Corporate Governance

There is an increasing difficulty in maintaining a skilled technical workforce. As the current workforce ages, technical experts are harder to find and concerns arise around workforce costs.

At a time when many retailers are cutting back on store expansion, Soft Surroundings is doing just the opposite, growing its retail footprint with a prototype that brings its brand experience to life. The women’s lifestyle brand, founded in 1998 as a catalog retailer, opened its first store in 2005. But it’s only been in the past couple of years that Soft Surroundings, which also has a thriving online business, has made a big push into brick-and-mortar. (In summer 2013, private equity firm Brentwood Associates took a majority interest — 55% — in the firm.)

Kansas City, Mo. -- Taubman Centers and The Macerich Company announced an agreement to purchase Country Club Plaza located in Kansas City, Missouri, from Highwoods Properties. Taubman and Macerich will each have a 50% interest in the center, which will be jointly managed by both companies. The mixed-use retail and office property was purchased for $660 million cash, excluding transaction costs. Concurrent with or shortly after closing, a long-term, fixed-rate loan for 50%-60% of the purchase price is expected to be placed on the asset.

Los Angeles -- CBRE Group announced that Andrew Turf, a high street luxury retail real estate expert, will join the company’s Retail Services team as senior VP. Turf will also act as tenant representative on the West Coast and beyond and collaborate with capital markets teams on a variety of real estate projects.

Same-store sales declined 11% at Hhgregg during the company’s third quarter ended Dec. 31 with the retailer of appliances, electronics and furniture citing competitive pressures as the source of weakness.

VF Corp.’s footwear, apparel and accessories brand Vans is capitalizing on one of the hottest trends in retail at its 450 stores and online.

Global investment firm KKR’s name is usually associated with large deals, but that’s not the case with it latest acquisition of a small Midwestern chain that looks a lot like Tractor Supply.

Following a contentious exchange with a large shareholder in 2015, Children’s Place is changing a key provision of its bylaws that allows investors to nominate directors and allowing a vote on several other measures shareholders identified as concerns.