Corporate Governance

Guilford, Conn. -- The Fresh Market continues to grow its specialty grocery chain in the state of Connecticut with a new location slated for Guilford. The store, expected to open in late 2015, will be located in Guilford Commons, a new retail project being developed by Beechwood, Ohio-based DDR and situated near the intersection of Interstate 95 and Boston Post Road.  

Once opened, the Guilford Fresh Market will be the grocer’s third in the state, joining stores in Avon and Westport.

The Macy’s Bloomingdale division is pursuing a micro-seasonality promotion opportunity with an Asian-inspired marketing campaign.

The company announced that it will be ringing in the Year of the Ram this Chinese New Year with unique merchandise, special events and cultural presentations from Jan.22 – March 2.

San Francisco -- Schneider Electric and Autodesk are teaming up to advance building information modeling (BIM) technology and principles for building lifecycle management. As part of the collaboration, the two companies are exploring ways to complement each other’s strengths to make buildings more energy efficient, from the design and construction stage and continuing through operation and end-of-life phases.

Canton, Mass. -- Athletic-shoe maker New Balance has teamed up with private-equity firm Berkshire Partners LLC to acquire The Rockport Company from the Adidas Group for $280 million.

Financial terms were not disclosed.

As part of the deal, New Balance affiliate Drydock Footwear LLC, whose brands include Cobb Hill, Aravon and Dunham, will join with The Rockport Co. to create The Rockport Group.

Cincinnati – Kroger Co. has reportedly purchased a soon-to-be shuttered Macy’s store located in the Kingsdale shopping center in Upper Arlington, Ohio, for $10.5 million. According to Columbus Business First, Kroger may include multifamily housing or offices in its redevelopment plans for the site.

The Zoning Board would have to approve any Kroger redevelopment plans. Giant Eagle also operates a grocery store in the Kingsdale center. Kroger did not comment.
 

Corte Madera, Calif. – Restoration Hardware Holdings Inc. (RH) has named Ali Rowghani to its board of directors. He will also serve on the board’s Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee.

Vice presidents of merchandising at Fry’s Food Stores and Ralph’s and two other executives are the newest members of the board of the Western Association of Food Chains.

The trade group said four new members were elected to its board at its annual meeting this month in LaQuinta, Ca. Joining the board are Monica Garnes, Vice President of Merchandising at Fry’s, Dennis Gibson, president of QFC Stores, Valerie Jabbar, Vice President of Merchandising at Ralphs and Rob McDougall, President and CEO of Gelson’s.

Cincinnati - Macy’s Inc. plans to relocate its West Sacramento, California-based direct-to-consumer fulfillment center to a larger facility in a nearby location in Sacramento County to support continued sales growth driven by its omnichannel strategy. Contingent on approvals by the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors, Macy’s will begin operations in summer 2015 at a 385,000-sq.-ft. facility, creating approximately 100 new jobs.