Apparel

Northridge, Calif. -- Chicago-based General Growth Properties said Monday it will update its Northridge Fashion Center property, in Northridge, Calif., by modernizing and enhancing both the interior and exterior of the shopping center.

Renovations to the property launch in February and include new flooring, new interior and exterior dining areas, revamped color palette and lighting, a re-invented Macy’s Court with a Cyberlounge, a new Children’s Play Area, and updated entrance façade, way-finding signage and lighting.

A lineup of five new retailers will be opening at Westchester’s Ridge Hill in early spring, according to the New York City-area project’s developer Forest City Ratner Cos.

Victoria’s Secret, Bath & Body Works, White House | Black Market, The Limited and Vera Bradley will open around the same time as Lord & Taylor, slated to debut in mid-April.

New York City -- J.C. Penney has dropped its plans to open a store in the Kress Building downtown Seattle, according to The Seattle Times.

The chain signed a lease last May for two-thirds of the building, but the space is now being shopped around for sublease, the report said.

"This had nothing to do with Seattle or the location. The timing just did not match up with their new CEO," Seattle Pacific Realty broker Elizabeth Best, who is representing J.C. Penney in its search for a sublease tenant, said in the report.

Ron Johnson isn’t afraid of making waves. Just as my page-neighbor Jeff Green suggested in his latest column, “A Penney for your Thoughts,” the Apple-CEO-turned-JCP-chief is keenly focused on reinventing a department store dinosaur into a sleek, well-oiled retail machine. And if that means reneging on prior deals, so be it.

By Craig R. Johnson, [email protected]

Atlanta -- Mild weather over much of the country spurred increased retail card spending growth in January, according to First Data Corp.’s SpendTrend, which tracks same-store consumer spending by credit, signature debit, PIN debit, EBT cards and checks at U.S. merchant locations.

Overall year-over-year dollar volume growth was 7.0% in January, while overall transaction growth was 7.2%. Mild winter weather nationwide resulted in lower energy demands, providing consumers with additional income to spend at retailers.

Everett, Wash. -- Zumiez Inc. will move its e-commerce fulfillment operations from its headquarters in Everett, Wash., to Edwardsville, Kansas, in May to accommodate their growing online business and to increase the speed of product deliveries to online customers.

COLUMBUS, Ohio — DSW is giving students at the Fashion Institure of Technology in New York City a chance to accelerate their careers. The retailer announced that is sponsoring "A Design Affair," a contest that will award one winner with a cash prize, intership and his or her shoes being sold at DSW.

ARMONK, N.Y. — Analysts at IBM are confident that retail sales are positioned for increases across a broad spectrum of categories.

According to a report released by the company, the surge will be led by a projected 8.2% rise in men’s apparel sales.

“The forecast of men’s apparel sales reflects a growing trend: men are definitely developing a taste for fashion – especially in business attire,” said Jill Puleri, global retail leader for IBM Global Business Services.

New York City -- The latest jewel in the portfolio of Mexican department store operator Liverpool took top honors in Chain Store Age’s 30th annual Retail Store of the Year design competition. The company’s 319,000-sq.-ft. store in the Mexico City suburb of Interlomas was named Store of the Year and was also the winning entry in the Department Store category.

Here is a complete list of the winning projects, all of which will be featured in the March issue of Chain Store Age and reviewed at its annual SPECS Conference: