Retail

New York -- A Monday report by Bloomberg said that ex-Aeropostale executive Christopher Finazzo – convicted last week on 14 counts of  fraud against the retailer – has been order to forfeit more than $25 million.

Jurors unanimously found that Finazzo must turn over $25.79 million in cash, interest in four Calverton, N.Y., properties and as much as $300,000 from a trading account, according to the Bloomberg report, which cited a statement by Robert Nardoza, spokesman for Brooklyn U.S. Attorney Loretta Lynch.
 

Menomonee Falls, Wis. -- Kohl’s Corp. said Monday that it has opened a new IT office in Silicon Valley. The 52,000-sq.-ft. office space in Milpitas, Calif., will be an extension of the IT team at the company’s Menomonee Falls, Wis., corporate office and will initially employ 30-plus Kohl’s associates with the potential to accommodate future growth, said the retailer.

Washington, D.C. -- Applied Predictive Technologies said Monday that AutoZone has extended its relationship with APT to license APT’s Test & Learn Management System on a long-term basis.

AutoZone will continue implementing the Test & Learn Management System to assess strategic marketing, capital expenditure, merchandising, labor, and store operations initiatives.

Austin, Texas -- Survey results by coupon site RetailMeNot revealed Monday that the vast majority of consumers believe that saving money is important.

According to the Shoppers Trend Report, conducted by The Omnibus Co. for RetailMeNot, 93% of consumers say they believe that saving money in their everyday lives is important. The survey also found that 61% are saving about the same or more money per month than they were five years ago.

Lodi, N.J. -- Charter Realty & Development said that Blink Fitness will open a 20,000-sq.-ft. facility in Lodi, N.J.

The fitness facility operator has grown to 13 locations in the New York Tri-State area, with another approximately 15 openings scheduled over the next 12 months.

Prince Frederick, Md. -- Brixmor Property Group announced that Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft will open a 12,020-sq.-ft. store at Fox Run, located in Prince Frederick, Md.

Brixmor, based in New York City, is the owner of Fox Run.

Indianapolis -- Simon Property Group announced that it has named Liz Zale as senior VP in a newly created role overseeing corporate affairs and communications, effective May 1.  

Zale's responsibilities will include supervision of Simon’s investor relations, public relations, corporate communications, and government relations functions.
 
She previously served as senior VP investor relations for Nielsen Holdings.

New York -- Multibillion dollar transactions drove U.S. retail and consumer deals during the first quarter of 2013, according to PwC US.

For the three month period ending March 31, 2013, there were a total of 27 deals in the retail and consumer sector with disclosed values greater than $50 million, accounting for $39.8 billion in deal value. Deal volume increased 59% from the 17 deals during the first quarter 2012, while deal value rose 590% from $5.8 billion in first quarter 2012.