Department Store

T.J.Maxx has come up with a creative way to encourage shoppers to support children in need.

The retailer is launching the "Maxx Kids Art Contest" to support organizations that help children in need reach their full potential, such as Save the Children. Winning artwork will appear on future products sold in T.J.Maxx stores that will benefit children in need. In addition, all winners will receive a $250 savings bond.

New York — Aeropostale is losing a key executive and not replacing her.

The retailer announced that its chief merchandiser, Executive VP Emilia Fabricant, is leaving the company. Effective immediately, the company's senior merchandising team will report to CEO Julian R. Geiger.

The retailer said there are no plans to seek a replacement for Fabricant at this time.

WILMINGTON, N.C. — The Mayfaire Town Center and Mayfaire Community Center have been acquired by CBL & Associates Properties, a publicly traded real estate investment trust based in Chattanooga, Tenn.

The sale, which closed June 18, is not expected to result in immediate changes that will be noticed by consumers.

Once a horse farm, Mayfaire Town Center and Mayfaire Community Center have become one of North Carolina's premier shopping and leisure destinations.

Wallingford, Conn. — Edible Arrangements International has named Tony DiPippa as CFO.

DiPippa replaces former CFO George Wilson, who moves over to support Edible Arrangements founder and CEO Tariq Farid in the expansion of Edible Brands and  his other ventures, including Netsolace, Broadpeak and Naranga.

Barnes & Noble Inc. has appointed a Home Depot president and a former executive of PaineWebber as two new independent directors to its board ahead of the company's separation of its retail and college businesses.

The new board members are Ann-Marie Campbell, president of the southern division of Home Depot, and Paul B. Guenther, former president of PaineWebber Group Inc., the parent company of Paine Webber, Incorporated.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Cypress Equities, the management company for Brookwood Village, announced its plans for updating the interior of the two-level shopping center that straddles the communities of Homewood and Mountain Brook.

New York – Barneys New York keeps expanding its use of  social media. The luxury retailer will enable customers to shop directly from a link embedded in its official Instagram account. Utilizing technology from Like2Buy, the feature will link customers to shoppable Instagram images which connect to the Barneys e-commerce site.

The Minneapolis Star-Tribune is reporting that Target laid off 140 staffers and eliminated 50 open positions at its headquarters on Wednesday.

According to the newspaper, the eliminated positions were in places “we identified redundancies or opportunities for greater efficiencies,” Molly Snyder, a Target spokeswoman, wrote in an e-mail. 

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