BRC reported the boom was aided by Easter falling in March (not April) this year; Easter saw a 4.3 percent rise in footfall numbers. It said the weak pound was a second factor, luring tourists to London with the promise of cheaper shopping.

“These are strong figures, helped by an earlier Easter, overseas visitors and improving consumer confidence,” says Stephen Robertson, director general of the BRC. “Overall, London’s retail sales growth was well up on a year ago and outperformed the rest of the U.K. by a wide margin.”

For the January-to-March period, London’s retail sales were up 7.7 percent compared with 2009. In the U.K. as a whole, sales up were 2.1 percent.

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The Target pop-up shop for its exclusive Zac Posen collection will be open for 24 hours. The line launch will coincide with music performances by the Like and D.J.

The complete Zac Posen line will hit Target stores nationwide on April 25. The women’s collection, retailing from $16.99 to $199.99, features dresses, swimwear, skirts, tops, shorts and accessories, as well as a suit.

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In the multi-year deal&#44, Food Network-branded menu offerings will launch in the coming months at a number of Major League Baseball ballparks, including Progressive Field (Cleveland Indians), Miller Park (Milwaukee Brewers), Busch Stadium (St. Louis Cardinals), Great American Ballpark (Cincinnati Reds) and Rangers Ballpark at Arlington (Texas Rangers). Delaware North’s sports service division will be rolling out the food line. Meanwhile, the company’s travel hospitality division is collaborating with Food Network Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto on Skewers, an Asian dining concept for airports.

“At Food Network, we are all about feeding people’s passions in fun and interesting places,” says Sergei Kuharsky, general manager of new business enterprises at Scripps Networks, a division of Scripps Networks Interactive, owner of Food Network. “This partnership with Delaware North Companies allows us to spread our table wider and deepen Food Network’s relationship with viewers who have always wanted to taste what they see us serve up on TV, online and in the magazine.”

Delaware North, a hospitality and foodservice provider, also has operations at New Jersey’s new Meadowlands Stadium, Boston’s TD Garden, Los Angeles International Airport, Kennedy Space Center and Yosemite National Park.

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Licensee Adjmi Cynosure Holdings will produce juniors’ sportswear, handbags, belts, scarves, hats, hair accessories and socks and hosiery for the collection. Footwear will roll out in October at the retailer.

“Selena Gomez is a positive role model for teens and her fans all over the world look to her for style inspirations,” says John Goodman, executive vice president of apparel and home fashion at Sears Holdings, Kmart’s parent company. “We are delighted to offer our customers the opportunity to emulate her style with affordable apparel and footwear options.”

Gomez is the star of Disney’s “Wizards of Waverly Place.” She is also cast in Twentieth Century Fox’s upcoming film Ramona and Beezus, which hits theaters on July 23. Gomez also recently released her first recording album, “Kiss & Tell,” from Hollywood Records.

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The Katie Brown range for Meijer will include kitchen textile items, tabletop products, patio furniture, outdoor décor accents and gardening tools in two distinct lines—the Orchard Collection and Northern Shores Collection. This September, the line will expand into bed and bath products and home décor. During the holidays, the retailer will launch Katie Brown-inspired kitchen ornaments, stockings, skirts, tabletop textiles and accent tableware. In 2011, the range will extend to bakeware, pictures frames, a refreshed seasonal garden line, pantryware, fresh floral, room organizers and craft organization.

“This is an exclusive line of products that we and Katie have been working on for more than a year,” says Bryan O’Connell, group vice president of hardlines at Meijer. “It’s unlike anything we’ve ever done before in terms of creating a high-quality, great-value product line with an outside partner of Katie’s stature. We’re confident that Meijer shoppers will connect strongly to these designs, products and prices.”

The initial range of Katie Brown products are hitting all 191 Meijer stores now throughout Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Kentucky. Brown is the host of PBS’ “Katie Brown Workshop.”

