Finance & Capital Management

Pittsburgh – Dick’s Sporting Goods Inc. opens three new stores on April 25. The stores are located in Lawton, Okla., Alabaster, Ala., and Tampa. Fla.

The Lawton store will be located at Lawton Town Center, while the Alabaster store will be located at Colonial Promenade Alabaster and the Tampa store will be located at Westshore Plaza. As of April 25, Dick’s will operate 566 stores in the U.S., including 11 in Alabama, 27 in Florida and eight in Oklahoma.

Chattanooga, Tenn. — In an April 11 conference call, CBL & Associates Properties provided an in-depth review of its business strategy, including a number of initiatives designed to enhance shareholder value.

On the conference call, the Company outlined the following goals and objectives through a slide presentation:

Position the portfolio to produce sustained same-center net operating income (NOI) growth of 2-4%, about double the current range of 1%-2%;

Dollarama has appointed Johanne Choinière as chief operating officer, effective May 12. Choinière will be responsible for overseeing retail store operations as well as logistics, distribution and supply chain management.

"I am pleased to welcome Johanne to the Dollarama team. A seasoned operator with an excellent track record and strong leadership qualities, she is an ideal candidate to help support and drive our continued growth and prosperity," said chairman and CEO Larry Rossy.

Founded in 2007, Julep is a fast-growing omnichannel beauty brand that takes a social approach to product development. The brand, which is perhaps best known for its monthly beauty box delivery program, has raised $30 million in Series C financing.

New investors Azure Capital, Madrona Venture Group and Altimeter Capital, as well as existing investors Andreessen Horowitz and Maveron, participated in the round. The new investment brings Julep's total venture funding to $56 million.

Levi Strauss & Co. has named former Walmart executive Marc Rosen as EVP and president of global e-commerce, effective May 5. Rosen will report to president and CEO Chip Bergh.

Michael Howe was named CEO at Minneapolis-based Verify Corp., a software provider with solutions focused on supply chain security and brand protection and consumer engagement and loyalty promotions.

Howe has served in various executive leadership positions with Procter & Gamble, PepsiCo, Unilever, Arby’s and MinuteClinic. As CEO of MinuteClinic, Howe facilitated the national expansion of the business from 19 clinics in two markets to more than 525 clinics in 27 states. Most recently, he has served as chairman at Smart Receipt and DRX.

Sandpoint, Idaho -- Coldwater Creek Inc. on Friday filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, with plans to close its stores and wind down operations by early summer.

Sandton, South Africa – Grant Pattison, CEO of Massmart Holdings Ltd., a South African retailer that operates as a subsidiary of Wal-Mart, is resigning. Pattison, 43, will be replaced by Massmart COO Guy Hayward, 48, on June 1, as part of what the company terms a smooth succession plan.

Pattison joined Massmart in 1998 and was appointed CEO in 2007. He was CEO when Massmart sold a majority stake to Wal-Mart Stores Inc. Hayward has served with Massmart since 2000, receiving appointments as CFO in 2001 and COO in 2012.

New York – The owners of New York City’s famed J&R Music and Computer World, an independent music and electronics store in Lower Manhattan since 1971, have closed the store to redevelop its site.

“J&R will close its doors so we can rebuild this location into what we hope will be an unprecedented retail concept and social mecca,” owners Joe and Rachelle Friedman said in a statement on the company’s website. “The buildings that J&R occupies have to be totally reimagined and developed.”

Columbus, Ohio – Lane Bryant opens two new stores Friday, April 11. The stores are located at Burnsville Center in Burnsville, Minn., and Alliance Town Center in Fort Worth, Texas.

Lane Bryant operates 775 stores nationwide and an e-commerce site.