News

New York -- American Apparel has purchased the independent New York specialty retailer and wholesaler, Oak, according to Women’s Wear Daily.  

Oak has two stores (one in Brooklyn, and the other in Manhattan) an e-commerce site and a wholesale business. The brand has a cool, hip vibe, and features contemporary fashions at upmarket prices. It will operate as a separate division within American Apparel, and its founders will remain on board, the report said.

CARLISLE, Pa. — Ahold USA has appointed former Jewel-Osco executive Nick Bertram as its SVP store strategy and execution.

At Jewel-Osco, Bertram oversaw operations across Illinois, Indiana and Iowa. He was also SVP of Supervalu and worked in executive positions at Walmart in Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio and Pennsylvania. His new position at Ahold USA will be based out of the company's Carlisle, Pa., headquarters. 

Less than a year after Walmart International named Lev Khasis to the role of president and CEO of new formats, the former Russian retail executive is heading back to his homeland to lead a financial institution.

Washington, D.C. -- The National Retail Federation, Food Marketing Institute and Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) both issued statements applauding the ruling on the Federal Reserve Swipe Fee Regulation. The groups were responding to a U.S. District Court ruling on Wednesday that the implementation rules for debit swipe fee reform established by the Federal Reserve were inconsistent with the intent of the law.

The focus of retail analysts will be squarely on Target later this year when the company hosts an investor conference in Toronto on October 30. It will be the company’s first such event since entering the market and by the fall the company should have all of its 124 planned stores open and ready to roll for Christmas. For more details and to add to your calendar, click here.

VERNON, Calif. — True Religion Apparel has appointed David Conn as CEO. He will be joined by a new leadership team that, together with the company’s new owner, TowerBrook Capital Partners L.P., will be charged with guiding the company into its next phase of growth.

Conn joins from VF Corporation and has leadership experience in brand management and marketing in the apparel and footwear industries. Prior to his time as president of VF Retail Licensed Brands, Conn served as EVP of the Iconix Brand Group.

Seattle -- Starbucks announced it has tapped Google to provide the next generation of its WiFi offering to its customers nationwide. Over the next 18 months, Starbucks will convert more than 7,000 U.S. stores to Google’s upgraded store network and WiFi experience.

AT&T, which currently provides Starbucks’ wireless access, will be replaced by the new initiative. Google will increase speeds and enable users to surf the web up to 10-times faster, according to Starbucks.