Strategy

The Vitamin Shoppe has announced the grand opening of a new distribution center in Ashland, Va., which positions the company for future growth. The new 311,740-sq.-ft. facility began receiving inbound inventory in June and outbound shipments to stores began in September.

New York -- Uniqlo has opened a pop-up store in the 14th Street-Union Square subway station in Manhattan. The store, which will be open through the holidays, will offer shoppers will get a $5 Metro Card in a limited-edition sleeve with any purchase.
 
“This shop fits perfectly with our strong belief in the fundamental power of clothing to improve people’s lives, and our hope is that it will provide people with comfort and warmth during the winter season,” said Larry Meyer, COO of Uniqlo USA.
 

Benicia, Calif. — Cycle Gear has announced the opening of its first New York State store in Hicksville. With this new location, Cycle Gear has stores in 31 states. Company officials said this is the first of many planned stores in New York.

Employee-owned and enthusiast-driven, Cycle Gear is an active member of the riding community, sponsoring local events and working with new and experienced riders to help them find just the right gear.

Chattanooga, Tenn. — CBL & Associates Properties, Inc. has closed on an $80 million non-recourse loan secured by The Outlet Shoppes at Atlanta, a 75/25 joint venture with Horizon Group Properties. The 10-year loan bears a 4.9% fixed interest rate. Proceeds from the loan were used to repay a $53.2 million recourse construction loan. CBL www.cblproperties.com used its share of the remaining funds to reduce outstanding balances on the company’s unsecured credit facilities.

St. George, Utah -- Family Dollar on Wednesday the grand opening of its 11th distribution center, in St. George, Utah.
 
“Opening our 11th distribution center is an important milestone for us,” said Howard Levine, Family Dollar’s chairman and CEO. “This facility is ideally located to support our growth in the West, helping us keep our stores well-stocked as we continue to provide customers in this region with great value and convenience.”

Tampa, Fla. – Marketing enterprise management systems provider Aptaris has named Bill Morrell as VP technology. Morrell previously held IT executive positions at companies including BabyAge.com and Destination Maternity, as well as consulting roles with clients including Cadbury Adams, Nascar and DME.

Los Angeles -- Sport Chalet, Inc. has elected Miki R. Berardelli, chief marketing officer for Tory Burch, to the company's board of directors. Berardelli has more than 20 years of marketing and e-commerce experience.

As chief marketing officer for Tory Burch, she oversees global marketing, public relations and e-commerce. Prior to joining Tory Burch in 2009, Berardelli spent eight years at Ralph Lauren as the senior VP of marketing. In addition, Berardelli is serving her second term as board chairman of Shop.org and is on the board of Giggle.com.

Ann Arbor, Mich. – Domino’s Pizza, Inc. reported significant increases in net income, revenues and same-store sales during the third quarter of fiscal 2013. Net income was up 17.9% for the third quarter compared to the prior year period, from $26 million to $30.6 million.