Strategy

Woodmere, Ohio -- Urban Outfitters’ concept Free People, as well as men’s shoe retailer Allen Edmonds, will make their debut to the Northeast Ohio market when they open their doors at Eton Chagrin Boulevard.

The Eton location is Free People’s first Ohio boutique while the only other Allen Edmonds stand-alone store in the state is an outlet store in Jefferson, Ohio.

New York City -- Sabre Real Estate Group said it has arranged a lease for the first Orangetheory Fitness Studio on Long Island.

The lease with landlord Federal Realty Investment Trust is for 3,480 sq. ft. at the Huntington Square Mall, located in East Northport and anchored by Sears and Barnes & Noble. The studio is expected to open in February.

Orangetheory Fitness has plans to open as many as 30 studios in Nassau and Suffolk Counties. 
 

Chattanooga, Tenn. -- CBL & Associates Properties announced that in 2012 it will complete multimillion dollar renovations at four market-dominant CBL Malls, with projects scheduled for Cross Creek Mall in Fayetteville, N.C.; Post Oak Mall in College Station, Texas; Turtle Creek Mall in Hattiesburg, Miss.; and Mall del Norte in Laredo, Texas. 

The renovations are expected to be completed by the end of 2012.

New York City -- A New York state Supreme Court filing on Monday disclosed that Macy’s Inc. is suing Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia Inc. for breach of contract after Martha Stewart set up a new deal last December with J.C. Penney to sell products at its stores.

According to Macy's, Martha Stewart Living granted it product exclusivity under a 2006 agreement. J.C. Penney, which acquired a 16.6% stake in the company in December, plans to open Martha Stewart Living in-store shops, beginning in 2013, which violates that exclusivity, said Macy’s.

Dallas -- HR solution-provider PeopleAnswers and Canada-based Town Shoes, which sells under Town Shoes and The Shoe Co., announced Tuesday that Town Shoes will use the PeopleAnswers pre-employment and employee selection solution in its 124 stores across Canada.

Menomonee Falls, Wis. -- Kohl’s Department Stores said Tuesday it will build a new e-commerce distribution center in DeSoto, Texas, outside Dallas.

The 951,000-sq.-ft. DC, which is slated to open in summer 2012, will fulfill Kohls.com purchases. Kohl’s said it will close on the agreement once the building process is complete.

LEXINGTON, Mass. — Collective Brands Performance and Lifestyle Group has announced the appointment of Rick Blackshaw as president of the Keds brand. Blackshaw has extensive footwear experience with brands including Converse, Timberland, and the former division of Reebok, Avia, and most recently served as VP and general manager for the Chuck Taylor All Star Division of Converse Inc. He will start in his new role Jan. 24 and succeeds Kristin Kohler Burrows who recently departed the position to pursue career opportunities closer to her home in New York. 

London -- A report released Tuesday by Bloomberg said that U.K. clothing chain Bonmarche will close as many as 160 out of 390 stores after its owner Peacock Group sold the chain to an affiliate of Sun European Partners.

KPMG administrated the transaction; the new buyer said that about 2,400 of 3,800 jobs will be retained.

The report said that KPMG had been seeking a buyer for Bonmarche since being appointed earlier this month as administrator to Peacock, which also owns Peacock’s Stores Ltd., a U.K. discount apparel chain.