Chestnut Hill

As it looks to grow its number of physical stores, Creve Coeur, Mo.-based Soft Surroundings has formed a strategic partnership with a private equity firm, which now has a majority interest in the largely catalog and internet-based retailer. Los Angeles-based Brentwood Associates has taken between a 50 percent and 60 percent interest in the company in a deal valued between $150 million and $200 million that closed last week, said Tom Wilcher, the chief executive of Soft Surroundings.

Following the openings of New York-based Stuart Weitzman Inc.'s 1,600-sq.-ft. flagship at 675 Fifth Ave. in New York, as well as an 1,800-sq.-ft. flagship boutique at 701 N. Michigan Ave. in Chicago—which both debuted in October 2011 and were designed by Italian avant-garde architect Fabio Novembre—the luxury shoe retailer is planning to expand, according to www.wwd.com. In December 2011, shops will open in Scottsdale, Ariz.; Bloomington, Minn. (at the Mall of America); and Tampa, Fla. Additionally, new store openings are slated in 2012 for New Orleans; Hackensack and Short Hills, N.J.; Palo Alto, Calif.; Los Angeles; Chestnut Hill, Mass;