Department Store

The former CEO of the nation’s top plus-size apparel chains will soon head up a food retailer.   Just days after it was revealed that Linda Heasely had left her position as chief executive of Ascena Retail Group’s Lane Bryant and Catherine’s, Honey Baked Ham Company announced that it had appointed her as its new CEO, effective Feb. 6, 2017.  

Although it’s only one of many tax proposals being floating around, the so-called border adjustment tax has raised a red flag among many retailers.    The CEO of Target Corp., Brian Cornell, recently visited Washington to lobby against the House Republican proposal, according to Fortune, which noted the visit was first reported by Politico.  

Nordstrom Rack is bullish on Chicago.    The retailer announced plans to open a store at Mellody Farm in Vernon Hills, Ill. The property, which is being developed by Regency Centers, is located 30 miles north of downtown Chicago.   The approximately 30,000-sq.-ft. store, scheduled to open in fall 2018, will be the 15th Rack store in Chicagoland following the announcement of new locations in Kildeer, Ill., and Schererville, Ind., which are opening this spring.   

Washington Prime Group has announced a $33 million renovation plan of Pearlridge Center in Aiea, Hawaii, near Pearl Harbor. The 1.2 million-sq.-ft. property is the largest retail center in the state, consisting of Uptown and Downtown complexes joined by a monorail.  

J.C. Penney is shoring up its commitment to its new technology lab in Bangalore, India.   The chain has tapped Snehil Gambhir as VP and managing director of its global in-house center (GIC). Tasked with leading all operations at the company’s GIC, he will support and expand a variety of key business functions, including IT, digital, store operations, analytics, marketing, infrastructure and merchandise operations.  

Schostak Brothers has added six multi-tenant properties to its “Shadow Walmart” portfolio of retail space adjoining supercenters, bringing it to a total of 67. The new additions are located in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas.   “In the last decade, we have pursued an aggressive growth strategy in order to assemble one of the largest Walmart Supercenter shadow-anchored shopping center portfolios in the United States,” said Schostak COO Warren Strietzel.  

The search is on for a new president of Banana Republic, which has had a hard time finding its footing amid dismal same-store sales results.     Gap Inc. said Tuesday that company veteran Andi Owen, global brand president for Banana Republic, will leave the retailer in late February. Gap CEO Art Peck will directly oversee the brand until the company finds a replacement.   

An historic department store building that closed its doors and has been empty for 30 years — long enough for a tree to start growing inside it — has been given a brand new lease on life.