Retail briefs

By Staff -- Home Textiles Today, 5/23/2005 12:00:00 AM

Macy's Promotes Kaplan

Janice Kaplan has been named executive vice president, merchandise strategy, at Macy's Merchandising Group (MMG), a new position at the Federated Department Stores unit.

Kaplan most recently was executive vice president, ready-to-wear and children's, for MMG. In her new position, effective Sept. 1, she will be responsible for identifying merchandising opportunities across home, men's, ready-to-wear and center core categories.

Garden Ridge Taps New CEO

Garden Ridge has named Mary McNabb CEO. She was most recently executive vice president of merchandising and marketing at Factory 2-U Stores.

The company has also completed its reorganization while posting at 6.9 percent comp sales increase for April, its fifth monthly increase in a row.

Soft Home Going Strong at Penney

Furniture and soft home, particularly bedding, window coverings and the Chris Madden collection performed strongly last quarter at JCPenney, executives said during the company's first quarter conference call.

Ross Healthy at Home

Ross Stores continues to experience a healthy home business, with the leading product categories in the recent past being domestics and housewares, executive said during the company's first quarter conference call.

Other strong performers included juniors, accessories and shoes — all of which posted comparable-store sales gains in the high-single to double-digit range.

Domestics Strong at ShopKo

Domestics was among the ShopKo chain's strongest businesses during the first quarter, executives reported during the company's conference call last week. Looking forward, the company plans to begin “fine-tuning” the front-end merchandise of its three ShopKo Express units, which debuted in late 2004.

TJX Looking For Improvement

The TJX Companies is seeing continued improvement in home furnishings and men's apparel, with inventories in great shape across the board, company executives said during its first-quarter conference call.