Department Store

Ascena Retail Group president and CEO David Jaffe said sales in the third quarter were challenging, and despite comparable sales declines at Justice and Dressbarn, new store growth at Justice and Maurices, along with higher comparable sales at Lane Bryant, Maurices and Catherines bolstered the company’s overall results.

The company’s third-quarter profit rose to $33.2 million, from $31.2 million in the year ago period. Revenue inched up 0.3% to $1.145 billion, compared to $1.142 billion a year earlier. Total same store sales rose 1%.

Toronto -- Hudson's Bay Co. (HBC) swung to a profit in its first quarter, boosted by strong sales at Saks Inc., which it acquired last year. Hudson's Bay has announced plans to bring Saks to Canada, starting with two locations in Toronto in 2015.

Suffern, N.Y. -- Ascena Retail Group Inc reported its fiscal third-quarter profit rose to $33.2 million, from $31.2 million in the year ago period.

Revenue inched up 0.3% to $1.145 billion, compared to $1.142 billion a year earlier, driven by new store growth at Justice and Maurices, along with higher comparable sales at Lane Bryant, Maurices and Catherines, mostly offset by comparable sales declines at Justice and Dressbarn.

Total same store sales rose 1%.

New York -- This spring, The Mall at Short Hills in Short Hills, New Jersey, welcomes four new boutiques: The Art of Shaving, Calypso St. Barth, Geox and Maje.

Now open on the lower level, The Art of Shaving offers men’s luxury grooming products.

New Jersey’s first Calypso St. Barth boutique is now open on the upper level. Inspired by travel, culture and the arts, Calypso offers women’s apparel, accessories and home décor.

Father’s Day is already the smallest of gift-giving holidays and this year Americans are expected to spend even less, according to the National Retail Federation’s (NRF) 2014 Father’s Day Spending Survey, conducted by Prosper Insights & Analytics.

The survey found that the average person will spend $113.80 on neckties, tools, electronics and other special gifts for dad, slightly down from $119.84 last year. Total spending for the holiday is expected to reach $12.5 billion.

Fort Wayne, Ind. -- Vera Bradley announced that Karen Peters has been named executive VP, retail and wholesale sales.

Peters has 25 years of retail experience including multi-store management and merchandising. Between February 2005 and March 2014, she served as senior VP, director of stores for Saks Fifth Avenue Off 5th. Prior to that, she held key management positions with Sears, Target, and Kohl's.

Vera Bradley has named Karen Peters as EVP, retail and wholesale sales.

Peters has 25 years of retail experience including multi-store management and merchandising. Between February 2005 and March 2014, she served as SVP, director of stores for Saks Fifth Avenue Off 5th. Prior to that, she held key management positions with Sears, Target and Kohl's.

Dallas -- Tuesday Morning Corporation announced that Susan H. Davidson has joined the company as senior VP marketing. She succeeds Ross Manning in this capacity, who has left and is pursuing other professional opportunities.