JCPenney Co.

Minneapolis -- Target Corp. said Thursday that the president of Target.com, Steve Eastman, has departed the company to pursue other opportunities.

The retailer said the decision is unrelated to the performance of its online business. However, the crash of its website last month during the launch of its exclusive Missoni collection led to much criticism.

Eastman is the second major executive to leave Target this month.

Northbrook, Ill. -- StreetMac Asset Managers announced that an affiliate has purchased the Brazos Mall in Lake Jackson, Texas, and the Shawnee Mall in Shawnee, Okla., through a joint venture with an affiliate of Stamford, Conn.-based Five Mile Capital Partners. The seller was Lightstone Properties.

The two malls have a combined 1.14 million sq. ft. of leasable retail space. Terms were not disclosed. The acquisitions represent StreetMac’s inaugural purchases of retail malls in markets nationwide.

Plano, Texas -- J. C. Penney Co. said Wednesday it will acquire the worldwide rights for the Liz Claiborne family of brands, as well as the United States and Puerto Rico rights for the Monet brand for $267.5 million.

The company has been the exclusive licensee for all Liz Claiborne and Claiborne-branded merchandise in the United States and Puerto Rico since August 2010.

PLANO, Texas — JCPenney Co. said Wednesday it will acquire the worldwide rights for the Liz Claiborne family of brands, as well as the United States and Puerto Rico rights for the Monet brand for $267.5 million.

The company has been the exclusive licensee for all Liz Claiborne and Claiborne-branded merchandise in the United States and Puerto Rico since August 2010.

The departure last week of Target chief marketing officer and spearhead of the retailer’s entry into Canada, Michael Francis, was a significant development in the retail world, but someone forgot to tell the company’s suppliers.

Sidney, Neb. -- Firethorn Mobile, Inc.! said Friday that outdoor retailer Cabela’s will use the Swagg Smartphone application, providing shoppers with mobile access to special retail offers and customer loyalty programs.

The app includes a GPS locater, providing customers with a localized merchant list and detailed description according to their current location. It will also feature user-generated cards, in which users can add their own cards such as AAA, American Red Cross, library, and local merchants.

MENOMONEE FALLS, Wis. PLANO, Texas and CINCINNATI – While Kohl’s and Macy’s posted September sales growth, JCPenney had to scale its outlook back after a weaker than expected month.

Kohl’s reported that sales for September increased 5.8% and comparable-store sales increased 4.1% over the same period last year. 

New York City -- Macy’s saw same-store sales rise 4.9% in September, and total sales increased 5.3% to $2.298 billion in the five-week period.

“We continued to see a strong sales trend in September at both Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s,” said Terry J. Lundgren, chairman, president and CEO of Macy’s. “Our sales performed well both in stores and online. This underscores that our business remains on track, despite the persistently negative macroeconomic news.”