News

Vera Bradley Inc. has hired an executive with the Fossil Group to be its new chief marketing officer.

Vera Bradley announced that Theresa Palermo has been named CMO and will join the company on June 22. 

The struggling Justice brand and the West Coast port dispute held back Ascena Retail Group Inc. in the third quarter as the company awaits its acquisition of Ann Inc. to close later in 2015.

Cincinnati -- George Zimmer, the founder and former head of Men’s Wearhouse, is back with a new business, called ZTailors, that will enable customers to order on-demand tailors to provide alterations. Using the service’s website or app, customers can schedule a tailor to come to their home or office to take the necessary measurements, with the altered items returned in several days.  

“It’s Uber for tailors,” Zimmer told the New York Times.

New York -- The chief economist for the National Retail Federation on Monday released his Monthly Economic Review and the good news is that the gloomy economic indicators seen during the first half of the year will give way to brighter opportunities for economic growth during second half of year.

Miami -- Online menswear retailer Combatant Gentlemen has launched a video chat solution on their website that allows customers to shop alongside a personal stylist.  

Using a real-time communication tool from video-chat based startup LiveNinja, online Combatant Gentlemen shoppers can chat with a knowledgeable stylist for advice and style recommendations directly on Combatgent.com.

Dodgeville, Wis. -- Lands' End has launched a new microsite on its website that will allow customers to shop stylized product from key assortments of men, women, and kids. Zanna Roberts Rassi, senior fashion editor for Marie Claire and longtime fashion stylist, has been named as the first guest editor to curate five summer collections of her Lands' End favorites.

New York -- Consumers are predominantly using social media as a tool to give positive feedback, according to eDigitalResearch. Of the 2,000 consumers surveyed who have used social media to contact a brand in the past year, 6% have used social media to send positive feedback about a company compared to 2% who said they have used this touch point to send a complaint.

The rebound in the nation’s economy is boosting retail sales and spurring an uptick in the number of retailers seeking to expand their presence in existing markets or grow into new trade areas. However, the boom does have a downside for those tenants, as most are finding out.

Irvine, Calif.  -- Boot Barn Holdings announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Sheplers, a 116-year old western lifestyle company with 25 stores across the United States. The purchase price was put at $147 million in cash.

By rebranding the Sheplers stores to the Boot Barn banner, consistent with the strategies of its prior two acquisitions, Boot Barn will enhance its store footprint by adding eight new retail markets and build its position in Texas and Colorado.

Mountain View, Calif. -- Consumers who use digital coupons both shop more and spend more than the average shopper. According to the  "Digital Coupon Redeemer: Shopper Trends" report, heavy digital coupon users shop 47%  more often than the average shopper, spending $6,081 annually on groceries and household goods alone – a 114% more than the national average.