Retail Stores

Apparel Magazine's annual Top 50 ranks the 50 apparel brands with the highest overall profit margin. Despite harsh weather across much of the nation negatively impacting sales, a handful of retailers were still able to keep profit margins healthy. Overall profitability of the Top 50 fell from an average of 7.1 percent last year to 6.1 percent this year, signifying a switch in consumer spending from soft to hard goods. Here's a quick look at the top 10 retailers on the list:

Just as the baby boomer generation fueled the growth of suburban mall development, millennials and their life experiences are inspiring radical changes in retail. As the largest U.S. generation, millennials and their preferences will matter to the huge consumer complex for decades to come.

J.Crew raised a few eyebrows last week when it introduced a women's size 000. Shopping news site Racked noted the new size would be the equivalent to a size XXXS and referenced a commenter who said the physical product featured a 23" waist. A spokesperson for J.Crew defended the addition, telling Today.com, "We're simply addressing the demand coming from Asia for smaller sizes than what we carried. Our sizes typically run big and the Asia market tends to run small ... To further put into perspective, these sizes add up to the smallest possible percentage of our overall sizing assortment."

After testing the waters of a physical store experience through a series of pop-up shops, online beauty subscription service Birchbox will open its first store, in New York City, today. The brand will attempt to translate the excitement that accompanies opening a box full of new products to try out each month by offering testers of more than 2,000 products a "Try Bar," where shoppers can experiment with different products, as well as a Build Your Own Birchbox section, where they can select five sample-size products for $15. 

Sears Holdings Corporation has a lot of real estate and not enough sales to keep all of that real estate busy. One solution is to close stores as they underperform or as leases expire, which the company has been doing. Another solution? Rent out that space. For the right customer, virtually every Sears and Kmart store is up for grabs. While there are a few closed buildings available to anyone interested in opening their own big box, most space available is inside Sears or Kmart stores that are already operating and plan to stay in business after you move in.

Bonobos’ CEO Andy Dunn discusses the role of brick-and-mortar stores in the brand's growth plans. 

In a move that's in line with the strategies of many other fast-fashion retailers, Forever 21 is plotting a major expansion. In an interview with WWD, Founder and CEO Don Chang said that he plans to double the size of the company in the next three years, expanding its total retail footprint to 1,200 stores globally. (There are currently 600.) A big part of that growth will likely involve F21 Red, a newer store concept that boasts a deeper inventory of the brand's lowest-priced items, like $1.80 camisoles, $3.80 T-shirts and pairs of jeans priced at $7.80. 

Nothing screams USA pride more than a skimpy red, white and blue bikini. But does it matter that the $32.98 swimsuit mentioned above, and sold at Target, actually was made in Cambodia? As the nation prepares to celebrate its 238th birthday, "Buy America" efforts are still going strong, though emotions on the subject tend to fluctuate depending on the state of the economy. But what about products, ranging from toothpicks to towels, with specific patriotic motifs? Or the U.S. flag itself? Should those products, which are marketed with an Uncle Sam sentiment in mind, be made in the United States?

Costco has been a remarkably successful player in discount retail over the last several years, and the company has outgrown competitors such as Wal-Mart and Target by a considerable margin. But investing is about the future, not the rearview mirror, so investors need to analyze if the company can continue outperforming on a forward-looking basis. Interestingly, there are some reasons to believe Costco should continue getting stronger over time. When comparing Costco versus other mass-merchant retailers such as Wal-Mart and Target, the difference can be truly remarkable. Costco has done much better than both 

A part of our childhood hearts break to hear the news that Juicy Couture will be closing all U.S. locations towards the end of June. As the once celebrity-adored label shutters its brick-and-mortar stores, it may be the end of an era. The era, that is, of trendy terrycloth and velour sweatpants and zip-ups, which were often branded with the word "JUICY." There's no other trend of lounge wear that took over the women's fashion world with such ease. Because of stars like Paris Hilton and Britney Spears, the velour tracksuit stole the hearts of many young women.