Direct To Consumer (DTC)

Coach ends its fiscal with a set of strong results that signify the turnaround program is making excellent progress. Although sales shrunk in both North America and Europe, this is because this quarter was a week shorter than the same period last year. When this is stripped out, total Coach brand sales rose by 5%, or by 7% on a constant currency basis.  

Coach beat the Street on earnings in the fourth quarter even as its sales declined as the company continued to pullback on shipments to department stores.    Net income nearly doubled to $151.7 million, or 53 cents per share, in the quarter ended July 1, amid a 16% decline in selling and general expenses, compared to net income in year-ago period of $82 million. Earnings, adjusted for non-recurring gains, came to 50 cents per share. Analysts had estimated earnings of 49 cents per share.  

Actress and fashion entrepreneur Sarah Jessica Parker is betting on Las Vegas.   Parker, who gained global fame as the star of "Sex and the City," has opened her fledgling retail brand's second freestanding location, at Bellagio Resort & Casino in Las Vegas. The store, SJP by Sarah Jessica Parker, offers the label's full collection of shoes, handbags and accessories in a stylish, upscale environment. It is located in Bellagio's Promenade retail corridor.   

Target is looking to expand its delivery capabilities by acquiring Grand Junction, a transportation technology company. Arthur Valdez, Target’s executive VP, chief supply chain and logistics officer, and Rob Howard, CEO of Grand Junction, discussed the acquisition in the following Q&A, posted on the retailer's website.    Why did Target decide to acquire Grand Junction?

Moody's Investor Services is feeling positive about Amazon's plans to acquire Whole Foods Market.     The ratings agency assigned the deal a Baa1 rating and revised Amazon’s credit outlook to positive from stable, reported Marketwatch. The report also said that Amazon is planning to issue up to $16 million in debt to fund the online giant's acquisition of Whole Foods.  

Online made-to-measure retailer Indochino expands its brick-and-mortar footprint with its largest location to date, a 4,100-sq.-ft. space at King of Prussia mall, King of Prussia, Pa.   The new outpost caps off a busy summer for the Canadian retailer, during which it also opened a second location in New York City, and flagships in Chicago and Washington, D.C. Earlier this year, the company opened two storefronts in Canada, in Edmonton and Vancouver. It currently has a total of 17 stores in North America.    

The chief executive of the nation's largest specialty pet retailer of services and solutions has left the building.   PetSmart announced that Michael J. Massey has stepped down from his position as CEO, president and board member. Raymond Svider, managing partner at BC Partners, will serve as executive chairman and oversee the company’s operations with the senior leadership team while the board searches for a new chief executive.   

Amazon is looking at food-prep technology first developed for the U.S. military that would allow the online giant to deliver meals that do not require any refrigeration.   The technology, known as microwave assisted thermal sterilization, or MATS, was developed by researchers at Washington State University, CNBC reported, and is being brought to market by a Denver-based startup called 915 Labs.