Department Store

London -- Fast-fashion giant H&M doesn’t let any grass grow under its feet.

H&M is expanding its higher-end, minimalist-styled brand, COS (short for Collection of Style). The retailer plans to open four stores in the United States in 2015, starting this fall, with two new markets on tap. COS is also expanding into Canada, with stores set to open in both Montreal and Toronto later this year.

After announcing in January that it would close all of its 127 retail locations, Jones New York is back -- at least in the Great White North.

New York -- Saks Fifth Avenue is going to open a freestanding store dedicated to a hot category.

The department store retailer plans to open a shoe store in Greenwich, Connecticut, in fall 2016, Women’s Wear Daily reported.

The store, whose name has not yet been revealed, will be located close to an existing Saks Fifth Avenue store, which will no longer sell shoes.

The new format will be modeled after Saks’ in-store 10022 shoe department, according to the report.

As more retailers embrace the reverse trajectory of opening an online store first and a physical store second, the beauty industry is leading the way.

E-commerce has been the fastest-growing retail channel in the U.S. beauty market, with a compound annual growth rate of 24% since 2009, the Kline Group reported on Tuesday. And more of these online retailers are opening physical stores.

New York -- Jones New York stores won’t be shutting out the lights up north.

Canadian menswear retailer Grafton Fraser Inc. has acquired Jones New York’s 35 stores in Canada for an undisclosed amount. The Toronto-based company said it is planning "significant growth" in the number of Jones stores going forward.

TJX has been on a growth and revenue spree of late, and now the off-price retailer is apparently looking to expand down under.

New York -- J.Crew Group is not breaking any new ground with its latest retail format, Mercantile, which recently opened its first location, in Dallas.

The budget-friendly store, in The Shops at Park Lane, is very similar to J.Crew’s factory outlet concept, reports Business Insider, particularly in its pricing and merchandise mix.

For a look inside the new store, click here.
 

Framingham, Mass. – The TJX Cos. Inc. apparently has a taste for vegemite.

TJX is purchasing Trade Secret, an off-price retailer that operates 35 stores in Australia, from Gazal Corp. Ltd. for $58.45 million. The acquisition of Trade Secret provides TJX an opportunistic entry into Australia, where it currently operates one of its 13 buying offices.