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Both brands are featuring selections of original and vintage tees under the Roma, Casa Luker, Lulu and La Central labels.
Chucho and Palomita were created by Molly Robbins, a Mexico City native. She has secured exclusive rights to use trademarks and vintage art from a number of Latino companies, as well as creating her own designs. Both brands are manufactured by DLI and are distributed by West Coast Novelty. WCN also has relationships with NFL, NBA and MLB.

In other Walmart news, the retailer plans to begin selling 3-D televisions leading up to the holiday shopping season. Other retailers such as Best Buy, Sears and Amazon.com have already begun carrying 3-D TVs.

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In 2009, Toys“R”Us made a number of brand acquisitions, including eToys.com, babyuniverse.com and Toys.com, as well as obtaining the exclusive rights to FAO Schwarz. The retailer opened FAO-branded boutiques in stores. For the Christmas shopping season, TRU launched close to a 100 Holiday Express pop-up stores in malls and shopping centers.

Additionally, Toys“R”Us expanded its operations, opening seven new “R” Superstores in the U.S., bring the total to 26, and the first Babies“R”Us store in Hawaii, as well as new international stores through wholly owned and franchise markets. The retailer also continued converting existing stores into a side-by-side, combined toys and baby products format. These stores now total 64.

“Our strong financial results for fiscal 2009 reflect the ongoing successful execution of our long-term strategy,” says Jerry Storch, chairman and chief executive officer of Toys“R”Us. “The Toys“R”Us brand is unique and robust, and we were able to build momentum throughout the year by focusing on our core strengths and by being innovative in our offerings to customers. The continued integration of our toy and juvenile businesses and our focus on differentiated product offerings have helped drive our growth. Also, throughout the year, we continued to open new stores nationally and internationally, and to convert others to our side-by-side format. We are grateful to our customers and to our business partners who are supporting our growth as the world’s leading specialty retailer of toys and baby products.”

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“This new agreement reflects our strategy to be the only multi-channel provider for movies,” says James W. Keyes, chairman and chief executive officer of Blockbuster. “We are excited to offer our customers the best home entertainment from Warner Bros., such as The Blind Side and Sherlock Holmes, with significantly greater availability in Blockbuster stores and through Blockbuster by mail, as well as digitally through Blockbuster on-demand. This agreement reinforces Blockbuster’s position as the most convenient source for new movies, and we are pleased to offer our customers the opportunity to get hot new movies as soon as they are released. This gives Blockbuster a full four-week lead before either kiosk or other subscription services can offer any Warner Bros. titles.”

The Blind Side hit Blockbuster stores yesterday, while Sherlock Holmes will be released on March 30.

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Supergirl by Nastia, targeted to girls ages 8 to 12, will feature active fleece, dresses and tunics, knit pants, signature Supergirl tees, dancewear, fashion leggings and shrug tops. The line, which will also be available at www.jcp.com, will retail from $20 to $38.

“Supergirl by Nastia provides our customers an affordable and accessible clothing brand that embodies Nastia’s strong, active and independent lifestyle and we look forward to introducing this brand to our customers this back-to-school season,” says Clark McNaught, senior vice president and general merchandise manager of JCPenney’s children’s division. “The launch of Supergirl by Nastia underscores our commitment to deliver stylish, affordable brands that respond to the needs of our customers. And as the exclusive retailer of this exciting new brand, it provides yet another compelling reason for customers to shop with JCPenney and strengthens our position as a leading destination for children’s apparel.”

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The How to Train Your Dragon-branded areas feature a Viking ship and more than 100 products from companies such as Spin Master, Kraft, Kellogg’s and Pepsi. The Viking-themed merchandise includes foam swords and helmets, apparel, skateboards, hooded towels, sunglasses and snacks. Walmart has also developed a “How to Train Your Dragon” activity book, which will be available in Happy Meals at 1,000 McDonald’s location in stores.

