DATATRAC
Personnel Updates
• American Apparel LLC announced Paula Schneider has decided to step down as CEO.
• American Eagle Outfitters Inc. announced Bob Madore has been appointed Exec VP and CFO.
• Ascena Retail Group Inc. announced Brian Lynch, CEO and President of Justice, has been appointed COO of the company, Lane Bryant CEO Linda Heasley has been appointed President and CEO of the Plus Fashion Segment, George Goldfarb, most recently President and CEO of Maurices, has been appointed President and CEO of the Value Fashion Segment, and Lece Lohr, most recently Head of Merchandising at Justice, has been appointed President of the Kids Segment.
• Chico’s FAS Inc. announced that Diane Ellis has been appointed President of its Chico’s brand, effective November 1, 2016.
• Dick’s Sporting Goods appointed Lee J. Belitsky as Exec VP, CFO. The retailer also announced Joseph R. Oliver will now serve as the company’s Senior VP Merchandise Planning, Allocation and Replenishment.
• Francesca’s Holdings Corp. recently appointed Steven P. Lawrence, who previously served as Chief Merchandising Officer for Stage Stores Inc., as President and CEO.
• Lands’ End Inc. announced Federica Marchionni has stepped down as CEO. James Gooch, Exec VP, COO and CFO, and Joseph Boitano, Exec VP and Chief Merchandising and Design Officer were named as interim co-CEOs while the company searches for a permanent replacement.
• Nordstrom Inc. announced several leadership changes. Kenneth Worzel was named President of Nordstrom.com. Co-President Erik Nordstrom will now be responsible for the Nordstrom brand, including Nordstrom stores, Nordstrom.com and Trunk Club as well as overseeing customer care, marketing and supply chain. Co-President Blake Nordstrom will now be responsible for the Nordstrom Rack brand, including Nordstrom Rack stores and NordstromRack.com/HauteLook, and will oversee finance, technology, legal and human resources.
• Old Navy announced the appointment of Jamie Gersch as Senior VP, Chief Marketing Officer.
• Ralph Lauren Corporation announced David Lauren was appointed Vice Chairman and Chief Innovation Officer.
• Rue 21 appointed CFO Keith McDonough as Interim CEO, succeeding Bob Fisch. The retailer also announced that Kim Reynolds is no longer with the company, Nina Barjesteh has been appointed as Chief Merchandising Officer, and Elizabeth Hodges has been named Chief Customer Officer.
• Stein Mart Inc. announced that Dawn Robertson has resigned as CEO. Hunt Hawkins, the company’s current President and CEO, was named interim CEO.
• Under Armour Inc. announced it has named Jason LaRose as its new President.
• VF Corp. announced that President and COO Steven E. Rendle will become CEO, effective Jan. 1, 2017.
Mergers and Acquisitions:
• Bass Pro Shops has acquired Cabela’s Inc.
Industry Insight:
• Frank + Oak is expanding its offerings with a new womenswear line.
• Hudson’s Bay Company plans to open Canada’s largest Saks Fifth Avenue store in downtown Montreal in fall 2018. The store will be co-located in the same building as Hudson’s Bay and will take up approximately 200,000 sq. ft. of the existing 650,000 sq. ft. space.
• Kohl’s Corporation has opened six, new smaller-format stores. The locations are all in the Midwest, with two in Wisconsin, and one each in South Dakota, Minnesota, Illinois and Indiana. The stores average approximately 35,000 sq. ft., about half the size of a typical Kohl’s.
• Macy’s Inc. announced a partnership with beGlammed, an on-demand beauty service, to offer at-home beauty and treatment services to its customers. The partnership will launch in larger markets, which include Los Angeles, New York City, Miami, Las Vegas, San Francisco, Chicago, Dallas, San Diego, Orlando, Atlanta, and Boston, and will expand to new markets in the near future.
• Macy’s Inc. announced it plans to open 200 more in-store LensCrafters shops by the end of 2017.
• Sears Holdings Corporation introduced a new program, called Rider Rewards, designed to award Sears shoppers for using Uber’s ride service. Customers that link their Sears Shop Your Way loyalty plan to their Uber account will earn $2 in loyalty points for every Uber trip they take.
Real Estate:
• Aeropostale Inc. announced more landlords are agreeing to reduce rents, so the retailer will be able to keep up to 475 stores open in the U.S.
• Aritzia Inc. plans to open 25 to 30 new stores by 2021, including 10 over the next two years.
• The Frye Company made its West Coast debut with the opening of a new 800-sq. ft. San Francisco store. The company said new locations are opening this fall in Nashville and Austin, and a Denver store will open in the near future.
• Golfsmith International, Inc. announced it will close 20 stores.
• ModCloth, Inc. will soon open its first permanent store in Austin, TX. The company hopes to open more locations throughout the country sometime in the near future.
• Planet Blue has opened its first Florida stores, one in Boca Raton’s Mizner Park shopping center and the other in Miami’s South Beach neighborhood. The company plans to open new locations in Austin, TX; Maui, HI; and Palm Springs, CA next year.
• Ross Stores Inc. has opened its first Ross Dress for Less locations in North Dakota and South Dakota.
• Ted Baker opened a new 3,800 sq. ft. store in New York’s SoHo neighborhood.
• Urban Outfitters Inc. has introduced a new Anthropologie & Co. store concept in Walnut Creek, CA. The 30,000 sq. ft. store is three times the size of a typical location. Similar concept stores are slated to launch in California in Silicon Valley and Newport Beach as well as Portland, OR; King of Prussia, PA; and Westport, CT.
• Von Maur Inc. has opened a new 165,000 sq. ft. store at the Mall of Georgia in Buford, GA. The company also announced it will open its first Wisconsin location in spring 2017.
Technology News:
• Kohl’s Corporation has launched Kohl’s Pay, which allows customers to pay using the app’s mobile wallet.
Green Initiatives:
• Recreational Equipment Inc. has designed its distribution center to be ‘Net Zero Energy.’ The retailer has created a facility that produces enough renewable energy to meet its own annual energy consumption requirements, and hopes to earn LEED Platinum status.
