Department Store

Brisbane, Calif. - bebe stores announded that Jim Wiggett has been named CEO and appointed to the company’s board of directors, effective immediately. He has been serving as interim chief executive since June 2014.  

New York – Macy’s Inc. is exclusively offering a line of high-tech-enabled wallets, briefcases and handbags from Royce Leather. The designer collection features the Royce Leather Freedom Briefcase; a security bag with DNA based fingerprint technology that enables a single user to access the bag.  

Brisbane, Calif. – Bebe Stores Inc. has named Jim Wiggett, who has been serving as interim CEO since June 2014, as permanent CEO and member of the board of directors. Wiggett is a 40-year retail and business veteran.  

Online sales at third party marketplaces grew faster than the overall industry, according to cloud-based e-commerce solutions provider ChannelAdvisor.

The digital measurement firm reports that November was a mixed month for e-commerce channels. But Amazon, Google Shopping and Other 3PMs (third party marketplaces) grew materially faster than the 16% e-commerce baseline growth rate comScore had predicted.

Specifically, ChannelAdvisor reports:

More than 3,200 military members, veterans and their families attended the Holiday for Heroes event at Mall of America.

The mall, working with Beyond the Yellow Ribbon, invited attendees to enjoy unlimited rides at Nickelodeon Universe, free breakfast at Hard Rock Cafe, a military resource fair, visits with Santa, an ugly sweater photo booth and prizes valued at more than $200.

This is the first year Mall of America has hosted Holiday for Heroes.

New York - Even in a digital age, young women still love shopping malls—especially during the holidays. According to a survey of female millennial shoppers from Teen Vogue, 65% of respondents will do the majority of their holiday shopping in stores, compared to 35% who will do most of it online. The top reasons why respondents said they would rather go to a mall than shop online during the holiday season was to see products (75%), hang out with their friends (44%), and bond with their mom (37%).  

New York - New York City’s first outlet center is expected to transform the Staten Island waterfront when it opens in 2016 adjacent to the 630-ft.-high New York observation wheel on the New York Harbor.

New York City - The International Council of Shopping Centers set new attendance records at its New York National Deal Making Conference, moved for the first time to the Javits Convention Center, held December 8 and 9, and keynoted by Donald Trump. The two-day event at the new location nearly doubled the size of the space from prior years, and drew more than 400 exhibiting companies and 9,600 attendees, representing a new attendance record and a 26% increase compared to the 2013 event.