“From the start of this program, we have worked toward the goal of changing the way movie fans connect to a great movie and families could bring the adventure home in products they love,” says Gary Severson, senior vice president of entertainment for Walmart U.S. “This is one of the largest footprints that we’ve ever created in our stores for a theatrical release, with exclusive merchandise that has been custom created for our customers.”

Meanwhile, Walmart and Dreamworks are docking a 40-foot Viking ship in the center of New York’s Time Square and with it a two-day movie event for fans, today and tomorrow, with a special appearance by actress America Ferrera, who voices the role of “Astrid.”

“We are thrilled to join forces with Walmart on a robust consumer experience that features such fun and engaging thematic tie-ins to How to Train Your Dragon,” says Anne Globe, head of worldwide marketing and consumer products for Dreamworks Animation. “Our innovative approach to this program with Walmart was inspired by the great creative elements of the film itself and we are so excited to extend the life of the movie beyond the theater for families to connect with Dreamworks Animation’s characters and worlds in new ways both in stores and online.”

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The Fifi match-and-win game will offer customers the chance to win Fifi gardening activity packs by trying to match two cards from a choice of six. The gardening packs will feature sunflower sees, crayons, activity sheets, a headband and stickers.
In addition, Fifi Forget-Me-Not will be visiting four ASDA supercenters.

Preschool series “Fifi and the Flowertots” airs on Five’s Milkshake! and Nick Jr. The promotion ends April 18.

“Fifi’s Easter giveaway provides a fantastic opportunity for children to see Fifi for free during the school holidays, as well as receive loads of great prizes and have a truly Fiddly Flowerpetal time,” says Melissa Brown, director of marketing at Chapman Entertainment. “We are sure that her young fans will enjoy this Easter experience at ASDA.”

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The appliance line is arriving now at more than 600 Tesco stores throughout the U.K. and Ireland, as well as online at Tesco Direct. The range has nine products, including a slow cooker and steam iron—all exclusive to Tesco.

“We have many retailers interested in using a familiar brand name for their business,” says Matthew Young, head of Electrolux Global Brand Licensing. “It’s much easier to ride the strength of a known entity. Consumers trust the brand name, retailers can spend less in advertising, and we can introduce our brands to even more customers.”

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The Twilight Saga shops, which will be open through mid-April, will offer a special fan edition two-disc DVD and Blu-ray (after midnight March 20), T-shirts, jewelry, key chains, books, posters, character dolls and the soundtrack.

The in-store shops will also host Twilight-themed giveaways. A microsite has launch at www.walmart.com/twilight.

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Another seven are planned for Israel. He added that H&M doesn’t plan to exit any markets and that it is pushing ahead with investment plans in Spain, Portugal, Italy and Greece. The Swedish retailer (Europe’s second-largest clothing retailer) reported sales in January rose 11 percent, while sales at shops open at least a year increased 1 percent.

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The Material Girl apparel collection, designed by Madonna and her daughter Lourdes, will roll out to approximately 200 Macy’s stores and www.macys.com in August in time for back-to-school. Additional categories will also launch, including footwear, handbags and jewelry, as well as a fragrance in 2011. The line will retail from $12 to $40.

The direct-to-retail deal with Macy’s includes the option to launch additional brands with MG Icon.

“We believe that Material Girl will be a dynamic exclusive brand for Macy’s and we look forward to working with Madonna, Lourdes and the Iconix team,” says Jeff Gennette, Macy’s chief merchandising officer. “Madonna is a fashion icon who can bring a new dimension to our juniors customer. Material Girl will enhance the excitement of fast fashion at Macy’s.”

In the joint-venture deal between Iconix and Madonna, MG Icon will develop and seek out business opportunities in the U.S. and worldwide, including the creation and acquisition of brands. MG Icon will be 50 percent owned by Iconix and 50 percent owned by an entity controlled by Madonna and Guy Oseary.

