Corporate Governance

Limited CEO jumps ship for Chico’s
Chico's FAS announced that Diane Ellis has been appointed president of its Chico’s brand, effective November 1, 2016. Ellis joins Chico's from The Limited, where she has served as CEO and president since 2013. Prior to The Limited, Ellis spent six years as president and COO of Brooks Brothers, where she led the stores, ecommerce, IT, HR, sourcing, product development, finance, supply chain and planning functions in support of the global operations of the brand.
West Elm isn’t the only retailer going into the hotel business
Hotels may just be the new frontier for retailers. Shinola, the quirky company best known for its pricey watches, bikes and leather goods, already has its headquarters, manufacturing arm and a flagship in Detroit. Next on the agenda: a 130-room-plus boutique hotel.

Fire at distribution center cuts into Gap’s results

The fire is out, but its effects will linger. Gap Inc. on Thursday reported a 3% decline in same-store sales for September, and said it expects the fire that occurred at the end of August at its distribution center in Fishkill, New York, will negatively impact its October comp-sales by approximately 3 percentage points and also have a negative impact on its comp-sales results in its fourth quarter.
Report: Walmart fielding presentations from 26 technology startups

Walmart is hosting 26 startups to present their ideas as part of the company's Technology Open Call, the Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette reported Thursday. The event is being held in conjunction with Friday's Northwest Arkansas Tech Summit and features companies like FreshSpire, a service that notifies participating consumers the availability of discounted produce that's about to expire.
Online apparel retailer making move to brick-and-mortar

ModCloth, the online apparel retailer known for its indie and vintage-inspired styles, is opening up its first permanent store. The company will open a 4,000-sq.-ft. location in Austin, Texas, in November, Bloomberg reported. Other locations are likely to follow.
Tanger breaks ground next to Texas Motor Speedway

Raceways appear to be the newest fertile ground for retail. International Speedway Corporation recently started construction at One Daytona, a mixed-use project across from Daytona International Speedway, and now Tanger Outlets has started up a new center a lap away from Texas Motor Speedway.
L Brands tops Street in September as some others disappoint

L Brands, operator of Victoria's Secret and Bath & Body Works, posted a better-than-expected 3% increase in same-store sales for September. The retailer’s results were fueled by a 9% increase in comp sales at its Bath & Body Works brand. L Brands’ net sales rose 6% to $919.9 million in September. The handful of other retailers who still report same-store sales did not fare so well.
Kiler rejoins Edens to manage Texas properties

Just two years after leaving the company, Tom Kiler has rejoined Edens as senior VP in charge of the company’s 20 Texas properties. Kiler will be responsible for management of the current portfolio in the Lone Star State and will direct acquisitions, development, and operations of Edens properties in Dallas and Houston. These include Houston’s Uptown Park and Dallas’s Preston Royal.
The Town Builders

Leading-edge developers, retailers bring stores to people, not people to stores
Redefining the space

Retailers, developers attempt to turn shopping centers into gathering places with stores
Digital moves fast. Business people who disregard the devastating waves of changes it leaves will inevitably be engulfed by them. Consider this rising marketplace tsunami detected by Deloitte Consulting:
On the Level: A real estate column

Do we come to bury Jeff Bezos, or to praise him?
When I was a boy, my Cioci Mary (cioci is Polish for aunt) would occasionally treat me to a trip downtown in the small city where I grew up. We’d get a burger at Pappas’ diner and then head to W.T. Grant’s and she’d buy me candy, a comic book and a small toy. I mist up a little just thinking about it now, more than 50 years later.
You think a child of today, decades hence, will recall his aunt buying him a pair of sneakers on her laptop as fondly?
Whole Foods’ rapid solar rollout

Whole Foods Market is saving money and time — and benefiting the environment—by taking an innovative approach to going solar.
That’s according to an analysis by the Retail Industry Leaders Association and The Solar Foundation that found Whole Foods’ strategy of taking a standardized approach to rapid rollout of solar rooftop installations across multiple locations could be a valuable model for other retailers to consider.