• Target’s Go International program embracing widely known American designers starting with Holiday 2006, featuring  capsule collections by Behnaz Sarafpour (holiday) and Proenza Schouler (spring). 

• Apparel prices deflationary in July as clothing price tags dropped 1.2%.

• Under Armour in league with the NFL in a $50M, six-year deal as one of three authorized shoe providers. Armour will outfit players with its new cleat shoes which rang up sales of $15.6M in June, their first month on the market.

• Urban Outfitters set to open 100th store – and first in Continental Europe – in Copenhagen.

• Japan’s Uniqlo, whose SoHo flagship launches this Fall, already looking to add to its New York presence with a Meatpacking District location.

• American Eagle Outfitters new sub-brand aerie opens its first stand-alone unit in Greenville, SC, and touted as a $500M-$1B opportunity by senior management.

• Walgreen’s partnering with Take Care Health Systems to open 20 health clinics in its Chicagoland stores.

• Jones Apparel Group sale called off due to a lack of compelling offers; now focusing on continuing to revitalize its stable of brands and taking out $100M in ongoing costs.

• IKEA continuing its march across the US with its first Ohio store opening outside Cincinnati in Fall 2007. It will be IKEA’s 29th store in the US.

• Google delivering local business coupons via its GoogleMaps service in a partnership with ValPak. More than 20,000 coupons available at launch.

• Students aged 18-30 years old hold discretionary spending power of $46B, up 12% since 2005 according to Harris Interactive and Alloy Media + Marketing.

• Chico’s launching the Soma brand website in time for holiday and to bolster the more than 50 Soma stores open by year’s end.

• Polo Ralph Lauren’s Rugby concept growing again with a new Seattle unit open, a Greenwich CT store set for November, and total of 11 stores open by end of 2006.

• Further consolidation in the department store business as Belk Inc. purchased Parisian from Saks Fifth Avenue Enterprises for $285M.

• RadioShack president and COO Claire Babrowski stepped down on August 31, reportedly due to unhappiness with being passed over for the CEO position filled by Julian Day.

• Vera Wang teaming up with Kohl’s for a new, moderate lifestyle brand called Very Vera by Vera Wang to bow in Fall 2007.

• Gap and Bono uniting to launch Product Red exclusively at the Gap in the US. Merchandise from the collection will appear starting in October in all Gap doors, but full assortments reserved only for top 200 locations.