Apparel

NEW YORK — The Estée Lauder Cos, whose brand portfolio includes Bumble and Bumble, American Beauty, Aveda and La Mer, has appointed Tracey Travis as EVP and CFO.

She will jointly report to executive chairman William Lauder and Fabrizio Freda, president and CEO. Travis will assume her new position on Aug. 20.

Woodbridge, N.J. -- Fameco Real Estate said it has leased retail space at Plaza Square in Wayne, N.J., bringing the center to full occupancy.
 
The 104,000-sq.-ft. center, owned by Jacksonville, Fla.-based Regency Centers, is anchored by ShopRite with Bank of America, Dollar Power, Bensi Italian Restaurant and Wendy’s. Recent lease signings include Great Clips, Hand & Stone, C2 Education and GNC.
 

Niles, Ohio -- Kearney, Neb.-based teen retailer The Buckle said it has opened a new location at Eastwood Mall in Niles, Ohio.

The store, the company’s 21st in the state, celebrated its grand opening on July 16.
 

Katy, Texas -- Soma Intimates said it will open a new boutique at LaCenterra at Cinco Ranch, located in Katy, Texas.

The new store is slated to open July 23.

A joint venture of Houston-based Vista Equities Group and Denver-based Amstar Group, LaCenterra at Cinco Ranch is a mixed-use town center development located within the 7,600-acre master planned community of Cinco Ranch.

Phase I of LaCenterra opened March 1, 2007 with approximately 170,000 sq. ft.
 

Chicago -- Oakbrook Terrace, Ill.-based Mid-America Asset Management said that Bedding Experts has opened a 4,019-sq.-ft. store at Deerfield Village Centre on Chicago’s North Shore.

The privately held mattress retailer took space vacated by Blockbuster Video, and opened on June 30.

Deerfield Village Centre features 44,083 sq. ft. of retail space that includes Chipotle, Leather Creations, Sprint, and Starbucks among others.
 

Bedford, Ind. -- Beachwood, Ohio-based Chase Properties said it has acquired Williams Crossing in Bedford, Ind., from Horne Properties.

Williams Crossing is a 50,000-sq.-ft. shopping center that is shadow-anchored by a Super Walmart. Other tenants in the center include Dollar Tree, Maurices, Shoe Show and Hibbett Sports. Marcus & Millichap brokered the sale.
 

Retailers should brace for strong back-to-school sales according to a National Retail Federation survey that shows a surge in K-through-12 and college spending.

Chicago -- The first of Target’s smaller-format CityTarget urban stores are slated to open on July 25 in Chicago, Los Angeles and Seattle.

Two years in the making, the smaller stores will feature broad offerings in a space two-thirds the size of a regular Target store – or 80,000 sq. ft. to 100,000 sq. ft., compared with 135,000 sq. ft. to 175,000 sq. ft.

Niles, Ohio -- Youngstown, Ohio-based Cafaro Co. said that The Children’s Place will open a new store in the Dillard’s Concourse of Eastwood Mall, in Niles, Ohio.

The new store is slated to open November 2012 in more than 3,500 sq. ft. of space.  

Armonk, N.Y. – In-store sales of women’s clothing are expected to see a 9.2% increase in the third quarter of 2012 versus the year-ago period, according to a just-released IBM analytics-based forecast of U.S. retail sales data. The report predicts a 6.2% increase in sales of children’s clothing and a 5.2% increase in footwear. Men’s clothing, however, is forecast to lag, dropping 6.7%.