Retail

New York -- Christopher Finazzo, 57, who was an executive VP and chief merchandising officer at Aeropostale, was found guilty on Thursday of 14 counts of mail fraud, one count of wire fraud and one count of conspiracy. He faces up to 20 years in prison on each of the fraud convictions and up to five years for the conspiracy charge.
      
The jury took less than five hours to reach the verdict, which came after a three-week criminal trial in Brooklyn, N.Y.
     

A match made in heaven. That’s what some are calling the David Bowie dedicated pop-up in Selfridges’ renowned London flagship. Called David Bowie Is All Yours, the pop-up was created in collaboration with London’s Victoria & Albert Museum’s record-breaking retrospective of the legendary performer.  
 

Minneapolis — Supervalu has elected Rite Aid chairman, president and CEO John Standley and Cerberus COO and general counsel Mark A. Neporent to its board of directors.


Standley has spent the past 20 years in executive leadership roles in the grocery and pharmacy retail business. He became Rite Aid Corporation’s president and COO in September 2008, was appointed to the Rite Aid board of directors in 2009 and was named CEO in June 2010. He was elected chairman of Rite Aid’s board of directors in June 2012.

New York -- Giving a much-needed boost to J.C. Penney Co., George Soros’ Soros Fund Management bought 17.4 million shares of the troubled retailer, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.  

The stake, which was seen as a vote of confidence in returning CEO Mike Ullman, makes the billionaire investor the fourth-largest Penney shareholder, with a 7.9% stake.

New York -- A Friday report by CNBC said that Goldman Sachs has lined up a $1.75 billion financing package for J.C. Penney Co., backed by the retailer’s real estate and other assets.

The news, which has not yet been confirmed by Penney, comes a day after investor George Soros reported a 7.9% stake in the company.

Earlier this month, Penney borrowed $850 million from its $1.85 billion revolving credit facility to boost its cash position and buy inventory.

New York -- The U.S. Senate on Thursday voted to move forward with the Marketplace Fairness Act, legislation that would allow states to force retailers to collect online sales taxes, if the states choose to do so.  

Leesburg, Va. -- Cypress Equities said that Orvis will open a new store at the 1.2 million-sq.-ft. Village at Leesburg mixed-use project in Leesburg, Va.

Orvis will occupy 6,022 sq. ft. in a new 13,000-sq.-ft. retail building currently under construction. Orvis is slated to open in fall 2013.

Dallas -- S&S Enterprises said it has sold a portfolio of 12 Sunoco fuel centers and convenience stores in central and southeast Florida for $32 million to entities managed by Cole Real Estate Investments.

The portfolio consists of 37,275 sq. ft., with seven of the 12 locations having been redeveloped and all locations having received 20-year lease extensions.