Mergers & Acquisitions

New York -- Bloomingdale’s plans to open a 167,000-sq.-ft., three-level store at the Ala Moana Center in Honolulu in fall 2015. It will be the retailer’s first location in the state of Hawaii.

The new store will be part of a redevelopment of a portion of Ala Moana, by GeneralGrowth Properties. Construction will begin in 2014. The upscale chain of department stores, owned by Macy’s, will join a Macy’s store which already operates at the shopping center.

Longmont, Colo. -- NewMark Merrill Mountain States named three new anchors for the redeveloped Twin Peaks Mall: Whole Foods Market, Regal Cinemas and Sam’s Club.

The project, which is slated to open in 2014, also unveiled its new name – Village at the Peaks.

Simpsonville, Ky. -- Following on the heels of successful outlet projects in Atlanta and Oklahoma City, CBL & Associates Properties and Horizon Group Properties announced another joint venture – to co-develop The Outlet Shoppes at Louisville, in Simpsonville, Ky.

Beachwood, Ohio -- DDR Corp. announced an agreement to acquire a portfolio of prime power centers from its existing joint venture with Blackstone Real Estate Partners VII.  The acquisition is slated to close in fourth quarter 2013.
 
The joint venture between Blackstone and DDR currently owns 44 shopping centers, and DDR will acquire Blackstone's 95% common equity ownership interest in 30 of the shopping centers for $1.46 billion.

SEATTLE — Blue Nile, an online retailer of diamonds and fine jewelry, has appointed former Aeropostale co-CEO Mindy Meads to its board of directors. 

Meads has 35 years of experience in the global apparel industry. She currently serves on two public boards — Wet Seal, a specialty teen brand, and Mela Sciences, a bio tech company. In these roles, she provides strategic counsel focused on growth and the use of multichannel business strategies.

St. Petersburg. Fla. – HSN has promoted former executive VP and CFO Judy Schmeling to the new position of CEO and CFO. In her new role, she will be responsible for supply chain operations and customer care functions in addition to continuing her responsibility for finance and IT. Schmeling will oversee these areas for both the HSN and Cornerstone brands.

NEW YORK — Olivier Goudet, partner and CEO of the Joh. A. Benckiser Group and former CFO of Mars Inc., has been appointed global beauty brand Coty’s board of directors. Goudet replaces Bernd Beetz, who stepped down from Coty's board to pursue other interests.  

JAB is a privately held group that owns and invests in premium brands; it is also Coty's majority shareholder.

New York -- Cache reported Tuesday a loss of $18.5 million for the first quarter, widened from a loss of $1.2 million in the same quarter last year. An income tax provision of $10.2 million and employee separation costs were cited as reasons for the worsened performance.

Revenue declined 5% percent to $53.5 million from $56 million, and same-store sales dipped 1.5%.