Retail

New York -- The brand that ‘Seinfeld’ made famous has tapped a retail vet as CEO.

Soupman announces that Jamieson Karson has joined the company as CEO and chairman. Karson is the former CEO and chairman of Steven Madden.

During his tenure at Steve Madden, Karson is credited with stabilizing the company and expanding the company's footprint into the global retail and wholesale markets. After Steve Madden, he was a partner at Lightship Partners, a retail consulting firm.

Camp Hill, Pa. — Rite Aid is making it easier for customers to make purchases.

New York -- Get ready for Irish fast-fashion.
 
Value apparel retailer Primark, which  recently launched its U.S. website, announced it will open its first U.S. location, in Boston, on Sept. 10. The store measures 77,000 sq. ft. and is situated downtown in the Burnham Building, the site of the city’s iconic Filene's department store.

Primark’s second U.S. outpost will open in King of Prussia mall. The retailer said it plans to open an additional eight stores over the next two years.

San Francisco -- Gap Inc. is still searching for its turnaround.

Gap Inc. issued a second-quarter earnings forecast that was below Wall Street analysts' estimates, with its results impacted by foreign currency fluctuations, West Coast port delays and previously announced store closings in its namesake brand.

Gap reported less-than-expected total sales of $3.9 billion for the second quarter, down 2% from the $3.98 billion the year-ago period.

Emeryville, Calif. -- Jamba Juice is making it more convenient for customers to get their smoothies.

The chain announced that consumers will now be able to skip the line at over 200 stores where the retailer will be rolling out the first phase of its new mobile order-ahead app. The new smartphone tool is available on the Jamba Juice app.

Miami -- Terranova, Lincoln Road shopping district’s largest property owner, released redevelopment plans to activate Lincoln Lane North by developing 723 North Lincoln Lane and 801 Lincoln road buildings. These buildings are part of Miami, Florida’s eight-block retail, dining and entertainment district located blocks from Miami Beaches.   

New York -- Target Corp. is going interactive on the pages of Vogue’s September issue.

The discounter will run an advertising campaign in Vogue that utilizes Shazam’s new visual-recognition technology and makes print ads shoppable through a consumer’s smartphone, the New York Times reported.

Some 100 Target products appear in the company’s Vogue ads, with roughly 30 available to buy using “shop now” buttons on the Shazam-enabled online site, according to the report.

From mobile tech-savvy teens to the octogenarian shopper, retailers are perhaps for the first time ever addressing the widest and most diverse customer set in history. With life expectancy in the United States at an all-time high, the economy in an upswing and more people connected than ever before through smart phones and smart jewelry, retailers are marketing to increasingly wider and diverging audiences.