Accessories

CINCINNATI — Bloomingdale’s is heading to Hawaii for the first time. It plans to open a 167,000-sq.-ft., three-level store at the Ala Moana Center in Honolulu on the Island of Oahu in fall 2015. 

The new store will be part of a redevelopment of a portion of Ala Moana, Hawaii’s premier shopping destination, by General Growth Properties. Construction will begin in 2014. The upscale chain of department stores, owned by Macy’s, will join a Macy’s store which already operates at the shopping center.

FREMONT, Calif. — Men’s Wearhouse has launched a revamped version of its e-commerce site which features upgrades and personalized features that improve the overall online shopping experience, from browsing to buying.

Fredericksburg, Va. -- Two new merchants will soon be joining the retail lineup at Spotsylvania Towne Centre in Fredericksburg, Va., according to Cafaro Co., based in Youngstown, Ohio.

Soma Intimates and Londons will open this summer in the outdoor shopping district of the complex, The Village at Towne Centre. Londons will open first, occupying just about 2,000 sq. ft. next to Firebirds Wood Fired Grill. By late August, Soma will open its 2,500-sq.-ft. store next to White House | Black Market.

New York -- Big M, owner of the Mandee, Annie Sez and Afaze apparel chains, will be sold to YM Inc., Toronto, in a $22.5 million deal expected to be approved by a bankruptcy judge next week, The Record reported.
 
YM operates more than 600 young women’s specialty stores under a variety of banners, including Stitches, Urban Planet, Bluenotes, Siblings, and Sirens.   

Invest in the right experience for a shopping center's customers, and you will earn a return on experience. That is the business model driving Fort Worth, Texas-based Trademark Property Co., which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year.

"Do customers love being at the center? Do they come back and drive sales? That is return on experience," said Terry Montesi, Trademark chairman, CEO and founder. Experience is indispensable today when most goods and services are available online, often at a lower price.

Here are several pure-play online retailers that are venturing into the physical space — or thinking about making the leap:

• Rent the Runway, which rents high-end designer gowns, dresses and accessories to women for weddings and other special events, will use a recent infusion of $24.4 million in financing to build showrooms where shoppers can try on the frocks and consult with stylists. The popular online destination reportedly has Chicago next on its agenda.

El Paso, Texas -- Dallas-based Venture Commercial Real Estate said it has negotiated leases for two retailers entering or expanding in the El Paso, Texas, market.
 
Rue21 has opened a 5,000-sq.-ft. store at El Paseo Marketplace, its fourth location in El Paso.

Jared, The Galleria of Jewelry has signed a lease to open its first El Paso location in a 6,057-sq.-ft. store at The Fountains at Farah, a 600,000-sq.-ft. power lifestyle center currently under construction and opening fall 2013.   

Los Angeles – Guess Inc. is appointing Sharleen Ernster Lazear as chief design officer. Lazear will oversee all product categories for the Guess and Marciano brands and report to CEO Paul Marciano.

She previously served in senior merchandising and design roles for Victoria’s Secret for 13 years, most recently as executive VP of design.

SAN FRANCISCO — Mobile solutions provider Moovweb has added fashion retailer Charlotte Russe to its list of customers using its cloud-based experience platform. 

LOS ANGELES — Guess has appointed former Victoria’s Secret executive Sharleen Ernster Lazear as chief design officer, overseeing all product categories for the Guess brands. She will report to CEO Paul Marciano.