Strategy

Young America (YA), a leading multichannel marketing promotions company, has named two of its executives to industry board and councils.

Houston -- Baker Katz, an X Team International partner and full-service commercial real estate brokerage firm, announced that construction has begun on its retail center in Tomball, Texas.

Washington, D.C. -- The Global Port Tracker report released by the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates said that import volume at major U.S. container ports is expected to hit an all-time record in August.
 
Retailers concerned about the lack of a West Coast longshoremen’s contract are rushing to bring holiday season merchandise into the country, according to NRF.

Overstock.com is offering shoppers a new method of paying for their purchases — a store credit card. The new cards will be provided by Comenity Capital Bank, which furnishes credits cards for retailers such as Buckle and Express.
 
"We always like to give our customers options," Overstock CEO Patrick Byrne said. "That applies to both product selection and payment method. Allowing customers to pay for larger purchases over time is an exciting development and one that has been received enthusiastically."
 

New York -- Lululemon Athletica Inc.’s founder, Dennis "Chip" Wilson, reached an agreement to sell half his stake in the women's yoga-wear company to Advent International of Boston for $845 million. The deal will give Advent, which owned shares of Lululemon from 2005 to 2009 and was one of the company's early venture capital backers, 20.1 million shares, or 13.9% of the company (Lululemon went public in 2009). It also gives Advent two seats on the board, including Advent's managing partner David Mussafer, who will become co-chairman of the retailer.

Banana Republic in late August will extend its digital reach as part of a select group of brands partnering with Instagram on paid advertising — a first-time amplification for the brand on the platform.

New York - Fairway Group Holdings Corp., the parent company of Fairway Market, shrank its net loss to $9.7 million in the first quarter of fiscal 2015 compared to $27.95 million in the same quarter the prior year. Declining general and administrative expenses, resulting from the elimination of IPO- and consultant-related fees from the first quarter of fiscal 2014, helped reduce net loss.

Redmond, Wash. – Microsoft Corp. is reportedly negotiating to open a new store on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan. According to the New York Daily News, the site is only a few blocks from Apple’s large “glass cube” store in New York.