Hudson's Bay Co. (HBC)

The story of the reinvention of a mall into a multi-use development got more colorful this week.   Crayola Experience announced it will place its fourth U.S. location in The Shops at Willow Bend in Plano, Texas, a Starwood mall that is adding a seven-story office tower, an expanded dining district, and the North Texas Performing Arts Center in a top-to-bottom transformation.   

There’s been a shakeup at Bon-Ton Stores.   The department store retailer announced that Kathryn Bufano, president and CEO, will leave the company when her contract expires on August 25. She will be succeeded by William Tracy, currently the retailer’s COO. He will be Bon-Ton’s fourth chief executive since 2012.   

Hudson’s Bay Co. has brought in professional advice regarding its potential merger with Neiman Marcus.    The Canadian department store company has hired a debt restructuring adviser, investment bank Evercore Partners Inc., to review the potential acquisition and provide Hudson’s Bay Executives with ways on how it could proceed without Hudson’s Bay assuming Neiman Marcus’ full debt, according to a Reuters report on CNBC.com.     

Hudson’s Bay Company is losing its finance head.   The retailer said that CFO Paul Beesley has made the decision to resign in order to return home to Canada to be closer to his family. Beesley will continue in his role over the next two months to ensure a smooth transition. His last day with HBC will be July 7. HBC has engaged an executive search firm to assist in recruiting a new CFO.  

Hudson’s Bay Co.’s newest executive is joining the company just in time to lead the European division’s next phase of development.   Dr. Wolfgang Link will become CEO of HBC Europe, effective May 1. He will lead the expansion and growth strategy for the department store’s European business, including Galeria Kaufhof, Galeria Inno, and the entrance of Hudson’s Bay and Saks OFF 5TH. Reporting to HBC’s CEO Jerry Storch, Dr. Link will also oversee the European management team.  

Hudson’s Bay Co. mirrored the challenges confronting the department store industry as it swung to a loss in its fourth quarter  and said it would cut costs and capital spending.   

Lord & Taylor is looking to engage shoppers with a new luxe concept dedicated entirely to one of its core categories: dresses.   The retailer has transformed the fifth floor of its Manhattan flagship into a dedicated space for dress shopping for all occasions. Spanning over 30,000 sq. ft., the updated space includes a rotating pop-up shop that launches with one-of-a-kind vintage designer dresses, a concierge service, and The Gallery, a dedicated area for designer dresses.  

Saks Fifth Avenue is the latest retailer to compromise the personal data of some of its shoppers.   Saks inadvertently exposed personal information, including email ad-dresses and phone numbers of some of its shoppers on its online shop-ping site this weekend, according to BuzzFeed News.