Apparel

Denham Springs, La. — Belk will open a 75,000-sq.-ft. store in Denham Springs, Louisiana, near Baton Rouge, that will become the first department store anchor at the regional lifestyle center at Juban Crossing. The grand opening is slated for October 15.

The new, $7-million store will feature the latest retail design and décor for the Charlotte, North Carolina chain.

Aurora, Ill. — Simon has launched construction of its expansion of Chicago Premium Outlets, adding 50 new stores, including Saks Fifth Avenue Off 5th, and including a comprehensive renovation of the Chicagoland center.

New York -- Fred Segal will unveil its first “international lifestyle center” concept in spring 2015, in Tokyo. The format will feature a collection of stores in three buildings in a converted railway site at 13 Daikanyama-cho Shibuya-ku, Tokyo. It will be Fred Segal’s first location outside the United States.

East Peoria, Ill. -- Cullinan Properties said that Noodles & Company will be opening a new restaurant in November at the Levee District in East Peoria, Illinois.

Chandler, Ariz. -- X Team International announced that partner Velocity Retail Group has completed deals with Goodwill of Central Arizona and six other retailers in the metropolitan Phoenix market.

Goodwill of Central Arizona will open a 27,600-sq.-ft. retail store in Chandler, Arizona, located at Arizona Avenue and Riggs Road.

Leading footwear manufacturer and retailer Wolverine World Wide plans to close 140 stores in the next 18 months as part of a strategic realignment plan focused on strengthening omnichannel capabilities.

Most of the stores to be closed operate under the company’s Stride Rite banner. Sixty of the units will close by year end with the remainder to close next year, the company said. The disclosure was made in conjunction with the release of solid financial results for the company’s second quarter ended July 14.

Indianapolis – Simon has named retail and real estate executive Stephen Yalof as CEO of premium outlets and senior executive VP of Simon. Yalof has served as senior VP of real estate for Ralph Lauren Corp. since 2002.
 
His 15 years of experience within the retail industry also includes his role as senior director of real estate for Gap. Yalof began his career in real estate at New Plan Realty Trust, and became VP of leasing for their factory outlet business. 

Sears is looking to position itself as the go-to retailer for teens, and to that end has launched an exclusive fashion collection by Seventeen Magazine.

The full collection is available at 450 Sears stores nationwide as well as on Sears.com. Shop Your Way members and customers can shop the collection, enter sweepstakes and explore exclusive content from Seventeen Magazine at shopyourway.com.