Personnel Updates:

Abercrombie & Fitch Co. announced Mike Jeffries will retire immediately as CEO.

The Buckle, Inc. announced that Kelli D. Molczyk has been appointed to the position of VP of Women’s Merchandising, Diane L. Applegate has been appointed to the position of VP of Supply Chain and Merchandising Operations, and Thomas B. Heacock has been appointed to the position of VP of Finance, Treasurer, and Corporate Controller. These changes are all effective immediately.

The Children’s Place has announced the appointment of Anurup Pruthi as Senior VP and CFO effective Dec. 1.

Christopher & Banks Corporation announced that Monica L. Dahl has been promoted to Senior VP, Marketing, Omnichannel and Public Relations.

Francesca’s has named Michael W. Barnes as President and CEO. Greg Brenneman was named Lead Director.

Gap Inc.’s Incoming CEO Art Peck announced key members of his global team. Filling the role of Global President for the Gap brand will be Jeff Kirwan. He replaces Stephen Sunnucks who is leaving the company. Named to the new role of Global President for Banana Republic was Andi Owen. She fills a position previously held by Jack Calhoun who is leaving the company.

Genesco Inc. announced that James S. Gulmi, Senior VP and CFO, has made the decision to retire from the role of CFO at the end of its current fiscal year. He will be succeeded as CFO by Mimi E. Vaughn, the company’s current. Mr. Parag Desai will succeed Vaughn as Senior VP Strategy and Shared Services.

Gordmans Inc. announced Lisa Evans has joined as Exec VP and Chief Merchandising Officer.

Hudson’s Bay Company announced the appointment of Jon K. Nordeen to the position of CIO.

Movado Group, Inc. announced the addition of Jo An Lawson as General Manager of Wearable Devices.

Nike, Inc. announced that Tom Peddie will become VP and General Manager of the Emerging Markets. Peddie will replace Roland Wolfram who, after 16 years with NIKE, has decided to retire from the company on January 9, 2015. Peddie will report to Elliott Hill, President of Geographies and Sales for the NIKE Brand.

Prana announced the appointment of Sasha Dietschi-Cooper as VP of Sales, effective January 5, 2015.

Spanx named finance executive Dan Glennon to the new role of COO and CFO.

Vera Bradley announced Harry Cunningham was named Senior Director Store Development.

 

Financial Focus:

Deb Stores announced it is filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

Delia’s, Inc. announced that it entered into an agency agreement to liquidate all merchandise owned by the company and to dispose of certain furnishings, trade fixtures, equipment and improvements to real property with respect to the company’s stores. The company anticipates that it will file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the very near term and will seek, among other things, the bankruptcy court’s approval to close all existing stores and distribution centers and to conduct store closing and going out of business sales.

 

Industry Insight:

Bonobos will introduce its Guideshop concept in Atlanta, GA on Dec. 12. Bonobos’ Guideshops are “e-commerce stores,” designed as the retailer’s answer to the traditional retail experience. Bonobos Guideshop Buckhead will be a physical 1,150 sq. ft. space, serving as a personal extension of Bonobos’ customer service for those who want to see and try on the clothing in-person before placing an order on the retail website.

James Avery Craftsman Inc. has opened a new visitor center and store at their corporate campus in Kerrville. The location was designed to be a destination point of interest in the Texas Hill Country and features an expanded visitor center overlooking a park-like setting. Six exhibit areas in the visitor center share the Avery story from its history and values to the inspiration and fine craftsmanship of its designs.

Nasty Gal has opened its first retail location. The 3,500 sq. ft. store is on Melrose Avenue in the heart of Hollywood, CA.

Nordstrom is partnering with Shoes of Prey to house their design-your-own-shoes studio concept in six major locations across the country. The first Shoes of Prey Design Studio at Nordstrom opened last month in Bellevue, WA. Other studios will open in 2015.

WSS has announced plans to open 23 Brand Jordan Shops within its stores by the end of 2015. The first opened in September, and has since expanded to seven other locations in Los Angeles. The Brand Jordan Shops will occupy between 600 sq. ft. to 800 sq. ft. per store and will carry a full brand representation of footwear and apparel, including the hard-to-find Jordan Retros.

 

Real Estate:

Abercrombie & Fitch has signed an agreement to establish a retail store presence in Mexico. The first Hollister store is set to open in late spring 2015 and the first Abercrombie & Fitch store is expected to open in summer 2015. The company anticipates a continuing rollout that will include stores in cities like Mexico City, Guadalajara, Cancun and Playa Del Carmen.

Cabela’s Inc. announced new stores planned. A 79,000 sq. ft. store is expected to open in Gainesville, VA in spring 2017. Construction on the Ottawa, ON store is scheduled to begin in 2015, and the company plans to open the 70,000 sq. ft. store in the spring of 2016.

Cabela’s Inc. announced plans to a new location in Farmington, Utah. Construction is scheduled to begin in 2015, and Cabela’s anticipates a spring 2016 opening for the 72,000 sq. ft. store. It will be located in the newly planned Park Lane Commons development adjacent to Station Park. Additionally, Cabela’s is constructing a new 600,000 sq. ft. distribution center in Tooele that is expected to begin full operations in summer 2015.

Charming Charlie plans to open 55 stores next year, including its first store in New York. At 16,000 sq. ft. store will open at 445 Fifth Avenue in April 2015.

Columbia Sportswear announced the grand opening of its first branded store in New York City. Located at 345 W. 14th Street, the retail store opened on November 24.

Eddie Bauer has opened a new 5,500 sq. ft. flagship location in the center of San Francisco’s Union Square at 128 Post St.

Fendi opened a new 4,100 sq. ft. store on Madison Avenue in New York.

La Perla will unveil a new store design with the opening of its newest 1,870-sq.-ft. boutique in the Buckhead Atlanta complex in January.

Lululemon has opened a 5,766 sq. ft. flagship store in Santa Monica, CA located at 1457 Third Street Promenade at Broadway.

Men’s Wearhouse will open a Joseph Abboud flagship store at 424 Madison Ave. in Manhattan, NY in spring 2015.

Neiman Marcus will anchor an upcoming mixed-use development just south of downtown Fort Worth, TX. The company plans to open a 90,000 sq. ft., two-story store at The Shops at Clearfork. Construction is slated to begin in spring 2015, with the grand opening scheduled for February 2017. Neiman Marcus will relocate the store from Ridgmar Mall, where the lease is set to expire.

Nordstrom Inc. plans to open a Nordstrom Rack at 1600 Commons in Fort Lauderdale, FL. The 36,000 sq. ft. store is scheduled to open in fall 2016.

Golf & Tennis Pro Shop Inc. opened a new 45,000 sq. ft. interactive PGA TOUR Superstore in Southlake, TX on Dec. 13.

Sears announced it’s accelerating the number of stores it plans to close this year, boosting its list from the 130 underperforming stores it announced in its second-quarter earnings release, to a total of 235 stores.

WSS opened its first store outside of California. The new store, which opened on Nov. 8, is located in North Las Vegas. The retailer plans to expand with several new stores in the Las Vegas, NV market in the future.