Apparel

WAYNE, N.J. — Babies“R”Us is partnering with mom and fashion icon, Heidi Klum, for an exclusive collection of affordable luxuries for little ones, adding to its growing assortment of differentiated product offerings. This new collection, Truly Scrumptious by Heidi Klum, will be available at Babies“R”Us stores across North America and online at Babiesrus.com beginning this fall. 

Plano, Texas -- On Thursday, J.C. Penney and CEO Ron Johnson announced a new lineup of executive players to join the department store retailer’s team, one of them from the ranks of Apple.

Benjamin Fay, senior director of retail real estate, design and development for Apple, has been named executive VP real estate, store design and development for J.C. Penney.

New York -- Liz Claiborne Inc. reported Thursday that it narrowed its loss in the first quarter to $60.6 million, compared with a $96.3 million loss in the year-ago period. Strong sales of the company’s Kate Spade and Lucky Brands goods strengthened the results.

Revenue for the period fell 4% to $317.1 million from $330.7 million, but beat Wall Street’s estimated $307.4 million in revenue.

Glendale, Calif. -- Glendale Galleria, a 1.5-million-sq.-ft. super-regional shopping center announced the architects who will work on the center's grand renovation project. Glendale Galleria is owned and operated by Chicago-based General Growth Properties.

Fredericksburg, Va. -- Youngstown, Ohio-based Cafaro Co. announced that Parmida Home will open a new store at The Village at Towne Centre, near Fredericksburg, Va.

The 6,900-sq.-ft. store is slated to open in early November across from Sephora.

The Village at Towne Centre is the outdoor shopping district of Spotsylvania Towne Centre, a 1.7 million-sq.-ft. complex offering more than 120 department stores, specialty shops, restaurants, hotels and entertainment venues.
 

Malibu, Calif. -- Southern California lifestyle center Malibu Country Mart welcomed Kolletti Bambini, a boutique specializing in designer clothing and accessories for children and infants.

The 630-sq.-ft. boutique opened on April 20.
 
Malibu County Mart features 90,000 sq. ft. of high-end retail, dining and services housed in an eclectic mix of architectural styles including Mediterranean, modern and rustic influences. 
 

Sunrise, Fla. -- Indianapolis-based Simon Property Group announced that Sawgrass Mills, the largest outlet, value retail and entertainment destination in the United States with more than 350 stores, will soon break ground on its newest phase of development to increase the footprint of The Colonnade Outlets at Sawgrass Mills. 

This milestone also represents the soon-to-be-completed 140,000-sq.-ft. retail expansion of the south side of the property.

Southbury, Conn. -- Real estate firm RHYS Commercial announced that T.J. Maxx has signed a long-term lease to open a 22,000-sq.-ft. store at Southbury Plaza, located in Southbury, Conn.

Southbury Plaza, owned by Gatto Development Corp., is a 300,000-sq.-ft. shopping center anchored by Stop & Shop Supermarket, Kmart and Panera Bread.
 

Delray Beach, Fla. -- Indianapolis-based Kite Realty Group said Thursday that Republic of Couture will open an 8,000-sq.-ft. store at Delray Marketplace, located in Delray Beach, Fla. The new store is slated to open in November.

Delray Marketplace is a 270,000-sq.-ft. center anchored by Franks Theatres, Max’s Grille and Publix.

HOUSTON — Mid-price apparel retailer Stage Stores has named Steven Lawrence as chief merchandising officer, effective April 30. Lawrence will be responsible for all of the merchandising, planning and allocation functions of the company.

Prior to joining Stage Stores, Lawrence spent 11 years with JCPenney, where he was most recently co-chief merchant EVP GMM men’s, kids and home.