Department Store

Saks Fifth Avenue has opened its third location in Miami, and seventh location year to date, at the just opened Brickell City Centre in the city’s financial district.   

Holiday spending is expected to spike by a solid 4%.   That’s according to the “2016 Holiday Season Forecast,” an annual report from investment firm JLL that is based on responses from 2,800 shoppers across 31 shopping centers.  

That was fast.   Anne Dament, senior VP of grocery merchandising for Target Corp., is leaving the chain, after less than 18 months on the job. Her last day will be Nov. 18.   Damen’s exit will mark the third high-level executive departure at Target in less than three months. In August, the chain’s chief marketing officer, Jeff Jones, resigned to join Uber. And in September, chief digital officer Jason Goldberger left.    

Black Friday may be considered one of the biggest shopping events of the year, but interest among consumers continues to dwindle.   Specifically, 31% of respondents in the United States said they have always disliked shopping on Black Friday, and 29% believe it is simply a marketing trick with retailers manipulating pricing to convince consumers they are getting a good deal.   

As a teaser for its Thanksgiving Day opening, Kohl’s is launching a one-day Black Friday sale Wednesday, Nov. 3.   Available in-store and on its website, Kohl’s will feature one day of Black Friday deals for shoppers eager to get a jump on their holiday shopping. The program supports its holiday tagline, the “First Place to Stop and Best Place to Shop.” Featured merchandise includes Serta gel memory foam mattresses, 50-inch LED TVs, inflatable hot tubs, and appliances, such as food processors, among other merchandise.

The hits keep on coming for the embattled American Apparel Inc., which is reportedly on the brink of its second bankruptcy filing in less than two years.   

Knot Standard is trying on brick-and-mortar.    The online seller of custom menswear will open its first store-in-store concept on Nov. 3, at Bloomingdale's Manhattan flagship on 59th Street.    Knot Standard, which promises customers 100% creative control, uses 3D technology to allow customers to digitally design and visualize hundreds of fabric options to create their own unique custom garments on a large in-store touch-screen or on any iPad, prior to purchase.