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New York — Winick Realty Group has announced two lease transactions that will relocate two long-time tenants in Manhattan’s Garment Center.

Twenty-year-old Chinese contemporary sportswear designer Jsong International signed a lease for 1,900 sq. ft. at 149B West 36th Street, between Broadway and Seventh Avenue. The brand, which had previously operated a showroom at nearby 499 Broadway, moved to introduce a retail component to its business.

Yonkers, N.Y. – Banana Republic will become a new retailer at the Ridge Hill shopping center in Yonkers, N.Y. Forest City Ratner Companies (FCRC), the developer and owner of Ridge Hill, said the Banana Republic location will open beneath the center's Uniqlo store.

Land of Nod was founded 18 years ago as an online retailer of furniture, décor and bedding for infants and kids but has since become an omnichannel operator with an upscale brand.
 
The company currently operates five stores in California, Illinois and Seattle. Managing director Michelle Kohanzo shared some perspective on what it’s like to work at an omnichannel retailer in the latest installment of This Is Retail from the National Retailer Federation.

Leading online cash back shopping platform Ebates has acquired Extrabux, a free comparison-shopping website where consumers discover the best prices, find coupons and earn cash back on their online purchases.

As a result, the two companies have a growing membership base in China and have launched Ebates.cn.

REI, a leading specialty retailer of outdoor gear and apparel, achieved record annual sales of $2 billion in 2013, up 5.9% from $1.9 billion the previous year, despite a challenging retail environment and severe winter weather.

Comparable store sales, including direct-to-consumer sales, increased 2.9%.

Lands' End will be back on its own as a publicly traded company following a formal announcement by parent company Sears Holdings to spin off the well-known apparel brand.

The move follows years of speculation that Sears would divest the brand, which it acquired in May 2002 for $62 a share. At the time, Lands' End was a publicly traded company with revenues of nearly $1.6 billion, profits of $67 million and earnings per share of $2.23. The $62 a share Sears paid 12 years ago represented a 21.5% premium over the closing pricing of $51.02 prior to the announcement of the deal.

New York -- Sears Holdings Corp. said its board has approved the spin on of its Lands’ End business, effective April 4, according to a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
 
The agreement, which was announced in December, will make Lands' End an independent company that will trade on the Nasdaq under the symbol “LE.”

Sears stockholders on record as of March 24 will receive about 0.3 shares of Lands' End common stock for each share of Sears they own.

Jessica Simpson’s plus-size swimwear line is now available at Swimsuitsforall, a leading online retailer for women's swimwear.

The collection features tankinis, swimdresses and plus-size bikinis, including high-waisted bottoms paired with bandeau/halter bikini tops.

Recently, Swimsuitsforall debuted their Designer Boutique swimwear collection, featuring MICHAEL Michael Kors, Anne Cole, Becca ETC, Kenneth Cole Reaction, La Blanca, Carmen Marc Valvo, Badgley Mischka and Jessica Simpson.