Department Store

Denver — H&M has signed a lease for 20,000 sq. ft. at The Orchard Town Center, a 914,000-sq.-ft. open air regional retail center in Westminster, Colo., according to Vestar, the property’s owner. H&M plans to open the new store in the fall.

The addition of H&M comes less than two months after Vestar acquired the property for $123.5 million in an all cash transaction. Vestar plans to redevelop the project, rebranding the center with new amenities while brining in new retailers.

Dublin, Calif. -- Ross Dress for Less will open four new locations in Florida on March 8, adding to its existing store base of more than 130 locations in the Sunshine State. New locations include the Coral Ridge Mall in Fort Lauderdale, Seabridge Square in St. Augustine, Lake Mary Centre in Lake Mary, and Southchase Village in Orlando.  

Together, Ross Dress for Less and DD’s Discounts currently operate approximately 1,300 off-price apparel and home fashion stores in 33 states, the District of Columbia and Guam.

Houston - Men's Wearhouse has increased its purchase offer for Jos. A. Bank Clothiers Inc. to $63.50 per share, or about $1.78 billion, from $57.50 per share, or about $1.6 billion. The bid may increase to $65 a share, or about $1.82 billion, if Jos. A. Bank agrees to halt its planned acquisition of Eddie Bauer and lets Men’s Wearhouse conduct limited due diligence. On February 14, Jos. A. Bank agreed to buy Eddie Bauer for $825 million, but reserved the right to terminate the deal if a superior transaction emerged.

Just a little more than a week after Jos. A. Bank announced its intentions of acquiring Eddie Bauer, Men’s Wearhouse has upped the ante.

Columbus, Ohio – Big Lots Inc. is hosting three career fairs in the San Francisco Bay and San Jose areas the first week of March. The retailer has opportunities for experienced store management, entry-level management, store associates, and stockers.

"We're looking for people committed to delivering terrific service in a fast-paced retail environment," said regional HR manager Bill Armstrong. "This is a great opportunity to meet and interact with a prospective employer and make a real impact."

New York -- Eminence Capital LLC, which owns 4.9% of the common stock of Jos. A. Bank Clothiers, Inc. has issued a statement in support of the new offer by The Men's Wearhouse for the company. The statement, attributed to Eminence CEO Ricky C. Sandler, says that combining the two companies the best outcome for all shareholders.

London  -- ECommera, a provider of Big Data and omni-channel commerce solutions for retailers, has completed a $41 million Series C funding round. Dawn Capital led the round together with investors West Coast Capital, Frog Capital, EPlanet Capital, WPP and new partner Wti.