Retail

Boston -- The administration of Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick has agreed to allow the construction of a 4.5-acre complex called Fenway Center in the area around Fenway Park in the city’s Back Bay neighborhood. Developer John Rosenthal will pay $226 million in rental fees to build the development, which will include retail stores as well as homes and office buildings.

The development includes state-owned land as well as air rights over the Massachusetts Turnpike.

Fremont, Calif. -- Men’s Wearhouse is launching a redesigned e-commerce site with a number of upgraded and personalized features. These include personalized style suggestions, product filters such as size, price and color, and personalized product selections based on shopper history. The retailer is planning to offer additional new online features in the next six to eight months, such as new checkout experience, buy online and pick up in-store capabilities, and international shipping.

Los Angeles -- CBRE Group released research findings on Tuesday that showed Hong Kong’s continued top position as the world’s most expensive global retail market, recording prime rents nearly 150% higher than New York City.

London ranked third, with prime rental rates 400% lower than Hong Kong’s.

New York -- Cache reported Tuesday a loss of $18.5 million for the first quarter, widened from a loss of $1.2 million in the same quarter last year. An income tax provision of $10.2 million and employee separation costs were cited as reasons for the worsened performance.

Revenue declined 5% percent to $53.5 million from $56 million, and same-store sales dipped 1.5%.

New York – Barnes & Noble subsidiary Nook Media LLC is releasing an updated Nook app for iOS devices. The app allows iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch users to download the full selection of comics and graphic novels from the Nook store with support for Zoom View, allowing readers to focus on individual panels. Other updates features include animated page turns and the ability to enlarge book illustrations.

New York -- A Tuesday report by Reuters said that J.C. Penney Co.’s real estate holdings – including stores, DCs and headquarters – are worth a total of $4.06 billion.

An appraisal was conducted for Penney and subsequently disclosed in a presentation to potential lenders that was also filed with U.S. regulators.
 

Omaha, Neb. -- Apparel and home-décor retailer Gordmans said Tuesday it has appointed Geoffrey Ayoub as senior VP planning, allocation and analysis.

Ayoub joins Gordmans from EDCON, a South African-based retailer operating over 1,000 stores in multiple retail formats throughout five countries. At EDCON, he served as chief planning officer responsible for all aspects of merchandise planning, allocation, replenishment and merchandise analysis.

Goodlettsville, Tenn. – Dollar General plans to hire 10,000 new employees this month. As part of the effort, the discount retailer will host a nationwide career fair at 170 locations in 40 states on May 18.