Tapestry, Inc.

London - McArthurGlen Group, an owner, developer and manager of European designer outlets, is opening its first North American location on July 9, in Vancouver. McArthurGlen Vancouver Airport is designed in an open-air village style, with a luxury piazza and tree-lined streets.

On opening, the center will offer 240,000-sq.-ft. of retail space with 50 new stores, featuring Armani, Coach, J Crew, Hugo Boss, Ports 1961, Tommy Hilfiger and Polo Ralph Lauren, with more brands to come before the end of 2015.

By Brian Ehrig

The U.S. dollar has risen by more than 20% against the other major currencies over the last year, buoyed by a respectable if not torrid economic recovery and sinking oil prices, among other factors. That could be a breath of fresh air for U.S. shoppers with a taste for imported goods. For global mega-brands like PVH, Microsoft and Coach, however, the implications are closer to a gathering storm.

New York -- Andy Dunn, the founder of the hot online menswear retailer Bonobos, is transitioning from CEO to executive chairman. Dunn, who founded the company in 2007, has named retail veteran Francine Della Badia to serve as CEO starting June 1.

Della Badia most recently served as president of North American retail at Coach, leaving in February. She also held positions with Victoria’s Secret, J.Crew and Gap Inc.

Major shopping center openings in 2014 beg the question, “Are we back on track?”

Last year may be the first 365-day period since the Great Recession that there is enough new shopping center space to crow about.

Chain Store Age’s annual development survey — spanning 26 years — reported pretty spotty new-build efforts from 2009 to 2013, but in 2014 some significant projects opened.

Greensboro, N.C. -- Tanger Factory Outlet Centers and Foxwoods Resort Casino announced that Tanger Outlets at Foxwoods will celebrate the new center's grand opening on Thursday, May 21 kicking off at 10 a.m. with an official ribbon cutting hosted by Drew and Jonathan from the hit show, Property Brothers. The festivities will include a design workshop with the Property Brothers, an Instagram Tech Lounge, as well as special savings and giveaways.

Merchandising and marketing concepts such as shoppable videos, digitized stores and social campaigns on Instagram and Twitter were alien ideas to retailers just a few years ago. Not anymore, according to Tom Ebling, CEO of cloud-based e-commerce solutions provider Demandware, who has a unique perspective on what it means to be a “connected brand.”

Chattanooga, Tenn. - CBL & Associates Properties Inc. and Horizon Group Properties Inc. have begun construction on the second phase of The Outlet Shoppes at Atlanta. The 33,000-sq.-ft. expansion is scheduled to open before the 2015 holiday season and will bring several popular retailers to the center, including Gap Outlet and Banana Republic.

New York -- Kroger executive Kathleen “Katy” Barclay and former Coach executive Catherine “Kate” Buggeln have joined the board of directors of Five Below. The two executives bring different strengths to the rapidly growing teen and tween retailer’s board. Barclay has more than 35 years of experience in the human resources field and currently serves as senior VP of human resources at Kroger.