“Madonna is a legend in the world of music, fashion and entertainment and now with her deep involvement in MG Icon we will be able to leverage her vision into consumer products globally,” says Neil Cole, chief executive officer and chairman of Iconix Brand Group. “Our strategy is to introduce brands formed through the joint venture in multiple countries and organically expand worldwide.”

Iconix Brand Group consumer brands include Candie’s, Bongo, Badgley Mischka, Joe Boxer, Rampage, Mudd, London Fog, Roca Wear and Starter. The company also owns an interest in the Artful Dodger, Ed Hardy, Ecko, Marc Ecko and Zoo York brands.

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Hybrid Apparel is currently testing BSA-branded men’s, women’s and children’s apparel at 20 Target stores. If successful, the line will launch nationally at Target. Hybrid’s other retail partners include Walmart and Kmart.

This spring, Walmart will offer personalized fleece blankets from Manual Woodworkers and Weavers, where customers can visit an in-store photography kiosk and customize the product with Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts and Eagle Scouts designs, as well as with personal photos.

In addition, Camfour is producing a special-edition Ruger 22 rifle to roll out this spring at independent sporting goods and specialty stores, as well as Bass Pro Shops and Cabella’s.

Other partners include:

• Lladro for a 9-inch by 4-inch collectible “Classic Scout” porcelain figure, featuring illustrations by Norman Rockwell and the uniform worn in the 1970s (available now at Lladro Boutiques, www.lladro.com and select retail stores)
• W.R. Case & Sons Cutlery for six pocketknives, featuring the BSA logo on the handle and steel blade (April)
• Taylor Brands for the Schrade Old Timer and Schrade Uncle Henry pocketknife collection in a variety of styles, including collector’s tin (available now at specialty stores, mass market, regional chain and national chains)
• Sykel Enterprises for a 48-inch by 60-inch fabric print (available now at Walmart, Mary Jo’s Cloth and Hancock Fabric, as well as fabric stores and online)

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The new footwear range is an expansion of Marvel’s relationship with Reebok, which began in spring 2008 with the launch of Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk children’s sneakers.

“The co-branded partnership with Reebok and retail support at Finish Line enables Marvel to further maximize the exposure of the brand and expand our presence in key distribution channels,” says Paul Gitter, president of consumer products for North America, Marvel Entertainment. “Based on the consumer reaction to our previous collections with Reebok, we are sure the new Spider-Man sneakers will be a hit with kids and parents alike.”

Marvel Entertainment is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company.

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“Shoppers remain deal-focused and inclined to trade down among products and brands, but they are clearly ready to shop more and make some of the purchases they avoided during the recession,” says Frank Badillo, senior economist at Retail Forward.

Retail Forward’s numbers showed stronger-than-average results at apparel and accessory stores, followed by department stores and food, drug and discount stores. In February 2009, same-store retail sales posted a 0.4 percent increase, including Walmart.

Among the biggest gains: Zumiez (11.2 percent), Ross Stores (11 percent), Nordstrom (10.3 percent), TJX (10 percent), Neiman Marcus (6.2 percent), Buckle (5 percent), Macy’s (3.7 percent), Kohl’s (3.7 percent), Target (2.4 percent) and JCPenney (1.2).

Among the biggest declines: Stein Mart (-9.3 percent), Hot Topic (-7.0 percent), Stage Stores (-3.9 percent) and Duckwall-Alco Stores (-2.9 percent).

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Kohl’s nine new stores will be located in Maryland, New York, Oregon and Pennsylvania. In addition, the retailer plans to remodel 85 stores this year.

“We continue to bring customers new stores where they can enjoy Kohl’s great brands and tremendous values and invest in our existing store base—remodeling 85 stores, 66 percent more stores than last year—to keep the customer experience fresh and exciting,” says Kevin Mansell, Kohl’s chairman, president and chief executive officer.

