Finance & Capital Management

Secaucus, N.J. — The Children’s Place Inc. has named Susan Sobbott to the board of directors as a Class II director to serve for a three-year term expiring in 2017. Sobbott currently holds the position of president of Global Corporate Payments, a global division of the American Express Company. From 2004 to early 2014, she was President and General Manager of American Express Open. The addition of Sobbott expands the company's board of directors to eight.

Queens, N.Y. — A new retail building is reportedly planned for the site of a former adult entertainment club in the Rego Park neighborhood of Queens. According to the Queens Chronicle, a 20,000-sq.-ft. building will occupy the location once occupied by the Goldfingers nightclub, which has been shuttered since 1999.  

New York City — Forever 21 has taken space at the Mall at Bay Plaza, which is scheduled to open on August 14. The new store will span about 15,000 sq. ft.

A new 166,000-sq.-ft. Macy’s and an existing 150,000-sq.-ft. J.C. Penney will anchor the new mall. Forever 21 will join more than 100 retailers at Bay Plaza, including Kay Jewelers, Victoria Secret, H&M and Michael Kors.

The Children's Place has added Susan Sobbott to its board of directors as a Class II director to serve for a three-year term.

It looks like Sycamore Partners, which owns approximately 9.9% of Express’ outstanding shares, is interested in acquiring the retailer.

Express confirmed that it has received a letter from Sycamore and has established a special committee of the board to determine a course of action that serves the best interest of all stockholders. The retailer has also engaged Perella Weinberg Partners LP and Sullivan & Cromwell LLP as advisers to itself and the special committee.

GNC financial chief and EVP Michael M. Nuzzo is exiting the company to take an executive position at a private equity funded consumer products company.

Nuzzo will remain with the company at least through July 18, which will include preparation of its second quarter earnings release and 10Q, both of which are expected to be issued on the normal schedule in late July or early August.

With an 18% same store sales increase and a 217% profit improvement in the first quarter no wonder Restoration Hardware is looking to add 31 new stores to its 69 current locations.

The company is on track to open stores in Los Angeles and Atlanta later this year and is adding two floors to its top-performing store in New York. In addition, Restoration Hardware chairman and CEO Gary Friedman said the company has signed leases for six of its stores called “next-generation full line design galleries,” and is in negotiations for 25 additional locations.

The drought’s effect on fresh produce in California and the timing of this year’s Easter holiday adversely affected 99 Cents Only Stores’ comparable-store sales in the first quarter of fiscal 2015.

Same-store sales decreased 0.5%, calculated on a comparable 13-week period of the prior year. The company reported net sales of $477.9 million, an increase of 7% from $445.2 million in the first quarter of fiscal 2014.

Newell Rubbermaid president and CEO Michael Polk has joined the board of directors of Colgate-Palmolive. The move comes a little more than a month after the CPG company’s shareholders elected a slate of 10 directors.

All 10 members of Target’s board of directors were re-elected at the retailer’s annual meeting on June 11, but there was strong opposition to several members and a proposal requiring an independent chairman nearly passed.