Direct To Consumer (DTC)

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — HSN announced that it will offer an exclusive collection of home decor from award-winning architectural and interior designer and design television host Vern Yip.

The HSN exclusive Vern Yip Home collection will feature his signature, unique design lotus and medallion (a symbol of his family's history and design aesthetic) available on a bedding line, the company reported. The collection will also include furniture, window treatments, rugs, lighting and decor items.

New York City -- Ron Johnson’s decision to leave Apple, where he serves as senior VP of retail, to take the reins of J.C. Penney Co. leaves the tech giant without a retail chief as it begins to ramp up its international expansion.

Apple plans to open 40 stores this fiscal year, with almost three-quarters of them outside the United States, the company announced in April. A big growth area is Asia.
Apple has said very little with regards to its plans to replace Johnson.

Dallas -- Neiman Marcus has named former Williams-Sonoma executive John E. Koryl as president of its website and catalog division, Neiman Marcus Direct.

Koryl, 40, succeeds Gerald Barnes, who will become executive VP and chief merchant of Neiman Marcus Direct, which operates websites under NeimanMarcus.com, BergdorfGoodman.com, LastCall.com, Cusp.com and Horchow.com. The division also produces more than 80 catalogs annually for the Neiman Marcus and Horchow brands.

New York City -- China ranks as the most attractive emerging market for apparel retailers, according to global management consulting firm A.T. Kearney’s 2011 Global Retail Development Index for Apparel. The research analyzes retail markets worldwide, and ranks those countries that present the best opportunity for apparel retail expansion.

New York City -- Apparel giant VF Corp., whose brands include Wrangler, The North Face, and Nautica, said it has agreed to buy Timberland Co. for approximately $2 billion. The deal, expected to close in the third quarter, values Timberland at $43 a share, a 43% premium to Friday's closing price of $29.99 on the New York Stock Exchange.

San Francisco -- Williams-Sonoma said Monday that it will offer international shipping across its brands. The chain is partnering with FiftyOne Global Ecommerce, a leading provider of international e-commerce services and infrastructure to U.S. retailers.

Customers in more than 75 countries are now able to shop online for Pottery Barn and Pottery Barn Kids products, the company said. The same service for West Elm and Williams-Sonoma should launch by the end of the month.

Seattle -- Recreational Equipment, Inc. (REI) on Friday announced plans to open a new store in Indianapolis at the Plaza at Castleton next spring. The new store will be the outdoor retailer’s first in the state.

The one-story, approximately 23,800-sq.-ft. store is one of 117 stores in 28 states and two online stores -- rei.com and rei-outlet.com.
 

Indianapolis -- Lids Sports Group announced the acquisition of Buckeye Corner stores, which operates four stores in the Columbus, Ohio, area. The acquisition also includes Buckeye’s e-commerce website and a catalog business.

Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.