Department Store

New York -- Abercrombie & Fitch wants to turn the building that once housed the Beatles’ Apple Records into one of its namesake children’s stores, Bloomberg News reported.  

The building is where the famed singing group performed together for the last time, in 1969. The performance, which occurred on the roof, was filmed for the movie “Let It Be.” The Westminster borough council is due to vote on the proposal next week.

Amazon, which gained attention for its expanded Kindle line and growing e-commerce footprint, captured the second spot on BrandIndex's list of most buzzed about U.S. brands for 2012.

Lowe's and Target were the only traditional retailers to make the top 10. Lowe's moved up one spot to the number five position, thanks to the launch of MyLowes.com and better-equipped staff. Target captured the number seven spot with the help of its remodeling program and year-round exclusives.

Other retailers in the top 25 include Walgreens (13), Home Depot (18) and Kohl's (25).

Hyannis, Mass. -- Boston-based The Wilder Cos. said Tuesday that, as part of its major remerchandising of Southwind Plaza shopping center in Hyannis, Mass., Kohl’s and Whole Foods Market will be opening new stores at the Cape Cod property.

Kohl’s will begin construction of a nearly 55,000-sq.-ft. space in February with an opening planned for early October.  

Also joining the center with its first Cape location is Whole Foods Market, which will open a 26,000-sq.-ft. store in early 2014.
     

Miami -- Swire Properties and Bal Harbour Shops announced Wednesday they have agreed to an equity partnership to jointly develop the retail component of Brickell City Centre, currently under construction in the Brickell financial district of downtown Miami.

The 2.9 million-sq.-ft. Brickell City Centre will include 500,000 sq. ft. of high-end retail along with condominiums and hotel slated for completion in latter 2015.
 

Birmingham, Ala. -- Bayer Properties said Tuesday that Scott Laslo has joined the company as VP asset management. 

Laslo more recently served as VP/general manager and VP for Forest City Enterprises. His asset management role at Bayer will focus on value creation and oversight of the company’s growing portfolio of over 10 million sq. ft.
 

New York -- RKF said WeNew York -- RKF said Wednesday it has arranged a 1,200-sq.-ft. lease with shoe retailer CHUCKiES at 1052 Lexington Avenue on Manhattan’s Upper East Side.

This will become CHUCKiES’ third location in Manhattan, all on the Upper East Side. The new store will sit between 74th and 75th Streets along the western side of Lexington Avenue.
 
The new CHUCKiES will occupy 800 sq. ft. on ground floor of the building, as well as 400 sq. ft. of space in the basement.

LEXINGTON, Mass. — Stride Rite has launched a new line of shoes specifically designed for baby's first months through the crawling and pulling up stages.

New York -- J.C. Penney will leave the Martha Stewart name off some of its upcoming décor and housewares lines despite the pair’s multi-million dollar partnership, according to a Tuesday report by the New York Post.

Citing unnamed sources, The Post said that while the Martha Stewart name will appear on window treatments, the brand will be mostly missing from key categories such as bedding, linens and kitchenware.