Department Store

The Finish Line is looking to upgrade its customer experience capabilities with the addition of a new chief omnichannel officer and executive vice president.

The company announced that former Sears executive Imran Jooma has joined the company as chief omnichannel officer and executive VP. He will be responsible for all of the Finish Line brand’s customer facing touch points including digital, store operations, the customer care center and brand marketing.

Forever 21 has joined the crowded fast fashion scene on New York City’s Fifth Avenue by opening a new 36,000 square foot flagship store.

The store is spread out over four floors and will carry Forever 21 Men, Forever 21+, F21 Contemporary, basics, denim and shoes.

The new flagship takes over the site of a former H&M store, which closed in December a few months after the opening of its own new flagship on 48th Street.

As online gift registries become more popular with shoppers, Shopko is giving its gift registry service an omnichannel makeover.

Shopko has joined forces with MyRegistry.com to offer Shopko customers access to MyRegistry.com’s software platform and services. The partnership enables Shopko shoppers to create and manage personal gift registries using the myregistry.com platform and technology, including an in-store mobile scanning app.

Melville, N.Y. -- A&G Realty Partners, a leading commercial real estate, advisory and investment group, has been retained by RadioShack to manage the sale of retail store leases and warehouses following the company's recent Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing.

San Francisco -- Gap Inc. raised its annual profit guidance based on its fourth-quarter sales and reduced taxes. The retailer expects to report a profit of $2.86 to $2.87 per share for the year, up from its previous estimate of $2.73 to $2.78 per share.

Gap reported that its net sales increased 3% for the quarter, to $4.71 billion compared with $4.58 billion for the fourth quarter last year. Same-store sales rose 2%.

Washington, D.C. - Retail industry employment increased by 34,800 jobs in January 2015, as retailers held on and even added to their staffs following the holiday shopping season. According to data from the National Retail Federation, monthly gains occurred in the sporting goods, non-store (e-commerce), and general merchandise store verticals.

Total retail employment increased by 215,600 jobs on a year-to-year basis, according to NRF’s calculations, which do not include automobile dealerships, gasoline stations or restaurants.

Indianapolis -- The Finish Line announced that Imran Jooma has joined the company as chief omnichannel officer and executive VP. He will be responsible for all of the Finish Line brand’s customer facing touch-points including digital, store operations, the customer care center and brand marketing

Gap Inc. is raising its profit guidance based on its fourth-quarter sales and reduced taxes.

The retailer says it expects to report a profit of $2.86 to $2.87 per share for the year, up from its previous estimate of $2.73 to $2.78 per share. Analysts expected $2.74 per share on average.

The San Francisco company says its total fourth-quarter sales grew 3% to $4.71 billion compared with $4.58 billion for the fourth quarter last year.