Retail briefs

By Staff -- Home Textiles Today, 1/26/2004 12:00:00 AM

Bluefly.com to open on Amazon

NEW YORK — Bluefly.com will open for business on Amazon.com later this year, as the designer apparel and home retailer announced it has signed a contract to sell its goods on Amazon's Apparel & Accessories.

The site will benefit both businesses, said Ken Seiff, CEO. "Amazon.com has more than 37 million active customer accounts worldwide, and many of these customers have never even been exposed to Bluefly. The Bluefly storefront on Amazon.com will give them access to thousands of designer items, at discounts averaging 50-60 percent off retail value. We expect Amazon.com customers to respond enthusiastically to these great deals."

Amazon's Apparel & Accessories store was launched in November 2002.

Bloomie's Soho store to open in April

Bloomingdale's announced that its downtown Broadway store will open April 24. With six levels and 90,000 square feet, the store will only offer ready-to-wear and cosmetics departments. Federated Department Stores, Bloomingdale's parent company, first announced the store in October 2002.

Jo-Ann grows tweaked superstore format

Having just celebrated its 60th anniversary, Jo-Ann Fabrics continues to roll out its 35,000-square-foot format store, which is smaller than the initial group of superstores of around 43,000 square feet.

It opened 15 such stores within the last 12 months, according to Alan Rosskamm, chairman and CEO, and they are either trending at or slightly above plan. The 91 current superstores already contribute 27 percent of the company's revenues, and they achieve 35 percent more production per square foot.

With a racetrack layout, the superstores have four destination shops — scrapbooking, quilting, home decorating/textiles, and floral design — located at the corners.