Corporate Governance

Fine jeweler to launch discount model
The nation’s largest family-owned and operated retail jewelry chain is opening its first-ever outlet stores. Rogers & Hollands Jewelers will launch a discount store prototype, Rogers & Hollands Outlet, this April. Two Rogers & Hollands stores in the Chicago area, one at North Riverside Park Mall and one at Golf Mill Shopping Center, will be rebranded, remodeled and reopened under the new banner.
Two retail associations to combine risk events
The Food Marketing Institute and National Retail Federation will combine their existing risk and safety signature events into one cross-industry event starting in 2018. The two groups will sponsor Protect in 2018, according to an announcement made Wednesday at the FMI’s Audit, Safety, Asset Protection Conference in Orlando.

Women’s apparel chain looks to close stores and focus online

Four years of losses are catching up with Bebe Stores Inc. The fashion retailer is hoping to turn its brand around by closing its stores and putting all its focus on e-commerce, according to Bloomberg. Bebe currently operates about 170 stores.
Westfield’s smart screens to serve up customized offers to mall shoppers

State-of-the-art digital screens that can identify demographic information of passersby and pitch them personalized offers from brands are making their way into Westfield malls in top DMAs. Employing a proprietary suite of technologies, the six-foot-tall, high-definition screens scan passersby and — apparently through smartphone data and facial imaging — determine their demographic profiles to serve them customized ads.
Sears issues dire warning about its ability to survive

The fat lady is singing at Sears Holdings Corp. The long-struggling retailer said on Tuesday that there was “substantial doubt” that it could stay in business.
First Look: Target’s next-generation store concept

Target Corp. has unveiled its next-generation store format, which will make its debut in Richmond, Texas, a Houston suburb, in October. In addition to the new 124,000-sq.-ft. Richmond store, 40 additional Target locations will receive elements of the redesign when they are updated, also in October.
Home goods retailer jumps into augmented reality app

Pottery Barn customers in the San Francisco area will soon be able to see how a product will look in their home before they buy it. The retailer, a division of Williams-Sonoma, will launch its first smartphone augmented reality app later this month. Called 3D Room View, the app is powered by Tango technology from Google. (It can be used only on Tango enabled smartphones.)
Apparel and accessories retailer Q4 sales, profit top Street

A move to a more fast-fashion model helped Francesca’s to outperform many of its peers in the fourth quarter, with sales and income that topped expectations. The retailer reported better-than-expected profit of $14.6 million, or 39 cents a share, for the quarter ended January 28, compared to $14.7 million profit, or 35 cents a share, in the year ago period.
Former Gordmans CEO set to make offer for bankrupt retailer

Jeff Gordman, the former CEO of Gordmans, plans to submit a bid for the bankrupt 106-store chain that would rescue it from liquidation. But he isn’t the only interested party.
Rouse sells Oregon power center

Rouse Properties has divested itself of an 821,564 center in Eugene, Oregon, whose tenants include Target, Cinemark, Cabela’s, Kohl’s, Hobby Lobby, and Ulta. The Shoppes at Gateway was purchased by Balboa Retail Partners for an undisclosed amount. “The Shoppes at Gateway is a thriving shopping center that drew significant investor interest," said JLL EVP Geoff Tranchina, who represented Rouse in the deal. JLL will continue on as the managing agent of the property.
Avison Young expands reach in the Carolinas

Avison Young has bought a Raleigh, North Carolina-based leasing and property management company and, in the process, added 65 shopping centers to its listings in the Carolinas. The acquired company, Hunter & Associates, was founded in 1989 by Banks Hunter when he took over management of the historic Professional Building in downtown Raleigh. Hunter focused its efforts on the leasing and management of neighborhood and community centers to become the largest, locally-based retail brokerage in the region.
Walmart launches Store No. 8 — but it’s not really a store

The nation’s largest retailer is delving deeper into e-commerce and evolving technology with its newest investment. Walmart has formed Store No. 8, a technology incubator that will be based in the Silicon Valley. (The new initiative is named after an early Walmart store that company founder Sam Walton used to try out new retail strategies.)