Primark Opens U.S. Flagship in Boston
Primark opened its first U.S. store Thursday in Downtown Crossing in Boston. The four-level, 77,000-square-foot site, the former Filene’s flagship, opened at 11 a.m. and saw thousands of shoppers stream in over the next couple of hours. At the outset, the first wave was greeted by cheering Primark sales associates and executives, many holding balloons in Primark’s signature aqua blue color, and a lot of high-fives. Primark has seven other stores scheduled to open in the U.S. through next year, with the next opening in King of Prussia Mall in Pennsylvania on November 25.
DSW Sponsors Gen Art Runway Show At New York Fashion Week
DSW made it’s New York Fashion Week debut as the official shoe sponsor for the 20th Anniversary of Gen Art’s Fresh Faces in Fashion event on Wednesday night at Pier 59 Studios. DSW provided the footwear for Gen Art’s top finalist designers Ada + Nick, House of Cannon by Annie Cannon-Brookes and Daniel Silverstain as they showed off their spring ’16 collections for its final review. DSW was able to enhance its sponsorship with a social media campaign allowing DSW to bring the runway to their fans by live tweeting and taking over Instagram before and during the show.
Macy’s Unveils Shop for I.N.C. Brand at Herald Square
Macy’s is marking the 30th anniversary of its I.N.C. private brand and hopes the celebrations will spur sales increases for the private-label collection. The retailer has hired Heidi Klum and Gabriel Aubry to serve as faces of the brand and, on Thursday, unveiled an 8,000-plus-square-foot shop at its Herald Square flagship. The shop is designed to be “fresh, modern and feminine without being girly,” said Laura Harsch, vice president of branded environments for Macy’s.
A center aisle is designed to highlight the different parts of the assortment with the anniversary capsule collection, casualwear and denim each having distinct homes. Denim in particular has gotten a major bump up in visibility in the women’s shop. Rather than hanging on hangers, it is now showcased in denim bars with the different fits clearly designated. Other I.N.C. products such as jewelry, bags and shoes that complement the apparel are also merchandised in vitrines around the floor. They are also showcased in classifications departments elsewhere in the store.
– Selicia A. Walker
Sources: WWD; Footwear News