Direct To Consumer (DTC)

A city with a booming population, one of the nation’s lowest unemployment figures, and an expanding presence on the national and international stage, Houston, Texas is on this rise. Already the fourth largest city in America, Houston has been recognized in recent years as a social and economic powerhouse that deserves to be considered alongside iconic cities like New York and Chicago. Unsurprisingly, Houston’s retail development growth has been a big part of its ascendance.

Christopher & Banks has promoted Peter G. Michielutti to EVP, COO and CFO, just a day after the company named former National Stores executive Lynn C. Derry as SVP and general merchandise manager.

The move is part of the company’s growth strategy.

Michielutti will be responsible for the company’s finance, accounting, internal audit, investor relations, real estate, tax, risk management, information technology and supply chain and logistics functions. He joined the company in April 2012 as SVP and CFO.

Jacksonville, Fla. -- Body Central Corp. has appointed three new directors effective July 31.

Bryan Eshelman is COO of Aldo Group in Montreal; prior to Aldo, he was the executive VP and chief supply chain officer at Charming Shoppes.

Folline Cullen is a turnaround specialist with Educate Online who has overseen the Sylvan Learning spinoff; she was previously the CFO of  Wall Street International, a global brand in English instruction.

Seattle – Nordstrom has entered into an agreement to acquire Trunk Club, a personalized clothing service for men. Trunk Club's 250 personal stylists build one-to-one relationships with their members to understand their lifestyles and styling preferences before hand-selecting merchandise that is then shipped to the customer.

Customers keep what they like and return the rest for free. There is no membership fee, no obligations and no commitments.

Nordstrom has entered into an agreement to acquire Trunk Club, a personalized clothing service for men.

Trunk Club delivers a stylist service that combines the convenience of online with a high-touch, personalized shopping experience. Nordstrom plans to leverage the acquisition to offer superior customer service and a seamless shopping experience.

New York – J. Crew was ranked number one for overall online customer service in June 2014. According to monthly benchmark analysis from customer service analysis provider StellaService, J. Crew ranked first in phone support, 10th in email support and 12th in returns.

J. Crew last topped the rankings in January, but is one of only six companies to remain within the top 25 since that beginning of the year.

Electronics company Vizio has kicked off a back-to-school contest for college students that will furnish a winner with electronics and $2,000 toward tuition and books.

The company is encouraging students to upload videos of themselves explaining a story of determination to Vizio’s website through Aug. 19.

Downers Grove, Ill. -- FTD Companies Inc. will acquire the Provide Commerce floral and gifting business from Liberty Interactive Corp. for $430 million in cash and stock. Both companies have annual revenues of more than $600 million.