Department Store

Annual study tracks cost of building and outftting stores

The cost of building and outfitting stores is on the rise, according to Chain Store Age's 2013 Store Construction and Outfitting Survey.

Seattle – Brad Smith, president and CEO of Intuit Inc., has joined the board of directors of Nordstrom. Smith, who has been with Intuit since 2003, was named president and CEO in 2008. Prior to joining Intuit, Smith held sales, marketing and management roles with companies including ADP, PepsiCo, Seven-Up and Advo. He is also a former director of Yahoo.

SEATTLE — Nordstrom has appointed Intuit president and CEO Brad Smith to the company’s board of directors. 

His addition brings the total number of directors to 12, 9 of whom serve as independent directors. Nordstrom directors serve one-year terms and the company requires annual elections of all board members.

Smith was named president and CEO of Intuit in January 2008, culminating a five-year rise through the company where he led several of its major businesses. 

New York – Closing arguments for the lawsuit Macy’s filed against JC Penney and Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia last year are scheduled to commence Aug. 1, according to a report in Reuters. The suit claims a December 2011 agreement to create Martha Stewart boutiques in JC Penney stores violated Macy’s exclusive right to sell Martha Stewart Living products.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Stein Mart’s interim CEO Jay Stein has been named CEO. 

"It has been my pleasure to return and lead Stein Mart after nearly two years as interim CEO. Working side-by-side with our wonderful leadership team, we are now enjoying these great results," said Stein. "This is an important time in our company's history and I am very happy to be part of this great organization."

Los Altos, Calif. – Catalog Spree, which promotes itself as a “digital mall” providing online access to retail catalogs, has added several brands to its mobile shopping app. Retailers — including Forever 21, JC Penney, Kohl's, Target, Toms Shoes, Torrid and Urban Outfitters — now have Catalog Spree “lookbooks” that provide online browsing of catalog-style product selections. Catalog Spree also has added a price watch feature that sends users automatic notifications when prices on desired goods drop to a certain point.

Omaha, Neb. - Midwestern department store retailer Gordmans Stores, which recently announced plans to expand its store base nearly 40% over a three-year period, said it will move forward with the Oracle Retail platform as a means to support the aggressive growth initiative.

NEW YORK — Beauty brand Coty has promoted Stephen Mormoris to the position of SVP, global marketing American fragrances, Coty Prestige. Additionally, Johanna Businelli has been promoted to the newly created position of SVP, color cosmetics, Coty Beauty.