Apparel

Ascena Retail Group began a search for a new CFO after its current EVP and CFO, Dirk Montgomery, resigned this week. As the company reviews potential new CFOs, Ascena board member and audit committee chair Randy Pearce, will have more involvement with the company’s finances.

Montgomery is expected to stay in his position until the fall, when he will move on to a Florida-based healthcare company, where he recently accepted an offer to be closer to his family.

Clothing company Kellwood has named Marc Babins the president of its western region. Babins — who has been in the apparel industry for most of his career — will head up Kellwood’s largest operations unit in City in Industry, California.

Sears Outlet Stores, a subsidiary of Sears Hometown and Outlet Stores, has leased the former Sears location on E Front Street, expanding Outlet Store operations and services, while offering an economic boost with mass job creation.

Norwalk, Conn. -- GE Capital announced it is providing Brookstone, the product development company and specialty retailer, with a $115 million senior credit facility. The financing will be used to support the company’s recent acquisition by Sailing Innovation (Sailing) and general working capital needs.

San Francisco -- Continuing its global growth, Gap Inc. on Monday announced that it will introduce the Gap brand to Slovenia and Austria through agreements with new and existing franchise partners. Magistrat International, a new partner, has been selected for the launch of Slovenia. Gottex, which currently manages the Gap franchise business in Israel and Hungary, will launch Austria.

New York -- Italian luxury brand Fendi has opened a pop-up, called #fendisoho in Manhattan’s SoHo neighborhood. The 630-sq.-ft. store will be open until the end of the year.

The merchandise will rotate on a monthly basis, with different themes that reflect the breadth of the brand’s offerings. The first collection is devoted to accessories, or what Fendi calls “must-have mini-icons.”

Fort Worth, Texas -- Trademark Property Co. announced it has been engaged to manage and lease Uptown Village at Cedar Hill, a 610,000-sq.-ft. mixed-use open-air center in Cedar Hill, Texas.

Strategically located in the midst of a dynamic retail hub less than 20 minutes south of downtown Dallas, Uptown Village includes 350,000 sq. ft. of specialty stores and restaurants and 35,000 sq. ft. of office space.

Westminster, Colo. -- Brixmor Property Group, owner and operator of the largest wholly owned U.S. portfolio of grocery-anchored shopping centers, has leased more than 97,000 sq. ft. of retail space to five national retailers at Westminster City Center in Westminster, Colorado. 

Long Beach, Calif. – A former state office building near City Hall in Long Beach, California, is reportedly being torn down to make way for a seven-story, $53 million mixed use retail and residential complex. According to the Long Beach Press-Telegram, the vacant property was bought in foreclosure for $10 million in 2010.

Washington, D.C. - The Association for Retail Technology Standards (ARTS), the standards and technology division of the National Retail Federation (NRF), has released the Compliance Audit Interchange. The CAI is a specification that allows organizations to share compliance audit results securely with other companies who source from the same supplier location.