Prospecting

Chief executives of high-end department stores are betting on off-price outlets to generate growth, even as they curb discounts at their main stores. But tony retailers can't rely solely on full-price shoppers for growth now because luxury spending remains muted. So more executives are expanding their outlets, which let them sell to a wider range of customers without having to offer big discounts at regular stores.

The designer-level racks at select Saks Fifth Avenue stores are expanding. Beginning this fall, the options for women looking for sizes 16 and 18 will include more high-fashion styles.

Von Maur, a family-run department store from Iowa, is stepping into the fast-fashion business. The 138-year-old merchant plans to unveil a concept store aimed at young women called Dry Goods.

As interactive channels continue to grab a larger share of the marketing pie, retailers are presented with an ideal opportunity to look at new techniques to better use email and other online methods as acquisition channels for their businesses.

New channels are often stereotyped as "what the kids are doing," but increasingly social networks like Facebook and Twitter have turned out to be good places to reach older adults.

A new phenomenon called "haul videos," short product review videos where video bloggers (vloggers) show off their new swag to the whole world, is an important part of mega-retailer J.C. Penney's back-to-school marketing campaign this year.

Microsoft is planning to open "dozens" of retail stores, beyond the four that currently exist, the company's COO said recently.

Online fashion shopping sites like Gilt Groupe and Rue La La have been a hit with women since launching over the last three years. A new push to get men to shop in these web boutiques is proving more difficult.

When hip is hot, it helps the hipster, which in this case is the budget-friendly clothing-store chain Aéropostale. Its stores, once indistinguishable from the likes of others in the mall, have become a must-stop for fashion-conscious teens and preteens.

Wal-Mart launched a public-relations campaign ahead of a City Council committee vote later this week, vowing to build "several dozen stores" and create 12,000 jobs in Chicago over the next five years. The announcement was the first time Wal-Mart has provided specifics on its goals for store openings, job creation and tax revenue. But the City Council has yet to take any action on approving Chicago's second Wal-Mart store. Wal-Mart has been thwarted in its push to grow in Chicago for six years. A weakened economy and high unemployment rates have swayed dozens of ministers here to reverse their stance and start supporting the opening of Wal-Mart stores on the city's South Side.