Direct To Consumer (DTC)

New York City -- Aeropostale announced that it has signed a licensing agreement with Montreal PTE Ltd., a joint venture between Apparel Group LLC and Jay Gee Melwani Group, to open approximately 25 stores across Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia, over the next five years.

The first store is scheduled to open in Singapore later this year.

London -- Online sales club Privalia Venta Directa, S.L. said Monday it will acquire Dress for Less, a German online fashion retailer, from Palamon Capital Partners, a pan-European private equity firm.
 
The acquisition will be funded through a combination of $123 million of new equity provided by equity firms General Atlantic, Highland Capital Partners, Index Ventures and Insight Venture Partners.
 
Dress for Less founders Mirco Schultis and Holger Hengstler will become significant shareholders in Privalia.

New York City -- J.Crew Group said Monday its $3 billion deal to be taken private by two investment firms is complete.

It’s hard to keep up with Manhattan’s fast-changing retail scene. But no one does it better than Faith Hope Consolo, chairman, retail leasing and sales division, Prudential Douglas Elliman Real Estate. Here are new and upcoming stores that Consolo, often referred to as the “Queen of Retail,” expects to be “fashionably” fabulous this year (with all comments by the Queen of Retail herself):

New York City -- Spain’s The Inditex Group of Spain will pay $400 million for a flagship Zara retail store at 666 Fifth Avenue in Manhattan.

According to a report by the Wall Street Journal, who cited people familiar with the matter, the transaction is one of the largest retail condominium deals ever. Zara bought out a 32,000-sq.-ft. lease from former occupant NBA store, which had less than three years remaining, according to the report.

Matthews, N.C. -- Family Dollar Stores on Thursday said its board rejected a takeover bid by an activist investor, saying it "substantially undervalues the company." In February, Nelson Peltz's Trian Fund offered $55 to $60 per share, or about $6.99 billion, for Family Dollar.

The chain said it also adopted a shareholder rights plan, commonly called a "poison pill," that would significantly dilute shares if a takeover attempt proceeds.

New York City -- Target has partnered with two local developers to purchase a 7.9-acre United States Postal Service site in the Throgs Neck section of Bronx, N.Y., for $35.2 million, where they plan to build a 300,000-sq.-ft. mall, according to New York Read Estate News.

New York City -- Tiffany & Co. has named Frederic Cumenal as executive VP, effective March 10.

Cumenal, 51, will be responsible for the company’s businesses in Asia, Japan, Europe and Emerging Markets, and will report to chairman and CEO Michael J. Kowalski. He joins Tiffany from the LVMH Group where most recently he was president and CEO of Moët & Chandon, S.A.