News

American Eagle Outfitters announced that Kyle Andrew has been appointed executive VP, chief marketing officer, effective June 6.   Andrew served as senior VP, brand director for Kate Spade Saturday from 2013 through 2015. She joined the company in 2008 as head of global brand marketing and played an integral role in the re-positioning of the Kate Spade brand from a $100 million handbag company to a billion dollar global lifestyle brand.  

In Orlando, Florida, one of America’s fastest-growing communities is getting ready to take the next step. Lake Nona – an 8,000-acre, 11-square-mile master-planned community that has already completed more than $3 billion in construction encompassing 7.1 million sq. ft. of world-class residential and commercial facilities over the last 8 years – is moving forward with the next phase of what will ultimately be a 3.8 million-sq.-ft. central commercial district: Lake Nona Town Center.  

Fabulous Freddy’s, an eight-unit retail chain headquartered in Las Vegas, provides customers with a little bit of everything.   “We’re a full-service car wash, express lube operation, gas station and convenience store,” said Jeff Warwick, VP and CFO of Fabulous Freddy’s, during an interview with Chain Store Age. “We’re always exploring opportunities to lease store space to franchises or operate in-store franchises ourselves.”  

Minted, the online marketplace for crowdsourced stationery, art and home decor from independent artists, has opened its first brick-and-mortar store.   The store, a pop-up in San Francisco’s Union Square shopping district, is called Minted Local. Open through October 2016, it will highlight the work of regional California artists, including original art and one-of-a-kind decorative items for the first time in Minted’s history.  

The recent Momentum 2016 conference held by Manhattan Associates in Orlando, Florida, was a great opportunity to catch up on the latest developments in supply chain solutions and strategies. Here are three especially important retail supply chain trends uncovered and explained at the event: Supply chain is key to omnichannel

Columbus, Ohio-based Nationwide Realty Investors’ $650 million Grandview Yard development has consistently been in the news over the past several years, as prominent components of the mixed-use project continue to fall into place and new buildings come online.  

Hibbett Sports beat the Street on profit in the first quarter, but missed on sales.   The retailer on Friday reported better-than-expected first-quarter earnings of $27.9 million, compared with $27.4 million in the year-ago period. Revenue for the quarter ended April 30 totaled $282.1 million, up from $269.8 million last year.   Comparable store sales increased 1.1%.  

Big and tall men continued to spend in the first quarter, bucking slow apparel sales throughout the rest of the industry.   Destination XL Group Inc. posted revenue of $107.9 million in the quarter, up 3.3% from $104.4 million in the year-ago period. Total same-store sales rose 2%.