Direct To Consumer (DTC)

New Albany, Ohio -- Abercrombie & Fitch reported weak net and comparable store sales and laid out plans to restructure its Gilly Hicks brand as part of a strategic review in advance of releasing its full results for the third quarter of fiscal 2013.

St. Petersburg, Fla. – HSN, Inc. (HSNi) reported impressive financial results for the third quarter of fiscal 2013. Net income soared about 137% to $42.05 million, compared to $17.69 million in the same quarter a year prior.

HSNi reported impressive financial results for the third quarter of fiscal 2013. Net income soared about 137% to $42 million, compared to $17.7 million in the same quarter a year prior.

In addition, net sales grew almost 3%, to $789.9 million from $778.8 million. The elimination of a roughly $18 million loss related to debt extinguishment recorded in the third quarter of fiscal 2012 drove much of the quarterly net income growth. Mindy Grossman, CEO of HSN, also cited digital and mobile growth as boosting the company’s overall performance.

Tommy Bahama has entered into an agreement with the National Football League to create an officially licensed collection of premium lifestyle apparel. This collaboration will yield a distinctive series of highly focused Tommy Bahama lifestyle apparel custom designed solely for the NFL.

Lover.ly, a wedding inspiration and shopping site, has appointed founder of Nordstrom.com Bob Schwartz as the company’s first chairman.

As chairman, Schwartz will work closely with founder and CEO Kellee Khalil and the Lover.ly executive team to help shape the company’s long-term strategic growth, business and partnership development, capital strategy and build out Lover.ly’s brand and product pipelines.

Chelmsford, Mass. -- It only take an average of 2.2 negative experiences for  Americans to stop purchasing from a retail brand -- across any channel, according to a new survey commissioned by Kronos Inc. Underscoring the urgency of a seamless omni-channel experience, 68% of Americans agree that a negative shopping experience within a single channel negatively impacts their perception across all shopping channels including physical stores, online, mobile, phone centers, and catalog.

Port Washington, Wis. -- Upscale men’s shoemaker Allen Edmonds Corp. has agreed to be acquired by an affiliate of Brentwood Associates, a Los Angeles based private equity firm. Terms of the transaction weren't immediately disclosed.

Brentwood will take over the company from Minneapolis-based Goldner Hawn Johnson & Morrison, which bought Allen Edmonds in 2006.

Vancouver -- Loft, a division of Ann Inc., will open its first Canadian West Coast location, at The Village at Park Royal, in Vancouver, on Nov. 15.

Since its arrival in Canada last year, Loft has opened five locations across Ontario and introduced international shipping.    

Toronto -- Canada’s Hudson's Bay Co. said Monday that it has completed its $2.4 billion acquisition of Saks Inc. Saks shareholders overwhelmingly approved the sale of the New York company during a special meeting on Wednesday. The combined company will operate a total of 320 stores, including 179 full-line specialty department stores, 72 outlet stores and 69 home stores in prime locations throughout the U.S., and Canada, along with three e-commerce sites.

Mini catalogs help offset increased costs of mailing, without sacrificing circulation

In the largest price increase since 2007, the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) is proposing a rate hike of 5.9%, a move that has catalog mailers scrambling to assess the impact of such an increase and also evaluating less expensive alternatives. The Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) has up to 90 days to rule on the proposal, with the price increase going into effect as early as Jan. 27, 2014.