eCommerce

Lululemon has named a new chief technology officer.   According to a report in GeekWire, Julie Averill is joining the retailer as its new executive VP and chief technology officer. Currently, Averill is the CIO at REI.  

Phillips Edison & Company is the fastest-growing company in retail real estate, and it wanted to applaud that fact by giving retailers the fastest route to Chain Store Age’s Annual Real Estate Report. Dig in to learn about the leading developers, the best third-party managers, and the future innovators in the business.

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Rascall Flats will be appearing in an extended engagement, band members hope, in Gainesville, Florida.   The famed country band chose Celebration Pointe, an under-development town center heavy on dining and entertainment options, as the site for one of the first Rascall Flatts Bar & Grills The very first is due to open in Cleveland, with Los Angeles and Connecticut to follow.  

Harrys of London has a new owner with an interesting portfolio who wants to expand the brand.   The luxury footwear and accessories brand has been acquired by Charles S. Cohen, a New York real estate developer and media entrepreneur. Cohen, who acquired 100% interest in Harrys from Palladin Consumer Retail Partners, will assume the position of chairman. Palladin acquired a majority stake in Harrys in 2014.  

Destination XL Group Inc. posted disappointed earnings and sales in its first quarter, but sounded a confident note that it was back on track.   In its quarterly earnings release, the big-and-tall apparel retailer also refuted a recent report, which it said had been repeated by various media outlets, that called into question the company’s ability to repay its debt.  

Gap Inc.’s reported a 12% jump in first quarter profit amid another strong performance from its Old Navy division.    Net income rose to $143 million, or 36 cents per share, in the quarter ended April 29, from $127 million, or 32 cents per share, a year earlier. Its results easily beat the Street, which had predicted earnings of 29 cents per share.   

Dollar Tree is making headway on its strategic move into the nation’s most densely populated state.   The value chain has executed five leases at locations in New Jersey, the largest a 12,230-sq.-ft. inline space at Plainfield Plaza, a grocery-anchored center in Plainfield, according to R.J. Brunelli, Dollar Tree’s real estate representative in the state.   Other locations:   Toms River: 10,200-sq.-ft. freestanding space on Route 37

Although Walmart is an old-school retailer, it is not afraid to learn new tricks and to shift its thinking. This youthful and innovative approach has helped it deliver another solid set of results in a highly competitive market.