Department Store

Oracle Industry Connect starts today, and promises to bring retailers two full days of their peers providing in-depth insight into the latest trends and pain points facing retail technology professionals. The event, being held at the Marriott Copley Place, Boston, Mass., offers a stellar lineup of speakers, including Jeff Hamm, director of e-commerce at Ulta Beauty, who will speak about improving customer experience at home and on the go with Oracle Commerce. Paul McFarren, CIO of C Wonder, will discuss supporting global growth with a unique deployment of Oracle Retail Merchandising.

Los Angeles — CBRE’s nation retail investment group has announced the sale of San Antonio’s Westover Marketplace Shopping Center on behalf of Coventry Real Estate Advisors. Inland American purchased the 242,664-sq.-ft. property for an undisclosed price.

The Class A regional power center resides inside the Westover Hills master-planned development. It is 93.4% occupied.

New York – New York & Company grew its net income during the fourth quarter of fiscal 2013 11% to $6.9 million, from $6.2 million. Net sales fell 7% to $271 million from $291.8 million and same-store sales climbed 1.2%.

New York & Company attributed its improved net income to expense controls and increased merchandise margin. The company also cited the 53rd week in fiscal 2012 as affecting its negative net sales growth.

Bexley, Ohio — Stanbery Development has named Marc Hays as a partner. He will focus on finding locations for new developments and acquisitions as well as leasing.

Newport Beach, Calif. - Engaged Capital, an investment firm specializing in small and mid-cap North American equities and stockholder of Abercrombie & Fitch Co. has retained an independent global professional services firm to assist Engaged Capital in setting a new direction for Abercrombie. The firm has decades of experience in the retail and apparel sector, including the turnaround and restructuring of underperforming businesses.

San Diego — Simon Property Group has announced that AllSaints, Pink, lululemon athletica and Free People plan to open stores at San Diego’s Fashion Valley in coming months.

British fashion house, AllSaints will open a 5,200-sq.-ft. space in late March. The international retailer now has 107 stores in eight countries.

San Francisco – Private equity firm Golden Gate Capital Corp. disclosed in a regulatory filing that it has purchased a 9.5% ownership stake in Ann Inc., parent of Ann Taylor.  

In a letter to the Ann Inc. board of directors, Golden Gate said it looks forward to working collaboratively with Ann Inc. The company said that it did not plan to seek changes to the retailer’s board or executive team, or to push for a sale

New York -- Nordstrom Inc. is delaying the opening of its Nordstrom Rack chain in Canada until 2017, in order to focus its attention on the launch of its full-line department stores there, The Globe and Mail reported.

Nordstrom had initially planned to start opening Rack stores in Canada next year. But the company has decided to focus on  the openings of its six Canadian department stores (the first, in Calgary, is due to open this fall).