Direct To Consumer (DTC)

Dublin, Calif. – DD’s Discounts, a division of Ross Stores Inc., will open a new store in Orlando on Sept. 27. The store is located in the Century Plaza. 

Including this new location, DD’s Discounts will operate approximately 150 locations in 13 states and is on schedule to complete its expansion plan to open approximately 20 locations in 2014. Together, Ross Dress for Less and DD’s Discounts currently operate more than 1,300 off-price apparel and home fashion stores in 33 states, the District of Columbia and Guam.

New York -- Brown Shoe Company’s Sam Edelman brand has opened a 3,500-sq.-ft. store in Beverly Hills, California.

The space has a sexy, stylish and whimsical vibe that’s meant to reflect the essence of the brand. The design, by Dagnell Folger of Architecture + Information, embraces the juxtaposition between raw and refined, mixing materials such as reclaimed wood and raw concrete with rose colored brass and black leather.

New York -- Fairway Group Holdings Corp. has named Jack Murphy, a veteran retail executive with strong experience in specialty food retailing, as CEO.

Murphy was a co-founder of natural foods grocer Fresh Fields, which was sold to Whole Foods Market. Most recently he served as CEO of Earth Fare, an organics and natural food chain with locations in the Southeast and Midwest.

Dublin, Calif. -- dd’s Discounts, a division of Ross Stores, Inc. will open a new store in Arizona, on Sept. 27. The store is located in the Squaw Peak Plaza in Phoenix.  

Including this new location, dd’s Discounts operates approximately 150 locations in 13 states and is on schedule to complete its expansion plan to open approximately 20 locations in 2014.

Brown Shoe Company has invested in Jack Erwin, a men’s brand that offers high-quality, handmade men’s shoes directly to consumers.

“We looked at several companies and Jack Erwin really stood out to us as a great incubator brand with high growth potential and an interesting, new business model,” said Diane Sullivan, CEO, president and chairman of Brown Shoe Company. “Lane and Ariel, the founders, have an unwavering commitment to quality and detail and represent the next generation of business in our industry.”

Dublin, Calif. -- dd’s Discounts, a division of Ross Stores, Inc., will open a new store in the California Central Valley on Sept. 27. The store is located in the Shaw Village Shopping Center in Clovis.  

Including this new location, dd’s Discounts will operate approximately 150 locations in 13 states and is on schedule to complete its expansion plan to open approximately 20 locations in 2014.

St. Louis -- Brown Shoe Company has invested $9 million in Jack Erwin, an online men’s shoe brand that launched last year. It’s Brown’s first investment in a startup.

Founded by Ariel Nelson and Lane Gerson, Jack Erwin creates high-quality men’s shoes, selling them directly to consumers for under $200 a pair.