Wall Street JournalBy Karen Talley
Singer and actress Jennifer Lopez remains committed to launching a clothing line at Kohl's Corp. with husband Marc Anthony despite recently announced plans to divorce.
Mark Young, Ms. Lopez's publicist, said the Kohl's launch in September "will proceed as planned." Mr. Young called Ms. Lopez's line "distinctive" and said it represents style in an accessible way.
The star couple announced over the weekend plans to split after seven years of marriage, and retail-industry watchers said it is bad timing for the planned apparel rollout. Over the weekend, after the couple's announcement, Kohl's also said the launch would continue and that the lines can stand by themselves.
"The Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony brands have always been positioned as two separate, distinctive collections," a spokeswoman for Kohl's said.
The retailer calls the lines the largest launch of exclusive merchandise in the company's 49-year history. Kohl's has been talking up the lines and planning a big publicity push as the retailer looks for the brands to boost sales.
The lines will encompass virtually every merchandise category that Kohl's carries. The brands will be a move by the department-store chain to step up its so-called aspirational, or higher-quality, offerings.
The products, with Ms. Lopez taking a big hand in the women's offerings and Mr. Anthony involved in the men's, were expected to be promoted around their lifestyles and publicized together.
"These kinds of situations create consumer disappointment and disengagement with the celebrity," said Robert Passikoff, founder of Brands Keys, a brand-consulting firm. "Right now, Kohl's has to go through with it. They have made an investment in the merchandise and the licensing fees."
In good news for Kohl's in terms of the couple shooting for an amicable divorce, they have said they will go through with their Latin talent-search show. "The best thing [Kohl's] can do is sit very quietly and hope there is no more bad news about Marc or Jennifer," Mr. Passikoff said.
New York Times
by Barbara Barker 
Outside Inditex’s corporate inner sanctum, little is known about Ortega except that he’s the richest man in Spain — and the seventh richest (up two notches over last year) in the world, with a net worth of $31 billion, Forbes reported in March. His fortune includes Inditex stock — he has maintained a 59.3 percent stake in the company since it went public in 2001 — and luxury real estate projects in the U.S., Florida in particular, and in such major European cities as London, Paris, Lisbon, Berlin, Madrid and Barcelona. He has additional investments in banks, gas and tourism and owns a horse-jumping circuit and a soccer league.
“Dress Up, is just that: very elaborate, embellished pieces in fine silks and satin with beading and sequins,” said Sir Philip Green, the owner of Arcadia Group, parent company of Topshop and its men’s counterpart, Topman. “It will probably do quite well in Las Vegas, where we’ll have a bigger assortment of ‘going out’ apparel. Dresses is one of our strongest areas and evening shoes is also one of our strongest sellers. We’ll buy deeper into those categories. ” 
Green said lease negotiations are taking place at several locations simultaneously. “We’re still looking at something else in New York, as well as Los Angeles and Miami,” he said. Las Vegas’ economic difficulties haven’t given him much pause. “Every city’s been through a downturn,” he said. “There’s a lot of local people. There’s still sufficient people in the city.” Besides, the Las Vegas unit “is a fairly large store, but it’s not 100,000 square feet like the London flagship.” 
Wall Street Journal
Wal-Mart, which has unsuccessfully sought to break into the New York market in the past, has been investing considerable resources in an attempt to pave the way for an entrance over the objections of a powerful set of unions and elected officials. 
Wall Street Journal
The first beauty offerings, which include nail polish, lip gloss, body sprays and lotions will be in Macy’s stores Aug. 15, with eye palettes arriving on Sept. 15. The intimates and sleepwear are hitting stores this week, the denim will be available on Aug. 15, social dresses Sept. 15 and outerwear on Oct. 15. 
Some beauty items will also be placed near registers to encourage impulse buys. “We have brand-new fixtures to highlight the beauty products, as well as new accessories, within the Material Girl world,” said Reardon. 
Madonna is a less frequent visitor to Iconix headquarters in New York than her daughter, but she wields final say in much of the product, said List. “Madonna definitely has creative input also. It’s a collaboration between the two. If Lola goes to a place with an idea that Madonna doesn’t think is appropriate for the brand, she’ll veto it. She’s a branding expert,” said List. 
