Strategy

Leslie’s Poolmart Inc. plans to make a splash in select cities this month as it opens 15 new retail locations throughout the United States on April 9.

During the store grand openings between April 9 and April 13, customers will receive 20% off most everything in the store. Each store's grand opening will also be celebrated with a ribbon cutting and other events.

New York -- Interbrand, a leading brand consultancy, has named Victoria Leavitt as CEO of consumer & retail brand experience in North America. She will be based in Cincinnati and report directly to Josh Feldmeth, CEO of Interbrand North America.

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).

Global cross-border e-commerce provider BorderFree has a new chief marketing officer.

The company announced that Jonathan Kapplow will be responsible for all marketing functions at the company, driving preference and action for both B2C and B2B constituents.

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.

Seattle – A seller of posters on Amazon.com has reportedly pled guilty to antitrust charges from the U.S. Justice Department. According to Reuters, David Topkins of San Francisco conspired to manipulate the price of posters on Amazon Marketplace between September 2013 and January 2014.

Rockaway, N.J. – Party City is joining the initial public offering (IPO) party. The retailer has filed paperwork for an IPO that could raise as much as $428 million and value the company up to $2 billion.

One of the main reasons Party City wants to take its celebration public is to support planned growth of 350 new North American stores. The retailer currently operates 900 Party City stores, as well as the Halloween City, Factory Card & Party Outlet and Party Packagers chains.

City of Commerce, Calif. – 99 Cents Only Stores is opening nine new stores in California between April 9 and April 11. The stores will be located in the communities of San Luis Obispo, Ontario, Sonora, Santee, Escondido, Tustin, San Bernardino, Cypress and South El Monte.

99 Cents Only currently operates 384 stores located in California, Texas, Arizona & Nevada.