Retail Stores

Coach opened its first European flagship in London's Mayfair district. The new flagship houses the brand’s full range of lifestyle offerings and an exclusive collection inspired by London. The store, in the former Mulberry space, spans 5,000 sq. ft. over two floors and stocks the women’s and men’s collections. It is the second Coach store to open in London.

Bill Bass, president and CEO of Direct at women's apparel retailer Charming Shoppes, took a step back yesterday at the Shop.org Annual Summit in Boston to reflect on five lessons he's learned from the 15 years he's spent in the retail industry, including stints at Lands’ End and Fair Indigo.

This year retailers are commemorating the Sept. 11 anniversary through charity. Companies such as Target, Best Buy, Neiman Marcus and Groupon partnered with the 9/11 Day of Service project and other nonprofits like MyGoodDeed.org to sponsor city-wide service projects across the country on Sept. 11, including clean-up and restoration efforts. 

In an economy in which consumers will do almost anything to save a buck and retailers will do almost anything to make a buck, it's common for stores to roll out holiday goods this month.

Another holiday season is approaching, meaning another opportunity for retailers to increase sales, boost new customer acquisition and fatten their revenue totals for the year. Based on e-commerce spending trends so far this year, online and multichannel merchants are optimistic, always depending on the slippery road of economic recovery.

The Men's Wearhouse reported that its second-quarter profit rose 33 percent to $57.1 million, from nearly $43 million a year ago. Revenue for the three months ended July 30 increased 22.1 percent to $655.5 million from $537 million.

Lowe's plans to outfit employees with 42,000 iPhone 4s next month, with custom apps that will make use of the device as a point-of-sale system as part of a technology-heavy retail overhaul. The retailer will introduce a new MyLowes online tool and implement the iPhones in an effort to catch rival Home Depot, which invested more than $60 million on handheld Motorola POS system last year.

Wal-Mart announced that it's bringing back layaway for the holiday season as part of its ongoing efforts to recover from recent missteps and draw back customers still struggling to make ends meet. The company discontinued layaway in 2006, during the heady days before the recession. 

Target opened a Missoni pop-up store in Manhattan on Sept. 8. Open for three days only for New York's Fashion Week, the pop-up store features a 25-foot tall doll in bright zigzag knits from Italian fashion house Missoni. Four puppeteers will operate the doll, called "Little Marina," moving her head and hands as she texts on her giant smartphone.

Electronic Arts has entered the retail arena, opening the EA Sports Experience store at the Charlotte Douglas International airport in Charlotte, N.C. It will open two additional U.S. airport locations by the end of 2011.