Urban Outfitters has been busy capitalizing on Native American culture with items such as the "Navajo Hipster Panty." Apparently, these types of products were enough to warrant a cease and desist letter. According to Sasha Houston Brown, Urban Outfitters has already received such a notice from the Navajo Nation Attorney General, who also doesn't seem too keen on things like a Navajo-print flask.
The NRF Foundation, the education arm of the National Retail Federation, announced the launch of the National Retail Federation Student Association, which will offer member students the opportunity to leverage NRF’s vast retail network to take advantage of education and networking opportunities.
The Retail Industry Leaders Association has released the results of the 2011 Crime Trends and Leading Practices Survey, a comprehensive look at the past year's trends in crimes against businesses from the perspective of the country's leading retailers. S
Footwear designer Jean-Michel Cazabat has opened his first U.S. store in New York City's West Village. The retail space is inspired by Cazabat's own modern, eclectic SoHo loft apartment. It incorporates the vibrant signature colors of Cazabat's shoe line — Napoleon Blue on the entrance wall and a "rouge taureau" ottoman — both colors seen throughout Cazabat's own home.
With the holidays fast approaching, many retailers are looking to beef up their gift card offerings. Since Home Depot’s gift card program is one of the largest in the U.S., Forbes requested the advice of their Director of Gift Cards Spencer Allen.
Jos. A. Bank Clothiers is teaming up with wedding and bridesmaid dressmaker and retailer Alfred Angelo. Catalogs of Jos. A. Bank's tuxedos and matching accessories will be available at Alfred Angelo Signature’s bridal stores, while Alfred Angelo will be the exclusive wedding-gown partner for the women in Jos. A. Bank's customers' lives.
Minnesota company St. Croix, which makes the mock black turtlenecks that Steve Jobs famously wore, had a banner sales week. Sales more than doubled the day after Jobs' death, according to the Minnesota Business Journal, and some stores have run out of them.
Haverty Furniture reported that total revenue for its third quarter slipped 1.1 percent to $155.4 million, compared with $157.1 million for the third quarter last year. Same-store sales fell 0.6 percent.
A troubled economy and political infighting will darken the upcoming holiday retail season as consumer spending will barely rise over 2010 levels, says a new report from Ball State University. The forecast anticipates that overall retail sales will increase by 0.8 percent over last year. Sales during the last few months of the year have rebounded since the depths of the Great Recession of 2007-09 but still are not close to the prerecession heights.
Christopher & Banks Corp. reported a net loss of $13 million for the quarter ended Aug. 27, compared with a loss of $2.5 million in the year-ago period. Sales dropped to $96.2 million from $101.3 million, and same-store sales declined 8 percent during the quarter.
