Corporate Governance

Covington, La. And Chattanooga, Tenn. — Phase I of Fremaux Town Center in Slidell, La., opened on Friday, according to the property’s joint developers Stirling Properties and CBL & Associates Properties.

Kohl’s, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Best Buy and T.J.Maxx anchor the 352,342-sq.-ft. center, which is more than 95% leased.

Lands' End will be back on its own as a publicly traded company following a formal announcement by parent company Sears Holdings to spin off the well-known apparel brand.

The move follows years of speculation that Sears would divest the brand, which it acquired in May 2002 for $62 a share. At the time, Lands' End was a publicly traded company with revenues of nearly $1.6 billion, profits of $67 million and earnings per share of $2.23. The $62 a share Sears paid 12 years ago represented a 21.5% premium over the closing pricing of $51.02 prior to the announcement of the deal.

The Disney and Starbucks brands provide design inspiration for the  coffee giant's first company-run location on Disney property in the United States. The 5,600-sq.-ft. store, at Downtown Disney in Anaheim, Calif., uses customized content and technology to engage and inform, from a video installation that documents the Starbucks story to an interactive digital chalkboard that customers of all ages can draw and write on.

Birmingham, Ala. – Net income and sales declined at Hibbett Sports Inc. during the fourth quarter of fiscal 2013. Net income dropped 13% from $19.6 million in the fourth quarter of the prior fiscal year to $16.4 million, while net sales inched upward 0.2% to $217.8 million from $217.4 million.

Same-store sales rose 1.7% during the quarter. Hibbett Sports cited slowing sales in January due to inclement weather and a less favorable sales impact from the national college football championship game as impacting net income.

New York -- Organizational, operational and technology challenges are hampering retailers' efforts to meet customers' demand for a seamless shopping experience across all channels and touchpoints. According to a new research study from Accenture and Hybris Software, retailers view omni-channel maturity as a key brand differentiator for their companies, and improving their ability to provide customers with a seamless shopping experience across all channels as a top priority.

To celebrate the start of the men’s and women’s college basketball tournament, appliance and electronics retailer Hhgregg is kicking off its March into Hhgregg event,”which will award more than $50,000 in prizes from LG Electronics.

From now through April 7, Hhgregg shoppers can enter daily online, via smartphone, on Facebook and in-store. Winners will be selected instantly, weekly, and one grand prize winner will be selected on April 8.

Ridgefield, Conn. -- Schimenti Construction Company is in the midst of building its first project for Canadian fashion apparel retailer Aritzia. Located at The Westchester in White Plains, New York, the new Aritzia store is a 5,520-sq.-ft new build-out in a premier shopping location.

Aritzia’s stores are all designed individually, with no two looking the same, but each has a sophisticated lounge-like atmosphere that boasts high-quality natural materials and luxurious finishes.

The Hain Celestial Group introduced Garden of Eatin' Butternut Squash Corn Tortilla Chips. The gluten-free snack features a combination of butternut squash and organic yellow corn.