Kohl’s currently operates 1,067 stores in 49 states. Licensed product lines found at the retailer include Simply Vera Vera Wang, Food Network, LC Lauren Conrad and Avril Lavigne’s Abbey Dawn.

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The new fashion brands include Ellen Tracy for women’s better sportswear, Kouture by Kimora for young trendsetter apparel, Threads & Heirs for men’s casualwear and mstylelab for jewelry and hair accessories for young contemporary consumers. The home line expansions include multiple mattress styles for the Martha Stewart Collection and casual Latin-inspired dinnerware for Vida for España by Eva Mendes.

In other Macy’s news, the latest Kenneth Cole Reaction men’s sportswear line will be available exclusively this fall at stores within the U.S. and its territories.

The men’s collection will include denim, graphic tees and woven shirts—all targeting a young, casual and price-conscious demographic. The sportswear will initially hit 150 Macy’s stores and online at www.macys.com in September. The in-store rollout will see the apparel in Reaction-themed, shop-within-a-shop concepts. A further 550 store launch will follow. The sportswear range builds upon Macy’s current Kenneth Cole Reaction offerings such as footwear, outerwear, tailored clothing, dress shirts and ties, pants, bags and luggage, small leather goods, belts, men’s jewelry, sunglasses and fragrance.

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The limited-edition Abbey Dawn/Wonderland collection includes graphic tees and denim, featuring a combination of Lavigne’s rock and roll vibe and themes from the 3-D film.

Some highlights of the line, which retails from $28 to $54, include:

• T-shirt featuring the saying “At Least We Love Each Other” with spade and fleur-de-lis detailing
• cream pinstriped twill shorts with black suspenders and a pink bow
• hooded jacket with a “Shrink Me” silk screen
• pink printed silk tank dress with exposed zipper

Alice in Wonderland from Disney and Tim Burton hits U.S. theaters on March 5. Also in anticipation of the film, Disney Interactive Studios has rolled out an Alice in Wonderland video game for Wii, Nintendo DS/DSi and Windows PC.

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In the new role, Johnson will act as a go-between for Nick and Walmart, developing worldwide retail strategies for all NVCP properties.

He will be based in Bentonville, Ark., where the retailer is headquartered.

Johnson, previously served as vice president and general manager of the Global Walmart Team at DCP.

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Since its 2008 launch, Little Ewe has become one of the biggest names on Moonpig.com, worth an estimated £500,000 ($750,000) on that site alone, and also appears on greeting cards from Danilo and plush toys and gifts from Posh Paws, as well as featuring in a top-selling mobile download from Sharpcards. Little Ewe has a starring role in Moonpig’s multimillion pound TV ad campaign.

“It underlines Little Ewe’s enormous potential for generating revenue at retail and will send interest in the brand through the roof,” says Rob Corney, Bulldog’s managing director.

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Called “Alice’s” (an anagram of Claire’s), it will stock products designed especially for the film, such as miniature top hats, charm bracelets, striped knee socks and classic Alice bands. There will also be Mad Hatter tea party-inspired earrings and necklaces. Claire’s will also run themed promotions across its 955 European stores and has created a Web site to run alongside the launch.

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The retailer will occupy 25,000-square-feet on the sixth floor in the historic Phelan Building, located on Market Street. Sears Holdings’ other locations include a design office in Lower Manhattan and a headquarters in Hoffman Estates, Ill.

“Sears Holdings believes that by creating a presence in California, we will greatly enhance our ability to attract talent within one of the country’s centers of excellence for the apparel industry,” says John Goodman, executive vice president of apparel and home at Sears Holdings. “After an exhaustive search we know we have found the right location to meet the needs of our apparel business as we continue to grow and we are excited to be a part of the San Francisco community. I also invite anyone who wants to be part of this unique opportunity and to be part of what we are building to apply.”

Sears Holdings operates approximately 3,900 full-line and specialty retails stores in the U.S. and Canada.

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