Strategy

Lakeland, Fla. -- Retail Solutions Advisors (RSA) has been selected as the exclusive leasing representative for South Pasadena Shopping Center, a community shopping center situated in South Pinellas County, Fla. The 165,928-sq.-ft. center is anchored by Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market, Bealls Outlet, Pet Supermarket, CVS and Dollar Tree, and serves as the primary grocery-anchored retail center for the surrounding residential community in the captive South Pasadena area.   

Hingham, Mass.-- Talbots Inc. will license APT’s software, including its Test & Learn and Market Basket Analyzer platforms, to test and analyze key business initiatives including promotions, merchandising, marketing and store operations. Talbots will use APT’s Test & Learn approach to identify which actions are most successful in improving performance and measure their impact on a test versus control basis.

New York -– Non-recurring items, including charges relating to stock issuance and tax valuation, helped swing Elizabeth Arden Inc. to a net loss of $25.5 million in the first quarter of fiscal 2015, compared to net income of $1.59 million in the same period a year earlier. Declining North American fragrance sales helped reduce net sales 21% to $270.38 million from $343.6 million.  

Specialty retailer Tile Shop announced a senior leadership transition involving long time CEO Robert Rucker and current COO Chris Homeister.

The company said Homeister, a former Best Buy merchant who joined Minneapolis-based Tile Shop a year ago, would be elevated to the role of CEO effective Jan. 1. He replaces current CEO Robert Rucker who founded the company 29 years ago. Rucker will remain with the company on a full time basis until Aug. 1, 2015 as an advisor and board member.

Seattle –- Starbucks Corp. topped off a generally successful fourth quarter of fiscal 2014 by swinging to net income of $587.9 million from net loss of $1.23 billion the fourth quarter of the prior fiscal year. The removal of a one-time arbitration charge of $2.8 billion helped bring Starbucks into the black.  

Jacksonville, Fla. -- Bi-Lo Holdings LLC, parent company of BI-LO, Harveys and Winn-Dixie grocery stores, has completed an ATM installation project with Cardtronics ATMs. As part of an ATM services relationship that began with Winn-Dixie in 2003, Cardtronics owned and operated approximately 470 cash machines for that grocery store in 2013 when Bi-Lo Holdings agreed to transition additional locations and banner names to Cardtronics.   

The Bill Blass brand is in for a breath of fresh air with the arrival of celebrated designer Chris Benz as new creative director.

Reporting directly to Stuart Goldblatt,  Bill Blass’ newly appointed president and CEO,  Benz will be responsible for the overall creative direction of the company.

Benz brings to Bill Blass years of experience in the fashion industry, including designing for Mark Jacobs and J.Crew, as well as his own collection CHRIS BENZ, launched in 2007.

Pittsburgh –- GNC Holdings Inc. reported a decrease in profit for the third quarter of fiscal 2014 but still beat Wall Street expectations. Net income totaled $64.3 million, down 13% from $73 million the same quarter a year earlier.