Direct To Consumer (DTC)

Shoppers in select foreign markets have a new way to purchase goods from Abercrombie & Fitch.   The retailer on Wednesday announced a wholesale agreement with Zalando SE, a Germany-based online retailer that carries more than 150,000 styles from some 1,500 brands for women, men and kids and counts more than 18 million active customers. Beginning this week, Zalando will start selling Abercrombie & Fitch, Hollister and abercrombie kids products through its online stores in the 15 European markets it serves.   

Williams-Sonoma Inc. reported mixed results for the second quarter, and issued a weak outlook for the current quarter amid "a more cautious consumer.”   The retailer reported net earnings of $51.8 million for the quarter ended July 31, compared with $53.7 million in the year-ago period.   Net revenues increased 2.1% to $1.16 billion, short of expectations, up from $1.13 billion last year.   

Bonobos has decided to move from a consumer file sync and share solution to enterprise-wide content management in the cloud.   The menswear retailer is deploying Box’s content management platform enterprise-wide for managing and collaborating on content in the cloud.  

It appears that American Apparel may be looking to start a new chapter.   The retailer, which emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection some six months ago, is now said to be looking for a buyer, Women’s Wear Daily reported.   Click here to read more.

Groupon, One Kings Lane and ModCloth have the top-rated mobile apps in the retail industry.   That’s according to a study conducted by Application Resource Center, which analyzed data taken from 1.2 million user reviews posted on the Apple and Google Play app stores for 50 retailers. (The retailers were reviewed represented the retailers with the most mobile app sales in 2015.)  

Skechers continues to expand its global footprint.   The brand on Tuesday opened a flagship store in the shopping center at the new World Trade Center in lower Manhattan. With some 1,545 stores worldwide, Skechers anticipates having more than 1,600 locations up and running by yearend.  

Flying Tiger Copenhagen is expanding its footprint in the United States.   Known for its quirky, fun and ever-changing assortment of Danish-designed goods, the discounter is set to open on New York City's Upper West Side on Aug. 13. The 2,000-sq.-ft. store will be the brand's fourth location in the New York area.    

Online and catalog retailer Garnet Hill is taking a curated collection of its aspirationally styled home and apparel goods on the road with a mobile pop-up boutique.   The experience, created from a converted shipping container, resembles a natural home environment – except that it's shop-able. The mobile pop-up will launch at Garnet Hill headquarters in Franconia, New Hampshire, moving south through New Hampshire, and completing its summer tour in New York City.