Store Systems

CITY OF INDUSTRY, Calif. — Jerry Cook has resigned as chief store officer of Hot Topic, the retailer announced Thursday. The resignation is effective Feb. 28 and because of Cook's plans relocate his family to Texas and pursue other professional opportunities.

New York -- Fashion and technology combine to surprise customers and engage them in new ways at Bloomingdale’s flagship in New York City and other locations across the country.  The department store retailer had deployed a 3D virtual dressing room, called Swivel, which is supported by Microsoft Corp.’s Kinect for Windows motion sensing technology. With Swivel, customers can “try on” clothes without having to go through the actual physical process.

New York -- Nine West has opened the first standalone store for its Vintage America Collection line. The store, in New York City’s SoHo neighborhood, reflects the modern bohemian ethos of the brand.

New York -- Gap Inc.’s Piperlime banner has opened its first full-scale retail location -- at 121 Wooster St. in the SoHo neighborhood of New York City.

"We are thrilled to be celebrating the opening of our first Piperlime store today in SoHo," said Jennifer Gosselin, senior VP and general manager of Piperlime. "

The new 4,000-sq.-ft. store is styled as a boutique and features trend vignettes, as well as in-store kiosks that provide shoppers access to piperlime.com products.

Hoffman Estates, Ill. -- Sears Holdings Corp. reported Thursday a loss of $132 million for the second quarter, tightened from a loss of $146 million in the year-ago period. Sales dropped 6.6% to $9.47 billion and same-store sales declined as well, by 2.9% at U.S. Sears stores and by 4.7% at its Kmart units.

Atlanta -- A new study from RedPrairie, The Millennial Report, is designed to help retailers and manufacturers better understand the shopping habits of Gen Y and how to effectively communicate with this group of tech-savvy 18-to-29-year olds.

New York -- A new, kids-only sports store in Manhattan, Rookie USA, is utilizing the latest in innovative HD projection and audio-visual technology to engage shoppers.

New York -- Saks Inc. said Thursday that it will close its Highland Park, Ill., store, located in Renaissance Place, and its Austin, Texas, store, located in the Arboretum Market.

Both stores are slated to close on Dec. 31.