Retail

Francesca’s has tapped David Minnix Jr. as the new VP and head of boutiques. The former chief stores officer at Dots Fashion will start his job overseeing the upscale boutique chain’s operations on July 8.

Minnix has also formerly worked for retailers like Zales and Pearle Vision, and at Dots Fashion oversaw store support and loss prevention departments, among other duties. At Francesca’s Minnix will oversee the company’s 519 boutiques, each of which is meant to feel like an independent shop.

New York -- Michaels Cos. seeking as much as $528 million in its U.S. initial public offering, Bloomberg reported. The arts and crafts retailer is offering 27.8 million shares at $17 to $19 each, according to a regulatory filing Tuesday.
 
The IPO is being managed by JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Goldman Sachs Group Inc.

Michaels was taken private in 2006 by Bain Capital and Blackstone Group in a $6 billion leveraged buyout. Each firm will own 40% of the company after the offering, the report said.

New York -- In a long-awaited ruling  handed down Monday by the New York State Supreme Court, J.C. Penney have been found to have "tortiously" interfered with Macy’s 2006 contract with Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, when Penney entered into its own contract with Martha Stewart in 2011.

Rent the Runway, the popular online retailer specializing in rentals of pricey designer dresses and accessories, has opened a brick-and-mortar outpost on the second floor of The Cosmopolitan hotel’s retail complex in Las Vegas.

Ann Arbor, Mich. -- Domino's Pizza, in conjunction with Nuance Communications, is launching voice ordering for its iPhone and Android apps.

Richmond, Va. — Divaris Real Estate has leased shopping center space in Richmond to two retailers and a restaurant: Family Dollar, Wilson Lee Interiors and Hanako.

Family Dollar renewed its lease for 7,150 sq. ft. in the Divaris-leased and –managed Midlothian Crossing. Divaris represented the landlord, Midlothian Associates, in the transaction.

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has charged four Northern California residents with insider trading in Ross Stores stock options based on nonpublic information about monthly sales results leaked by one of the retailer’s employees.

Montreal – Raymark is releasing a new mobile retail store operations solution called Mosaic Inventory Management. The new solution complements the suite of Raymark Mosaic retail enterprise applications with tools for end-to-end management and optimization of inventory from a handheld device, including support for iPhone and iPod Touch.