Transform SR Brands LLC

Chattanooga, Tenn. -- CBL & Associates Properties has announced the acquisition of two Sears locations, one at CBL’s Fayette Mall in Lexington, Ky., and the other at CoolSprings Galleria in Nashville. Sears will continue to operate in both locations until closing dates have been finalized.

“We have plans to redevelop and expand both buildings to create space for new high-end specialty stores and restaurants,” said Stephen Lebovitz, CBL’s president and CEO.
 

Plano, Texas -- J.C. Penney became the latest retail chain to say it will stop selling products associated with celebrity chef Paula Deen following her admission she has made racially derogatory remarks.

In addition, Ballantine Books has ended an agreement with her to publish five books. That agreement included "Paula Deen's New Testament: 250 Favorite Recipes, All Lightened Up,” which was scheduled for release in October 2013 and had reached number one in presales on Amazon.com and the Barnes and Noble website.

Famous Brands International, parent company of TCBY Yogurt and Mrs. Fields Cookies, has appointed interim CEO Neal Courtney as the company’s CEO. Neal had been serving as interim head since February, when then-CEO Tim Casey resigned his post.

Broomfield, Colo. – Famous Brands International, parent company of TCBY Yogurt and Mrs. Fields Cookies, has appointed Neal Courtney as CEO. Neal had been serving as the company's interim CEO since February and served as COO since May 2012.

Birmingham, Ala. -- Bayer Properties will lease and manage Southlake Mall in Morrow, Ga. Macy’s and Sears anchor the 1 million-sq.-ft. enclosed regional mall. Enclosed malls now represent 30% of Bayer’s operating portfolio.

Bayer has also announced the following new leases:

Hoffman Estates, Ill. - Sears Holdings on Friday joined the growing list of retailers and other companies severing ties with Southern celebrity chef Paula Deen in the wake of the controversy regarding her use of a racial slur. Both Sears and Kmart sold Paula Deen products.

“After careful consideration of all available information, we have made the decision to phase out all products tied to the brand,” Sears said in a statement. “We will continue to evaluate the situation. Our members’ needs will be given first priority.’

Walnut Creek, Calif.  - In a webinar on June 27,  analysts from RSR Research presented insights gleaned from numerous retail IT-focused events they attended this past spring. Their findings focused on five key areas: next generation POS/store/commerce engine, buy side of omnichannel, user experience, high performance computing and cloud.

Dramatic growth and purchasing power of U.S. Latino population demands retailer attention