Department Store

New York -- Women’s footwear designer Vince Camuto, who co-founded Nine West Group and then went on to establish his own successful namesake clothing and footwear business, has passed away at the age of 78. Camuto died Wednesday at his home in Greenwich, Connecticut, after a battle with cancer.

In 1978, Camuto and Jerome Fisher founded Nine West Group, which they grew into a retail powerhouse. In 1999, the company was acquired by Jones Apparel Group for nearly $900 million.

New York -- Michael Kors is pleased to announce that it will open its largest Japanese flagship store this fall, in Tokyo’s Ginza district. The store will be the first in the world to carry every category offered by the global luxury lifestyle brand.

There was a buzz at this year’s NRF Big Show surrounding Magic Mirrors, which have moved from the prototype stage to something everyone seems to be working on now.

Mississauga, Canada – Wal-Mart Canada will open 11 supercenters across the country by Jan. 29, 2015, completing its expansion for the company's current fiscal year. Walmart Canada's total store count will be 394 stores, including 280 supercenters and 114 discount stores.

Weak retail traffic and fewer sales at Sears hurt Lands’ End Inc. during the peak holiday season.

The retailer said it expects that for the period ending Jan. 30, earnings are expected to fall 20% to 26% from the year-earlier period to between $34 million to $37 million. On a per-share basis, the retailer forecast earnings of $1.06 to $1.16. Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters had been expecting $1.38 a share in earnings.

New York – Taking money is one thing, but e-retailers aren’t always so great at giving it back. In a study of the refunds performance of 40 of the largest online retailers, analysis firm StellaService found that the majority of retailers evaluated aren’t meeting consumer expectations.

For orders placed in fourth quarter 2014, the average speed to receive a refund from the companies evaluated was 9.5 days. The majority of consumers said they expect a refund in seven days or less.

Louisville, Colo. -- Nordstrom ranked as consumers’ favorite fashion retailer for the third consecutive year, followed by Kohl’s, T.J. Maxx, Macy’s and Dillard’s. That’s according to a study by Market Force Information, a provider of customer intelligence solutions.

Walmart is capping off the end of its fiscal year with a flurry of activity, as the retailer is poised to open more stores in Canada.

Walmart said it will open 11 new supercenters by Jan. 29, completing its expansion for the company's current fiscal year ending Jan. 31.

These openings will bring Walmart’s total store count in Canada to 394 stores.