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Remember Urban Outfitters’ plan from two years ago to launch a new concept aimed at the lucrative bridal market? The retailer has been quietly opening stores under its new BHLDN (pronounced “beholden”) label. In the summer, the company opened a BHLDN store in Houston, and now it has unveiled a second store in Chicago , near the Waldorf Astoria hotel, according to the Chicago Tribune . The store measures 3,600 sq. ft. and features 15-ft. ceilings and a spiral staircase for that grand, romantic feel. According to the Tribune , the store resembles an old-style European

Expansion into the Canadian Market Article MORE IN INDUSTRY NEWS >> Orange, Calif. - February 10, 2012 - Dubya USA, the exclusive importer of Talon and Kite products in North America, has announced their expansion into the Canadian market with Dubya Canada. Dubya Canada will offer Canadian customers the same great products found in the Dubya USA catalog, and will ship all orders from their new warehouse in Edmonton, Alberta. “Our Canadian customers have played a big role in the success of our business,” said Dubya USA founder Kristin White Anderson. “We decided to start Dubya Canada so that

Liz Claiborne Inc. announced the appointment of David Bassuk as co-president and chief operating officer of Juicy Couture, effective Feb. 27. In this role, Bassuk will oversee finance, operations, planning and allocation, international, e-commerce, wholesale sales, and operations and facilities while partnering with co-president and chief creative officer LeAnn Nealz on the management and overall leadership of the Juicy Couture brand. Both Bassuk and Nealz will report to William L. McComb, CEO of Liz Claiborne Inc.

North Andover, Mass.-based Converse Inc., a subsidiary of NIKE Inc., announced the opening of its first West Coast specialty retail store in Santa Monica, Calif. The Santa Monica store is located at the Third Street Promenade and opened on Feb. 11. The 7,000-sq.-ft. location allows customers to design one-of-a-kind footwear, apparel and accessories. The Converse Customization station is located in the front of the store and is set against a 25-ft. window backdrop that showcases the process to pedestrians. The space also features three large skylights, wall installations designed by local artists and repurposed high-school bleachers that display footwear.

The boom in tablet technology has delivered what some are calling the ideal retail touchpoint. According to the 2012 RIS/IHL Store Systems Study, close to 75 percent of retailers will be deploying some form of tablet computing over the next 24 months. The applications for tablets appear endless, including clientelling, cross-selling, workforce enablement, back office and all areas of customer service, satisfaction and engagement. Retailers must determine which applications will provide the best return on investment in terms of cost and customer satisfaction.

Zappos.com, a leading online destination for apparel and footwear, today announces the launch of its new Emerging Designer Program, a program developed internally by Zappos employees for up-and-coming fashion designers looking to take their designs to a whole new level. The Emerging Designer Program provides talented people with the big break that every aspiring designer hopes for but so few get — the opportunity to sell their line at a major retailer.

The International Council of Shopping Centers and Goldman Sachs Retail Chain Store Sales Index fell 2% in the week ended Saturday from the week before on a seasonally adjusted, comparable-store basis as mixed weather hasn't contributed to spring apparel sales. Weather was mild for the week as a whole, but those mild temperatures were too early and not consistent enough to spark any sustained interest in spring apparel, according to the ICSC report. ICSC expects February industry sales will increase 3% to 3.5%. On a year-on-year basis, the reading rose 2.8%.

Haven't these people heard of comparison-shopping apps? While a larger number of consumers have been drawn to luxury fashion courtesy of flash sale sites, new research from American Express Business Insights shows that consumers, Gen Yers in particular, are spending more of their dollars on full-price sites such as Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom and others. According to the research, flash sales sites experienced a 92 percent increase in dollar sales in 2010 and then a more modest 21 percent jump last year. At the same time, full-priced sites saw 2011 sales improve 25 percent on top of the 20 percent

Buying something special for a significant other is making a comeback this Valentine's Day. Consumers are expected to spend $17 billion on everything from chocolates, flowers and jewelry to greeting cards, clothing and even a special gift for a pet, marking a 23 percent increase in spending on the holiday from a low point during the recession of the late 2000s, Monetate reports.

Despite making a clean break with Costco in late 2010, Apple could be looking to expand its footprint with one of the wholesale retailer's rivals, a new report suggests.