Apparel

San Francisco -- Westfield San Francisco Centre will be home to the city’s first Microsoft retail store, slated to open on April 25.

Other mall additions include Samsonite, Color Me Mine ceramics studio, Amy’s Hallmark and pop-up store Celestine SF.

Beachwood, Ohio -- DDR Corp. announced Monday that, during the first quarter, it acquired two prime assets in Dallas and in Oakland, Calif., for $81 million.

Also during the quarter, DDR disposed of $46 million of non-prime assets, including $8 million of non-income producing assets.

Seattle -- Nordstrom announced plans to open two Nordstrom Rack locations, one in Oklahoma City, and the other in San Francisco.

Nordstrom Rack will open at Belle Isle Station in Oklahoma City. The approximately 34,000-sq.-ft. store, scheduled to open in fall 2013, and will be the retailer's first location in the state.

In San Francisco, Nordstrom Rack signed a 45,496-sq.-ft. lease for a space at the 901 Market Street property, which owned by Hudson Pacific Properties.

Shrewsbury, Mass. -- Charter Realty and Development said that it has leased a 19,300-sq.-ft. space at White City Shopping Center, in Shrewsbury, Mass., to Planet Fitness.

Planet Fitness joins Shaw’s, Dress Barn and Austin Liquors, among others, at the 255,000-sq.-ft. center.

Exton, Pa. -- Philadelphia-based Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust (PREIT) said Tuesday that Francesca’s Collections has opened at its Exton Square Mall property, in Exton, Pa.

The arrival of the 1,300-sq.-ft. Francesca’s store will soon be joined by Teavana, which is set to open a 1,000-sq.-ft. store this summer.

New York -- Real estate industry veteran Laura Pomerantz said Monday she has launched a new firm, Laura Pomerantz Real Estate, focused on retail and office real estate transactions.

“As the retail landscape continues to evolve and companies re-evaluate their real estate portfolios, we look forward to working closely with our clients to develop both domestic and global real estate strategies that best facilitate growth and defines their brands,” said Pomerantz, founder and president, New York City-based Laura Pomerantz Real Estate.

Lululemon Athletica, manufacturer of yoga-inspired athletic apparel has announced that its chief product officer, Sheree Waterson, will be leaving the company effective April 15.

“We appreciate the many contributions that Sheree made during her time with lululemon, particularly in the area of design,” said Lululemon’s CEO Christine Day.

Waterson joined Lululemon in 2008 and has more than 25 years of consumer and retail industry experience.

SAN FRANCISCO — The a good amount of Americans, particularly women, are using shopping to improve their moods, according to a new survey.

The study, by Ebates.com, found that 63.9% of women engage in "retail therapy," compared with 39.8% of men, and the belief that it improves moods was found among 39.2% of women, compared with 20.6% of men. The survey was conducted online by TNS Global and included 1,000 adults.

NEW YORK — Abercrombie & Fitch in its annual report revealed that it plans to open Abercrombie & Fitch flagship stores in Seoul and Shanghai in 2013, as well as 20 international Hollister stores. The news sent the teen retailer’s shares rising on Wednesday.

The company also said in the report that it is maintaining its focus on boosting profitability by simplifying processes, eliminating less-profitable parts of its business, shoring up efficiencies and cutting expenses.

WEST CHESTER, Pa. — QVC and the Fashion Footwear Association of New York have announced a $140,000 grant to fund research at The Wistar Institute on a specific and deadly form of breast cancer called triple negative.