Memphis, Tenn.

Up-and-coming designer Moziah Bridges of Memphis, Tenn., age 13, runs a successful fashion business, raking in revenues of over $200,000 per year. Bridges founded Mo's Bows when he was just 9 years old, selling unique handmade bow ties. Uninspired by the options currently on the market, Bridges asked his grandmother to teach him to make his own bow ties from her leftover scrap fabrics. Since then, his business has expanded and hired five employees, including his mother. Mo's Bows started out on Etsy, and now are sold in Neiman Marcus stores and on the retailer's website.  

Memphis, Tenn. -- Discount-store operator Fred's Inc. said Wednesday that its same-store sales increased 1.2% during the four weeks ended July 28, helped by markdowns that increased customer traffic. The company also raised its earnings guidance for the second quarter, citing a tax settlement with the state of Tennessee. Total sales for the month rose 5% to $136.7 million. Fred's said that it completed negotiations with the state of Tennessee to settle a tax matter, which will help offset costs related to store closings and July sales markdowns, in the second quarter.

Casual Male Retail Group Inc., a leading retailer of men's big and tall apparel, has opened a new Destination XL in Phoenix, Ariz. Located at 1701 E. Camelback Road, DXL is a new men's superstore catering to the many fashionable needs of the big and tall man. DXL is a unique, all-inclusive destination offering more than 2,000 styles under one roof from CMRG's four existing apparel businesses, Casual Male XL, Rochester Big & Tall, Shoes XL and B&T Direct. The comprehensive selection of products is intended to appeal to the various lifestyles and socioeconomic groups across the big and

AutoZone's first-quarter earnings rose by 20 percent to $172.1 million, or $3.77 a share, from $143 million, or $2.82 a share, in the year-ago period.

Canton, Mass.-based Casual Male Retail Group Inc. (CMRG) has officially opened its new Destination XL (DXL) concept store, a new men's superstore concept catering to the bigger and taller man, in Las Vegas. DXL is an all-inclusive concept that offers a wide range of clothing, shoes and products under one roof from CMRG's four existing apparel businesses. Currently with three other locations in Schaumburg, Ill., Houston and Memphis, Tenn., DXL offers a collection of good, better and best products merchandised by lifestyle, with a focus on servicing the "end-of-the-rack" department store shopper. The DXL store is also designed to

PacBlue Digital Imaging, a Van-couver, British Columbia-based digital printing firm, drew more than 20,000 attendees to its recent Vancouver Sun EPIC Sustainable Living Expo. The three-day green exposition enabled consumers and merchants to come together in support of environmentally friendly products and companies. The event touted the use of waterless printing and its benefits to the environment. The process involves using heat, rather than water, to transfer ink to the substrate. A conventional press the size of the waterless press used by PacBlue Digital uses as much as 12,000 liters of water per year. In contrast, PacBlue’s waterless press eliminates 98 percent of