Direct To Consumer (DTC)

Express brand ambassador Kate Upton will debut her first advertising campaign for the retailer. The launch of the fall 2014 denim campaign with Upton makes her the first celebrity spokesperson to be featured in the brand's advertising in more than a decade.

Upton will celebrate the launch with an exclusive RSVP-only "A Date with Denim and Kate Upton" event at the recently opened Express Times Square store in New York Tuesday, July 8.

New York -- Online beauty subscription brand Julep has tapped former Blue Nile executive Dwight Gaston as chief delivery officer. In the role, he will oversee Julep's operations, customer service, fulfillment and product development teams to ensure efficient delivery of products to its customers.

Julep said it develops more than 300 new products each year for its Maven subscribers and e-commerce customers, and shipments are growing exponentially.

Vestis Retail Group, the parent company of Bob's Stores and Eastern Mountain Sports, has set the wheels in motion to acquire Sport Chalet.

The acquisition will create one of the largest sporting goods retailers in the United States, with more than 150 stores and coverage on the East and West coasts. Sport Chalet will continue to operate stores under its existing brand name, and according to Vestis Retail Group, no store closures are planned.

Carle Place, N.Y. - 1-800-Flowers.com Inc. will begin accepting Bitcoin payment this fall. The retailer will accept Bitcoin across its portfolio of gifting sites, including 1-800-Flowers.com, FannieMay.com, Cheryls.com, ThePopcornFactory.com, 1-800-Baskets.com, FruitBouquets.com, and Stockyards.com.

Campbell, Calif. – Social shopping site DealsPlus.com has overhauled its site. Starting July 1, DealsPlus users will be able to create, curate and share their own "collections" of products.

Collections make it easy for users to find ideas from like-minded members of the community. For example, users looking for summer home decor inspiration can now "admire" the Summer Home collection and find targeted online deals. As part of the new release DealsPlus will begin working with celebrity and expert collection curators.

Seattle -- REI will set up shop in two new locations next spring. The national outdoor retailer will open in Princeton, New Jersey. REI is also extending its presence in the Atlanta area, with a 24,000-sq.-ft. store in Alpharetta, Georgia.

REI’s 23,000-sq.-ft. store in Princeton will be located at Mercer Mall.

Pittsburgh - American Eagle Outfitters Inc. is entering the U.K. with the opening of three new company-owned stores. The stores will be located in the Bluewater mall in Kent, England, as well as the Westfield Group’s London and Stratford City shopping centers in London, England.

The stores opening in the Westfield centers will include an aerie presence in shop-in-shop form. All of the stores are expected to open during fall 2014.

New York -- TPG Architecture has promoted Nicole Varadi from senior designer to design director, retail studio.

Varadi, who joined TPG in 2011, will now take on a greater degree of leadership within the retail studio while continuing to work actively on projects. Recently, she helped lead the design of The Red Door, the award winning day spa and beauty boutique in Union Square. She is currently working with brands such as Sundance and Rent the Runway, and is playing an active role in acquiring new business for the firm.