Department Store

Philadelphia -- Capping a turbulent summer for maternity apparel retailers, Destination Maternity CEO Ed Krell has resigned effective immediately, and will be replaced by Anthony Romano, former CEO of Charming Shoppes, Inc.

Southlake, Texas -- Retail Properties of America, Inc. announced that Columbia Sportswear's Performance Fishing Gear concept store, plus several additional retailers including Altar'd State (5,162 sq. ft.), Elaine Turner (2,066 sq. ft.), ME SPA – which replaces Coldwater Creek Spa – and J.Jill, have recently opened, or will be opening, at Southlake Town Square in Southlake, Texas.
 
Columbia Sportswear's PFG store, the first of its kind in Texas, will measure 3,456 sq. ft. and is slated to open in late November 2014.

Redmond, Wash. – Microsoft Corp. is reportedly negotiating to open a new store on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan. According to the New York Daily News, the site is only a few blocks from Apple’s large “glass cube” store in New York.

Miami Beach, Fla. -- Terranova Corp. and Acadia Realty Trust have reportedly agreed to sell six retail buildings on Lincoln Road in Miami for $342 million. According to the Miami Herald, the buildings were purchased for a combined $191 million in 2011 and 2012, marking a $151 million profit in a few years.

Tenants include Starbucks, Fossil, and A/X Armani Jeans. The deal is with an unnamed institutional investor and is not yet completed. It ranks as the most expensive retail real estate transaction in Miami history.

Columbus, Ohio -- DSW’s Affiliated Business Group division and Yellow Box Corporation have opened the first-ever Yellow Box Footwear store in California, at the Westfield Topanga Mall, in Canoga Park.

Founded in 1998, Yellow Box is a footwear wholesaler best known for its jeweled sandals for women. The Yellow Box retail concept made its debut in June, with a store in Miami.

Gap posted positive comps in July for the four-week period ended August 2, buoyed by sales at Banana Republic; but preliminary second-quarter results show that comparable store sales were flat compared to the same period last year.

Net sales in July increased 5% to $1.17 billion compared with net sales of $1.12 billion for the four-week period ended August 3. For the second quarter, Gap Inc.’s net sales increased 3% to $3.98 billion compared with $3.87 billion for the second quarter last year.

Yonkers, N.Y. -- Forest City Ratner Companies (FCRC), the developer and owner of the Westchester’s Ridge Hill shopping center, has announced some new tenants that will open at the regional center. They include 5 Napkin, a family-friendly bar and grill; Wine Zetta, a regional wine store; and Hand and Stone, a spa franchise.

Los Angeles – American Apparel has relocated its Aix-en-Provence store in France. Set in a former private hotel, the new location features an open, single floor layout and flower garden.

The shop maintains much of the building's early architecture including stone walls, a fireplace (transformed into a shoe display) and double front doors depicting the city's emblem of two lion faces. With history dating back to the 16th century, it marks the company's oldest interior in Europe.