• by Sarah Mahoney  @mahoney_sarah, July 8, 2016

With the fireworks of a new CEO announcement behind it, Macy’s is focusing its attention on the next big thing, including concert performances by Ariana Grande and Flo Rida.

The Cincinnati-based chain says that Macy’s Presents Fashion’s Front Row, the more-or-less official kick-off of September’s New York Fashion Week, will also include the debut of a new line from designer Betsey Johnson, inspired by the movie Trolls, (due out in November) along with collections from I.N.C., its private label clothing line, as well as designers like Calvin Klein, Rachel Rachel Roy, and Tommy Hilfiger.

Tickets for the Sept. 7 event are set to go on sale Aug. 1, with proceeds (100%, minus facility fees and Ticketmaster charges) going to Ronald McDonald House and the Council of Fashion Designers of America Foundation.

Promising that the show, blending “music, fashion and compassion,” will “ignite the catwalk,” Macy’s says the event will also include brand partnerships with Lancôme and Samsung.

And, as stores struggle to find new ways to hang on to Fashion Week’s relevance in an increasingly fast-fashion world, Macy’s is hoping to bring some New York-style excitement around the U.S., hosting in-store events.

Recently, Macy’s surprised retailers with the news that long-term leader Terry J. Lundgren, CEO since 2003 and chairman since 2004, will hand the CEO position to Jeff Gennette, also a long-term Macy’s exec. And back in April, its announced the departure of Martine Reardon, its long term CMO. In its most recent quarterly results, sales dropped 7.4% and it promised to “make aggressive changes to our play book.”

Meanwhile, Gap Inc., another beleaguered retailer, surprised observers with good news, reporting a monthly sales gain of 2% to $1.57 billion, its first gain since March of last year. While sales fell at both the Gap flagship and Banana Republic, Old Navy scored an increase of 5%. “The 2% increase is in sharp relief to the 3% drop projected by analysts Thomson Reuters had polled,” writes Morningstar. “Gap and other mall-focused chains have been hurt by the rise of online shopping and the popularity of fast-fashion retailers such as H&M operator Hennes & Mauritz AB and Zara owner Inditex SA. Mall-anchored retailers including Aéropostale, Pacific Sunwear of California Inc. and Wet Seal Inc. have filed for bankruptcy protection.”