Personnel Updates:
Sears Holdings announced that Raj Penkar will be joining Sears Holdings as Senior VP and President, Supply Chain. He will be accountable for all aspects of the company’s supply chain, including logistics, warehousing, inventory management and distribution. 
The Talbots, Inc. announced that Mr. Michael Smaldone, Chief Creative Officer, has departed the company.
True Religion Apparel, Inc. announced that Lynne Koplin has been named President.
Zale Corporation announced that Brad Furry has been named Senior VP, CIO. Mr. Furry will have responsibility for all information technology strategy and operations functions throughout the company.
Mergers and Acquisitions:
Chico’s FAS Inc. is set to acquire the Internet and catalogue business Boston Proper.
Industry Insight:
Bergdorf Goodman has launched the first-ever Tom Ford women’s shop-in-shop inside of its Fifth Avenue store in New York.
Calvin Klein, Inc. announced the opening of Calvin Klein Underwear’s first freestanding retail store, in Washington, DC.
Christian Louboutin opened it’s first-ever men’s shop in Paris‘ Galerie Véro-Dodat. The 750 sq. ft. boutique is across the covered passageway from his women’s shop.
Coach Inc. announced the opening of its first European flagship store in London, timed to the brand’s 70th Anniversary this year. The store is located at 41 New Bond Street.
Coldwater Creek will launch it’s first-ever TV campaign in an effort to increase store traffic and broaden the chain’s appeal.
H&M will open its first store in the Bulgarian capital Sofiain March 2012. The 23,700 sq. ft. store will be located in The Mall, the country’s largest shopping center.
JoS. A. Bank Clothiers Inc. will be the tuxedo retailer and renter of choice for 53 U.S. Alfred Angelo Signature stores, who in turn will be the exclusive wedding gown partner for JoS. A. Bank.
Limited Brands Inc. will advance its international strategy by testing two to three Victoria’s Secret mall stores in the London area next summer. The first Victoria’s Secret flagship in the U.K., a 16,000 sq. ft. unit, will open on New Bond Street next summer.
The Men’s Wearhouse Inc. has opened the first of its Big & Tall test stores as part of a push into that key segment. The three test units are in Houston, New York City and Dallas. The Houston and Manhattanstores are now open, with Dallasexpected to follow in a few weeks.
Nordstrom is opening a full-priced store in Manhattan. But, the store will not have Nordstrom in its name, or even feel like a Nordstrom. Called Treasure & Bond, the new store will open Friday in SoHo and will be less than a tenth the size of a typical Nordstrom department store. In fact, it is a big experiment that will not even contribute to Nordstrom’s bottom line, as the profits have been committed to charity.
Real Estate:
Brooks Brothers Inc. will open a new 7,200 sq. ft. concept store in New York‘s Flatiron District in fall 2011, geared toward college students and young professionals.
Dillard’s is shutting its remaining store at Virginia Center Commons in October, a little more than a year after converting it into a clearance center.
Gap Inc. announced that it has opened its first Banana Republic store in Russia through its franchise channel. The company also announced its first Gap store in Serbia. This store will represent the company’s 200th franchise store g
lobally.
J. Crew Group Inc. will open a 3,240 sq. ft. men’s-only store in the Shops at Columbus Circlein New Yorkat the beginning of November 2011, bringing the number of its men’s stores to six.
Kitson plans to open three new stores in Southern Californiain fall 2011. In September 2011, the company plans to open a 3,600 sq. ft. Kitson store in Santa Barbara, CA. In October 2011, Kitson is scheduled to open another 3,600 sq. ft. store at the FashionIsland retail center in Newport Beach, CA. Additionally, the company is planning a larger expansion effort that will entail rolling out more than 200 Kitson stores, including 40 in the United States and the rest spread around major cities around the world.
Mulberry opened its largest U.S.store. The 5,000 sq. ft. flagship is at 134 Spring St. in New York.
Tiffany & Co. recently announced plans to open 17 company-operated stores, including six in the Americas, three in Europe and eight in the Asia-Pacific region. Additionally, one store in Japan is slated for closure.
Technology News:
Pacific Sunwear announced that it has implemented Apple iPads into 300 stores and plan on adding to an additional 100 stores by year’s end.
Target Corp. is set to launch a retooled website that is easier to shop, has faster checkout and more closely resembles the store shopping experience.
Urban Outfitters CEO Glen Senk told analysts that “mobile POS is now in 107 stores, with plans to be in all stores by the beginning of the holiday.” That means a majority of the chain’s 176 stores are already using iPod Touches equipped with attached readers for swiping payment cards.
Zara, a Spanish fast-fashion brand and division of Inditex Group, launched it’s first-ever U.S.e-commerce site, www.zara.com. The brand’s online platform sells the full range of women’s, men’s and children’s clothing that also is available in-store. The website also features free delivery to all 50 states. The U.S. online store is Zara’s first outside Europe, where shoppers can already buy online in 16 countries.