News

Is there an archetypal Las Vegas shopping center? How about Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas?

“A Las Vegas shopping center should feature a range of shopping, entertainment and dining options that appeal to the wide audience the city attracts,” said David Edelstein, co-owner of Miracle Mile Shops.

“The stores should stay open late and bars and restaurants even later,” he continued. “Always keep an eye on trends and what shoppers are responding to.”

New York -- The Jones Group Inc. swung to a loss in the second quarter as the company was challenged with lower sales, weaker margins and higher costs.

Jones Group reported a loss of $3.4 million for the second quarter, compared to a profit of $8.1 million in the year-ago period.

Revenue decreased 1.1% to $845.6 million from $855 million for the second quarter of 2012. Analysts estimated revenues of $832.06 million for the quarter. One bright spot for Jones Group was an almost 21% year-over-year increase in wholesale jeanswear sales.

El Segundo, Calif. -- Big 5 Sporting Goods reported that its second-quarter profit more than doubled from a year ago on higher sales and expanding margins, but its revenue fell short of expectations.

The sporting goods’ retailer said its net income increased to $6.1 million for the period ended June 30, up from $2.6 million in the year ago period. Net sales climbed 5.9%, to $239.9 million, below the $244 million expected by analysts.

Lorton, Va. – In order to quickly detect customer service problems and quantify customer requests, Five Guys Burgers and Fries has implemented social intelligence technology from newBrandAnalytics (nBA). Using nBA solutions, Five Guys monitors social media chatter to help the company implement operational changes and improve engagement with customers. Five Guys also leverages the technology to gauge interest in potential new menu items.

Dodgeville, Wis. – Spending for back-to-school apparel looks strong this year, with more than 95% of parents willing to spend up to $100 just on an outfit for the first day of school. Results of the Lands’ End 2013 Back to School Survey also indicate 92% of parents say a backpack is the single most important back-to-school item for purchase this year.

Back-to-school season is underway in Canada and for Target, which opened its first stores in Canada earlier this year, the stakes could not be higher.

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.

FREMONT, Calif. — The Men's Wearhouse has appointed retail industry veteran Allen I. Questrom to its board of directors.

Questrom’s addition brings the Men's Wearhouse board to a total of nine directors, seven of whom are independent.

NEW YORK — Ahava, a leading skincare brand, has promoted Elana Drell Szyfer, currently CEO of the company in North America, to group CEO of Ahava globally. She replaces Yacov Ellis who has resigned his position to pursue new opportunities, following a 10-year tenure as CEO. 

PEORIA, Ill. — Kwikee, a leading provider of free product images as well as nutrition and ingredient information, has created an application programming interface for retailers and e-commerce developers that need information for consumer products. 

The Kwikee API will provide companies with a trusted source of accurate product information and images from the thousands of brands who pay for their product content to be represented in Kwikee's database.