Department Store

The National Retail Federation (NRF) and the Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) have asked an appeals court to overturn a federal judge’s approval of a lawsuit settlement regarding Visa and MasterCard’s credit card swipe fees, saying it was negotiated by only a handful of merchants and would do nothing to bring the fees under control.

Nearly two months after opening up a specialty retail location in New York’s SoHo neighborhood, Under Armour has confirmed that it plans to open in March 2015 its latest Brand House at 600 North Michigan Ave. in Chicago’s Magnificent Mile.

Houston -- Francesca's Holdings Corp. announced the appointment of R. David Minnix, Jr., as senior VP and head of boutiques, effective  July 8.  

DSW’s Affiliated Business Group (ABG) division and Yellow Box Corporation have partnered to open a Yellow Box concept store at The Falls Shopping Center in Miami, Florida, Friday, June 20.

Yellow Box plans to host a grand opening event with Lucky Magazine on the afternoon of Saturday, June 28. The company also plans to open two additional stores in Southern California at the Topanga  and Sherman Oaks shopping centers in August.

Yellow Box is a leading women's footwear wholesaler notable for jeweled sandals and fashion footwear for women.

Francesca’s has tapped David Minnix Jr. as the new VP and head of boutiques. The former chief stores officer at Dots Fashion will start his job overseeing the upscale boutique chain’s operations on July 8.

Minnix has also formerly worked for retailers like Zales and Pearle Vision, and at Dots Fashion oversaw store support and loss prevention departments, among other duties. At Francesca’s Minnix will oversee the company’s 519 boutiques, each of which is meant to feel like an independent shop.

New York -- DSW Inc.'s Affiliated Business Group and Yellow Box Corporation will open the first-ever Yellow Box store on June 20, at The Falls Shopping Center in Miami. The store opens on June 20.

Chicago -- Chile is the number one destination for emerging market retail expansion, followed by China, where retail sales totaled a whopping $3.7 trillion in 2013, according to the 2014 A.T. Kearney Global Retail Development Index.

With Uruguay, Brazil, Peru, Panama, Colombia, Costa Rica and Mexico also in the index of top emerging economies ready for retail expansion, Latin America continues to show strength as a regional retail growth market.

Toronto - Sears Canada Inc. has entered into a binding agreement with Concord Pacific Group of Companies to pursue the development of the 12-acre Sears site located at the North Hill Shopping Center in Calgary, Alberta. Closing under the agreement is conditional upon satisfaction of conditions such as site investigations and obtaining the approval from the city of Calgary for the project, which are expected to take some time.