Department Store

Birmingham, Ala. – Books-A-Million needs more best-sellers.

A lack of hit books hit fiscal results of Books-A-Million Inc. during the second quarter of fiscal 2015. Net loss grew to $5.8 million from $3 million the same quarter a year earlier, with costs and expenses rising or staying flat in the face of slipping revenues.

Net sales dipped to $107.9 million, from $108.3 million. Same-store sales dropped 0.3%.

Chicago - Starwood Retail Partners is rewarding mall shoppers, regardless of which stores in the mall they choose to shop.

Starwood is rolling out Oh, So Simple Rewards, a program that lets consumers earn credit for their purchases at stores across the entire mall.

Would-be experts are portraying a federal appeals court ruling in the Neiman Marcus data breach case as a tipping point toward victims of cyber fraud, one that may lead to a wave of successful class-action lawsuits filed against retail chains.

This interpretation is premature.

It is an overreach rooted in a lack of appreciation for the overall procedural context in which the court reviewed the case, without accounting for the most important part of any class action lawsuit – class certification.

Irvine, Calif. – Boot Barn Holdings Inc. is kicking off a set of store openings in Texas with four new stores Aug. 28-30. Three of the new stores will be in the Houston market and one will be in Euless, outside of Fort Worth.

Oak Brook. Ill. - Retail Properties of America Inc. has signed two new leases at its Gateway Plaza shopping center located in Southlake, Texas. Buybuy Baby and Cost Plus World Market, at Gateway Plaza located in Southlake, Texas. Buybuy Baby and Cost Plus World Market are both expected to open in fourth quarter 2015.

The 365,200-sq.-ft. power center is anchored by Kohl's, T.J. Maxx, Old Navy, Ulta Beauty and Bed Bath & Beyond, as well as many other prominent national retailers and restaurants.
 

New York -- Macy’s is set to unveil its new store banner, the off-price Macy’s Backstage, in the Queens borough of New York City and Huntington, New York, on Sept. 2.

The store offers a no-frills shopping experience, according to the Associated Press, which was given a sneak peek at the new format.

Click here for the story.

Indianapolis -- Simon announced the opening of an additional 250,000 sq. ft. of outdoor shopping space, significantly increasing the footprint of Chicago Premium Outlets in Aurora, Illinois. New stores including Saks Fifth Avenue Off 5th, Columbia Sportswear, UGG Australia, Vince, and the first Midwest outlet stores for Robert Graham and Clarins have joined existing brands such as Coach, Cole Haan, Michael Kors, Nike Factory Store, Skechers, Under Armour, and Vera Bradley who have expanded their presence.

Brisbane, Calif. – Bebe Stores Inc. continues to expand its global presence.

Bebe announced it has signed a five-year strategic cooperation agreement with Shanghai-based brand agency Longgoal LLC to open between 60 and 150 Bebe stores, shop-in-shops and third-party retailers in Greater China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan. The first store is expected to open in the summer of 2016.