Department Store

NEW YORK --Liz Claiborne said Friday that Edgar Huber, CEO of Juicy Couture, will be assuming a new position as executive VP global business development for Liz Claiborne, effective Feb. 14.

The company said Huber will continue to report to William L. McComb, CEO, Liz Claiborne.

LeAnn Nealz, president and chief creative officer, and John DeFalco, CFO and COO, will jointly manage the Juicy Couture business while the leadership structure for the brand going forward is determined, according to McComb.

New York City -- January saw strong growth across most retail categories, continuing the positive performance from fourth quarter 2010, albeit at a slightly slower pace, according to MasterCard Advisors SpendingPulse, a report on national retail and services sales that is based on aggregate sales activity in the MasterCard payments network and survey-based estimates for other payment forms, such as cash and check.

Washington, D.C. -- Kohl’s Corp. ranked second on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Green Power Partnership’s latest ranking of the Top 50 partners using the most renewable electricity.

Kohl’s joined the top-ranking Intel as the only two partners using more than 1 billion kWh of green power. The retailer increased its green power purchase to more than 1.4 billion kWh of green power annually.

Plano, Texas -- J.C. Penney Company has launched a new exclusive concept, Modern Bride, in its stores and online.

The concept, a collaboration with Conde Nast, is designed to cater to today's bridal customer. Located in the rear of the fine jewelry department to provide an intimate customer experience, the Modern Bride in-store shops are detailed with their signage, distinctive fixtures, in-case lighting, displays and packaging, along with specially trained associates.

Brisbane, Calif. -- Bebe Stores reported a loss for its second quarter as bad weather cut into sales and it closed some stores.

The clothing company posted a loss of $2.7 million for the quarter compared with a profit of $2.4 million in the same period last year.

Revenue fell 2% to $132.7 million for the period that ended Jan. 1.

Same-store sales were flat for the quarter, compared with a drop of 22.5% a year earlier.

NAPERVILLE, Ill.  — OfficeMax announced the launch of DiVOGA desk products and accessories featuring the limited edition Catherine collection. According to the company, the line features a contemporary take on the traditional brocade patterns dating back to eighteenth century Europe. 

DiVOGA Catherine is available for purchase at OfficeMax stores nationwide and other select retail partners of OfficeMax starting February 2011.

New York City -- Many retailers surprised with solid January revenue reporting on Thursday, despite snowstorms that raged across the country during the month.

The reports, many of which surpassed Wall Street expectations, offer encouragement that strength in consumer spending is continuing after a merry holiday season.
 
Costco Wholesale Corp, Victoria's Secret parent Limited Brands and teen retailer Wet Seal were among those that beat analyst expectations. Target, however, lagged, behind.

NEW YORK -- Dillard’s was the clear winner in the department store category in January, posting a same-store sales increase of 6%, which edged results from both Macy’s and Saks.

JCPenney was the big disappointment, as same-store sales dropped an unexpected 1.2%. A survey of analysts by Thomson Reuters produced a consensus estimate of same-store sales up 1.8%.

The retailer said January sales were impacted by lower levels of clearance inventory as well as by adverse weather conditions.