STORES Magazine - February 2008 - (Page 17) very real guests to its virtual community. When a child signs up at buildabearville.com, parents receive an e-mail inviting them to set/limit communication options based on age and comfort level. Charity Begins at Retail Retailer-backed efforts to raise money and awareness for those in need are becoming more common as retail companies speak to their unique customers about issues and actions that are relevant to them. postale kicked off the initiative, which runs through February 10, by donating 10,000 pairs of new Aeropostale jeans. As a thank you to those who donate, participants receive 20 percent off a new pair of jeans. “The teen homelessness statistics are real and they are staggering,” says Scott Birnbaum, senior vice president of marketing for Aeropostale. “With our resources and Do Something’s power of engaging today’s youth, Teens for Jeans is going to impact a lot of lives.” The H&M collection is supported by well-known designers, musicians and artists including Rihanna, Timbaland, Jade Jagger, The Cardigans and Ziggy Marley. At H&M, 25 percent of the proceeds from the sale of collection items will be donated to HIV and AIDS prevention projects around the world. Ninette Murk, the founder of Designers Against AIDS, says half of the people newly infected with HIV are between 15 and 24 years old. “There’s an urgent need to do something in this target group,” she says. “By combining fashion with music in this way we hope to get these young people to stop and think.” Final Farewell Former Sears, Roebuck and Co. chairman Edward Brennan passed away in late December. Brennan, a Chicago native, was described by former Sears CEO Arthur Martinez as “a guy whose heart, soul and life were attached to Sears, Roebuck.” Last month, Aeropostale announced its Teens for Jeans campaign, intended to raise awareness of the growing number of homeless teens in the United States and Canada. Working with teen not-for-profit organization Do Something, Aeropostale hopes to collect more than 100,000 pairs of donated jeans across its 800-plus stores. This month, Swedish fashion retailer H&M plans to launch a new clothing collection aimed at spreading awareness of HIV and AIDS among young people and raising money for projects to battle the disease. The collection, dubbed “Fashion Against AIDS,” comprises T-shirts, tank tops and hooded sweaters featuring specially designed prints. H&M developed the campaign together with nonprofit group Designers Against AIDS. Both efforts feature celebrity tie-ins. Actors Rachel Bilson (“The O.C.”) and Hayden Christensen (“Star Wars” Episodes II and III) have gone to bat for Aeropostale, filming a public service announcement for the campaign. AeroWWW.STORES.ORG Brennan began his career in 1956 selling men’s furnishings at a Sears store in Madison, Wis., and rose through the ranks to become Sears’ 11th chairman in 1986. During the time that Brennan presided over Sears, the Hoffman Estates retailer generated $48.4 billion in sales. Brennan is remembered for several key moves throughout his career, including turning Sears into a major player in the financial services industry and launching the Discover Card. Brennan retired in August 1995, handing the reins to Martinez, Sears’ first “outside” CEO. Ronald Culp, former head of public relations for Sears, Edward Brennan called Brennan “the ultimate STORES / FEBRUARY 2008 17 http://www.buildabearville.com http://WWW.STORES.ORG
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