Banana Republic, LLC

Bloomfield Hills, Mich.-based Taubman Centers, Inc. has officially broken ground on its new Taubman Prestige Outlets Chesterfield project by hosting a groundbreaking ceremony on July 27.

As part of the ceremony, Taubman revealed a variety of store names that will make their debuts at the new outlet mall, among them Banana Republic Factory Store, Gap Outlet, J. Crew Factory, Brooks Brothers Factory Store, 2b Bebe, American Eagle Outfitters - Off Campus, and Sunglass Hut.

Hazelwood, Mo. -- St. Louis Mills, Missouri’s largest outlet and value retail shopping and entertainment destination, will add a 35,000-sq.-ft. Ross Dress for Less, joining recently opened Toy Heaven, Broadway Suits and Wholesale Mattress Center and More.
 
The new Ross store will be located near Sears Outlet and across from Levi’s Outlet.
 

NEW YORK — Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia has appointed Michael Robinson to the newly created position of VP e-commerce. Robinson brings retail, direct-to-consumer and digital experience working with popular brands such as Anthropologie, Smith & Hawken Ltd., and Banana Republic Inc., and will be responsible for building out the company's e-commerce presence, including the site the company is jointly developing with JCPenney, which is slated to launch in 2013.  He is reporting to Lisa Gersh, president and COO of MSLO.

Orlando, Fla. -- Jones Lang LaSalle announced that it was selected for two retail assignments in Florida: management and leasing for the Galleria at Fort Lauderdale in Ft. Lauderdale and management for Vero Beach Outlets in Vero Beach.

The Galleria at Fort Lauderdale is a 964,423-sq.-ft. super-regional mall in South Florida, anchored by Neiman Marcus, Macy’s and Dillard’s.

The nearly 1,000 stores Gap Inc. operates under various nameplates that will be open on Thanksgiving are the latest indication of the extreme measures required of retailers to grow holiday sales during challenging and intensively competitive times.

It seems like everybody wants to get in the outlet business these days. In particular, there are a growing number of “traditional mall” developers that seem to be seriously considering -- or in some cases, actively pursuing -- the development of outlet centers or the conversion of existing traditional mall assets into outlets. On the heels of Gap’s announcement to close 200 of their full-price stores by 2013 and concentrate on expanding their Gap outlets and Banana Republic Factory Stores, I understand why developers are seriously thinking about outlet centers.

NEW YORK — Gilt Groupe, an online retailer that specializes in selling sought-after brands at discounted prices to its 3.5 million members, has partnered with Banana Republic to offer its members exclusive access to select pieces from the retailer's upcoming "Mad Men" collection.

SAN FRANCISCO— At an investor conference on Thursday, Gap CEO Glenn Murphy announced the company will close 200 of its 900 U.S. namesake stores even as it expands its outlet presence.

 While the company did not identify which stores will close, Gap said the 200 Gap brand closures over the next two years will be accompanied by a push to expand its Gap Outlet and Banana Republic factory chains.

San Francisco -- At an investor conference on Thursday, Gap CEO Glenn Murphy announced the company will close 200 of its 900 U.S. namesake stores even as it expands its outlet presence.

While the company did not identify which stores will close, Gap said the 200 Gap brand closures over the next two years will be accompanied by a push to expand its Gap Outlet and Banana Republic factory chains.

The historic May flood of 2010 in Nashville and Middle Tennessee took 23 lives, displaced thousands of residents and flooded hundreds of businesses, as more than 13 inches of rain was recorded over a two-day period and the Cumberland River reached nearly 12 ft. above flood stage.

Among the business casualties was the Opry Mills, a Simon Property Group outlet retail destination seven miles from downtown Nashville and a short walking distance from the Grand Ole Opry.