Direct To Consumer (DTC)

NEW YORK — New Balance has partnered with supermodel Heidi Klum for a new line of women's footwear to be sold exclusively on Amazon.com, beginning this month.

"We all need a good pair of sneakers whether its for running to the gym or running to the store," said Klum.  "I have extended my line with New Balance and designed a few stylish pairs of sneakers. Very exciting!"

New York City -- Loehmann's Holdings announced  that Steven M. Newman has been appointed CEO.

Newman, who will also be a member of Loehmann's board of directors, will join the company in the second week of June. He assumes the CEO role from interim CEO Joe Melvin who will remain as COO of the company.

HINGHAM, Mass. — Talbots reported that first quarter income from continuing operations was $0.9 million, or 1 cent per share, compared with last year’s loss from continuing operations of $7.1 million, or 12 cents per share.

New York City -- Wal-Mart will debut its Walmart Express format on June 8, in Gentry, Ark. The 15,000-sq-.ft.-store will sell many of the product categories that a traditional Walmart carries, from general merchandise to consumables. There is also a pharmacy. But it will have from 11,000 to 13,000 items, compared with the more than 100,000 items found in a typical supercenter.

Santa Clara, Calif. -- Nearly half (48%) of retailers do not offer product ratings or reviews on their website, according to a survey by CrossView, a provider of cross-channel commerce solutions.

New York City -- Cushman & Wakefield announced that Stella McCartney, the fashion and accessories retailer and daughter of Paul McCartney, will open a new store at 112 Greene Street between Prince and Spring Streets, in the SoHo area of Manhattan.

The opening is planned for the fall.

Stella McCartney will occupy approximately 5,200 total sq. ft. between the ground floor and lower level in a 10-year lease.

New York City -- SRS Real Estate Partners said that “Sugar and Plumm Purveyors of Yumm” has leased 4,206 sq. ft. at the northeast corner of Amsterdam Avenue and West 78th Street on the Upper West Side of Manhattan.

The retail and food concept features artisan desserts, candy and more, with the interiors designed by Rockwell Group.

Sugar and Plumm will open its first location this summer at Bergen Town Center in Paramus, N.J.

Hong Kong -- Italian fashion house Prada, which is preparing for an initial public offering of about $2 billion in Hong Kong, said it plans to use most of the proceeds on expansion and renovation of its stores over the next 18 months.

The Milan-based company said it plans to add a net total of about 80 directly operated stores by the end of January 2012, most of them in the Asia Pacific region, where it sees "substantial potential for growth," Prada said in the a regulatory filing.