Finance & Capital Management

Seattle – Nordstrom Inc. plans to open two new Nordstrom Rack stores in Pittsburgh and Novi, Michigan. The 40,000-sq.-ft. Pittsburgh store is scheduled to open in fall 2016 at The Block Northway mall.

Mahwah, N.J. – For Ascena Retail Group, managing a portfolio of disparate brands that includes DressBarn, Maurices, Lane Bryant, Justice and Catherines is a complex undertaking. One area where Ascena needs to streamline operations for maximum efficiency is product lifecycle management (PLM).

99 Cents Only Stores is accelerating its expansion plan with several new stores planned for 2015.

The retailer just opened nearly 10 new stores this week in California, and plans to open more later this year.

The company says it will celebrate its store openings this week in California by selling flat screen LCD TVs for only 99 cents to the first nine customers in line on Grand Opening Day. The next 99 customers in line on opening day may purchase an iron for only 99 cents. Other 99 cent deals will follow for additional customers.

New York -- Rising rents and increased online competition have claimed one of downtown Manhattan’s most iconic retail stores, Pearl River Mart in SoHo. The Chinese department store, which opened its doors in 1971, will close at the end of its current lease in December.

Revolving doors can provide measurable ROI for retail and hospitality – way beyond the widely recognized energy savings from reduced air infiltration.  Meet Mark Perkins with Boon Edam, as he discusses revolving-door ROI, branding, the use of existing space, loss prevention and more.

Boston - Dessange International, owner of Fantastic Sams, Camille Albane and Dessange franchise brands, has promoted Linda Chadwick to president and CEO of Dessange Group North America. Chadwick had previously been the president and COO of Fantastic Sams.

Chadwick will lead Dessange International’s North American expansion of its three salon franchise brands. A veteran franchising executive, Chadwick spent more than 20 years at Burger King Corp., including three years as VP of franchise operations.

Atlanta - Sales for first quarter 2015 at Havertys Inc. increased 5% to $191.3 million, compared to $181.7 million for first quarter 2014. Same-store sales rose 3.8%.

Havertys plans to open three new stores in 2015, including a store in Rogers, Arkansas that will open this week and a showroom in Waco, Texas slated to open in mid-May. This expansion into two new markets for Havertys will occur as Havertys strengthens its position in southeast Florida, with a new store in Fort Lauderdale slated for July,

New York -- The United States is the top market for e-commerce, followed by China and the United Kingdom, according to A.T. Kearney’s 2015 Global Retail E-Commerce Index. Although e-commerce remains less than 10% of total retail sales in the United Sates, it has seen consistent growth, and rose by 15% in 2014.