eCommerce

Jacksonville, Fla. -- Stein Mart Inc. has officially opened its online store, which offers both brick-and-mortar store merchandise and unique online-only offerings. The chain is among the first in the off-price category to enter e-commerce

Philadelphia -- Five Below will expand its presence in Texas by opening 11 stores in the Dallas-Fort Worth area on Sept. 12, 2013. The teen retailer’s entry into Dallas follows four successful store openings in Austin, completed in August of this year.

San Francisco -- Brooks Brothers has opened its second largest store in North America, a 26,000-sq.-ft. flagship in San Francisco’s Union Square. 

The interior takes inspiration from Brooks Brothers’ nearly 100-year-old flagship at 346 Madison Avenue in New York City. In keeping with the atmosphere of the New York space, the first floor of the new store is covered in pale cherry wood. The women’s floor is accented with clean white paneling and marble floors. The mezzanine holds the Red Fleece label for men and women.

Lynnwood, Wash. -- Action sports retailer Zumiez reported net income of $4.7 million for the quarter ended Aug. 3, compared with $2.1 million a year earlier. Sales surged 16.9% to $157.9 million, and same-store sales edged up 0.9%.

San Francisco – Gap reported same-store sales growth in its three global retail brands in August of this year that was significantly lower than in the same month last year. Gap global same-store sales rose 2% compared to 6% last year. At Banana Republic, same-store sales increased 2% compared to 8% last year, and Old Navy same-store sales grew 1% compared to 12% last year.

Net sales for the month were $1.23 billion, up 2.5% from net sales of $1.2 billion for the same month last year.

Washington, D.C. — Pret A Manger has leased a two-story retail building on Capital Hill in Washington, D.C., according to Douglas Development, the building’s owner. Located just two blocks from the U.S. Capitol Building, the restaurant will occupy 4,300-sq. ft. and offer two floors of indoor dining as well as a large outdoor patio.

Originally from London, Pret A Manger opened its first U.S. location in 2000 near the New York Stock Exchange. Today, there are over 300 Pret A Manger locations worldwide.

Houston -- Saks Inc. will open a new flagship store immediately adjacent to its existing location in the Houston Galleria, featuring 198,000 sq. ft. over two levels and a state-of-the-art store design. The current store will remain open until the new store opens in fall 2015. Once the old store closes, it will be converted to a two-level mall wing connecting the new Saks to Neiman Marcus and adding 35 retailers and restaurants.

Busan, South Korea — Shinsegae Simon, a joint venture between Shinsegae Group and Simon Property Group has announced the grand opening of Busan Premium Outlets, its third Premium Outlet Center in South Korea. The first two are located in Yeoju and Paju.

The new center is located on the southeastern tip of the Korean Peninsula and features 180 outlet stores. Fashion brands include Coach, Ermenegildo Zegna, Isabel Marant, Jill Stuart, Marc Jacobs, Roberto Cavalli and Vivienne Westwood.