H&M today confirmed the name for the new higher-priced store brand it's planning to open in 2013, following rumors that it was developing a new sub-brand to extend its appeal to those shoppers who zoom in whenever the fast-fashion retailer collaborates on a diffusion line with a high-end fashion designer.

A publicist for the fashion-conscious Swedish-based retailer told AFP "it is correct that H&M will launch a new chain in 2013 called & other stories, but this is all the available information we have as of today." The retailer also confirmed to just-style.com that the new store brand will launch in Europe, and will "build on the positive experience of Cos."

H&M's stable of retail brands includes the higher-end Cos in addition to Monki, Weekday and Cheap Monday. A spokeswoman told Fashionologie that the new store brand "will not be a luxury brand, but it will be a retail chain that will follow the same ambition as H&M, to offer our customers the best price for a comparable item."

The & other stories name taps into a popular theme in retail, where creating a brand story is red hot. Witness the Stefan Sagmeister-branded Story, a New York concept store that launched in February and changes its theme, fixtures, brand partners and inventory every four to eight weeks. Its current theme: color.

Cos Bar (short for cosmetics bar) is a family-owned chain of 12 beauty boutiques "that carry the world’s best luxury brands in many of America's most exclusive destinations." Now they're moving into masstige via a collaboration with Target.

At top, owners Lily Garfield and her son Oliver discuss their retail concept, which started by wooing the apres-ski crowd in tony Aspen, Colo. Their new collection of bath and body lotions, tools and bags hits Target stores May 6, as part of retailer's move into branded in-store boutiques, dubbed "The Shops at Target." 

Is this a tempest in a teacup? Stella McCartney's Team Great Britain Adidas-produced gear for the London 2012 summer Olympics has a few of her fellow Brits up in arms. The reason? Too much blue in the Union Jack and not enough red for some tastes.

Just when Kohl's has been called out for having little relevance to pop culture compared with other major American retail brands, the queen of mid-range apparel chains strikes back.

Kohl's latest campaign features its best-known designer name, Jennifer Lopez, in a mock music video, "I've Got the Music In Me," that aims to make the department store chain more relevant to younger audiences. And that's not the brand's only high-profile musical duetContinue reading...

With the opening ceremony on July 27th, the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games watch is heating up. This week Visa Europe unveiled its pre-Olympics TV campaign, featuring Usain Bolt (the brand’s "Europe Innovation Ambassador") racing through London. Adidas also unveiled the Stella McCartney-designed Olympics apparel that British athletes will be wearing throughout the competitions.

First, to the world's fastest man: "Bolt embodies speed, effortlessness and performance – the ability to deliver even on the world’s biggest stage. Similarly for Visa Europe, London 2012 is a showcase for our latest payments technology including contactless and mobile payments, which will enable cardholders to experience a secure, reliable and fast payments infrastructure for the Games and beyond,” said Mariano Dima, EVP Product and Marketing Solutions, Visa Europe.Continue reading...

Truth or Dare hit movie theaters way back in 1991, but Madonna is still milking the brand. She's already selling Truth or Dare fragrances at Macy's and now she’s putting out a Truth or Dare shoe collection as a precursor to a fashion collection of the same name. The timing isn't coincidental — the singer's next album, titled MDNA, launches on March 27th.

The Truth or Dare line, a collaboration with Canada's Aldo Group, will offer more than 60 styles when it launches in August. The cost: between $89 and $349, the perfect price point for any Material Girl.Continue reading...

Spotted a crowd outside your local H&M today? Fashionistas are lining up as the new Marni capsule collection hits stores. At H&M's New York City location at Fifth Avenue 18th Street, the queue extended the length of the block by 8:30am.

Kohl's joined Walmart and a handful of other up-and-coming masters of retailing in spreading bricks-and-mortar stores nationwide during a suburban building boom over the last quarter-century. Now, however, Kohl's real estate ambitions are waning as the mid-priced, discount-savvy soft-goods retailer deals with the effects of online retailing and slower growth overall in its physical stores.

At the same time, the Menomonee Falls, Wis.-based chain, with more than 1,100 stores coast-to-coast, is investing more heavily in its own e-tailing operation, as it faces stiffer competition from Target and the newly revamped JCPenney.

"Online is really the wave of the future, of course, where retail is moving and has been moving — especially for retailers [like Kohl's] that don't have a grocery component," Erika Maschmeyer, retailing analyst for Robert W. Baird & Co., told brandchannel. "They just don't need as many or the same size of stores now with the internet."Continue reading...