Chico’s: The women’s apparel chain raised its full-year sales growth outlook after a strong sales and profit performance in the first quarter at its Chico’s, Soma and White House Black Market banners. Sales at stores open at least one year increased by 41% compared to the same quarter last year and 11% compared to the same quarter in 2019 before the pandemic. Total sales for the period were $325.6 million compared to $209.7 million at the end of last year’s first quarter. Those higher sales helped offset inflation of supply chain costs. The company closed 29 stores since the first quarter of 2019, bringing its total to 1,264. The company now expects net sales of $2.13 billion to $2.160 billion for the year.

Sarah Flint: The Mall at Green Hills in Nashville, Tennessee, will be home to the first permanent physical store for the upscale direct-to-consumer footwear brand. The company has tested pop-up stores in larger markets such as Dallas; Washington, D.C.; and New York City, but decided to go with the smaller Southern market for a permanent unit. “We looked a lot at our e-commerce sales and where that concentration is, and Nashville is a really great market for us,” Flint said. This summer the brand will move into a permanent store in Dallas from a short-term space it has been occupying since last fall.

The Good Feet Store: The arch support manufacturer and retailer opened its 200th store, a franchised unit in Nashua, New Hampshire. The Carlsbad, California-based company, which custom fits personalized arch support inserts for customers’ footwear in its stores, plans to open more franchises in most major U.S. markets by 2023, including New York City, Philadelphia, Miami, San Francisco, and Chicago.

Philip Karto: The French sustainable luxury goods brand is expanding globally from its Saint-Tropez headquarters. The company, which sells hand-painted, recycled luxury handbags and other goods, will open stores in Miami and New York City later this year, as part of a plan to operate 10 stores worldwide. Since founding the brand in 2017, Karto has sold his products online and through such retailers as Bergdorf Goodman and Selfridges. But Karto decided to open his own branded physical stores because consumers are less likely to order high-ticket items like his online without a physical experience.

Kohl’s: The department store chain has entered talks to be acquired by Franchise Group Inc., the owner of Vitamin Shoppe. The deal could value the retailer at about $8 billion.

TJX Cos: The retail conglomerate is putting two of its newer concepts, Sierra and Homesense, into a 40,000-square-foot empty former Stein Mart store at the Publix-anchored Short Pump Crossing in Richmond, Virginia. Outdoors gear brand Sierra (formerly Sierra Trading Co.) will occupy 18,500 square feet and home décor brand Homesense will occupy 24,700 square feet. Both stores are making their debut in the Richmond market.

Taco Bell: The fast-food chain opened its first new two-level, four-lane drive-thru restaurant in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota. The store includes a proprietary vertical lift to transport menu items straight from the kitchen to customers’ vehicles. From digital check-in screens for mobile order customers’ unique QR codes, to a two-way audio and video technology service for customers to talk to team members on the second floor, the concept includes many features that could show up in future Taco Bell restaurants in the US. The concept aims to reduce service times to two minutes or less, in part by relying on separate lanes for pre-orders, delivery drivers and traditional drive-thru consumers.

Vivrelle: The apparel and accessories rental service will open a members-only, 14,000-square-foot showroom in New York City that will act as a store and social club, featuring its collection of thousands of handbags and accessories, alongside a bar and lounge. It’s the latest luxury rental or resale brand to go physical in search of a cool vibe to keep customers loyal. The RealReal opened its 19th location in Los Angeles in February. And high-end handbag reseller Fashionphile opened an appointment-only 60,000-square-foot showroom in New York City last month.

Watch Box: The Philadelphia-based luxury watchmaker will open a 5,000-square-foot store in New York City in the third quarter. The lounge will merge event space with private showrooms, a boardroom, video and digital media studios, and a hands-on “watch lab,” where visitors can examine the company’s products and learn more about them. In the fourth quarter the brand plans to open new stores in Miami’s Design District, at The Boca Raton resort in Boca Raton, Florida, and in West Hollywood, California.

Wilson’s Sporting Goods: The brand is boosting its visibility with more space in New York City. This summer Wilson’s will open its second retail store in New York City on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. Following in the steps of its SoHo flagship, the uptown location is focused on the brand’s continued commitment to sport. With more than 8,000 square feet of retail space, the two-floor store will feature a multiuse court on the lower level where visitors can test out the brand’s latest equipment apparel and accessories. The store will feature Wilson’s first ever “Equipment Room,” where shoppers can rent select products to test before purchasing. Wilson will open a third New York City store in Columbus Circle next month, as well as pop-ups around the city throughout the summer. Additionally, Wilson will open an on-site pop-up at the U.S. Open tennis tournament in Queens, New York.