Three stores close at Westfield Montgomery
Abercrombie Kids, Hollister and the women’s clothing retailer Eileen Fisher have all closed at Bethesda’s Westfield Montgomery mall, reports the local retail blog Store Reporter. Abercrombie Kids and Hollister are subsidiaries of Abercrombie & Fitch, which over the past two years has struggled to maintain its place as a favorite store among teens. Forbes reported in March the brand has dealt with declining sales. In December 2014, the company ousted CEO Mike Jeffries and in 2015, it closed 60 stores.
Developer offers $5,000 Smart Growth Scholarship to B-CC student
The Chevy Chase Land Co. is once again offering a $5,000 scholarship to a Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School senior who is interested in pursuing a career in architecture, real estate, development, engineering or land use planning. The developer posted the application on its website Monday. The deadline is April 1. The company is looking for a student interested in transit access, environmental sustainability, pedestrian and bicycle safety or other “smart growth issues.”
“We had an excellent response last year and truly amazing applicants, so we have high hopes for our second year,” Miti Figueredo, a spokesperson for the company, said in an email.
Rockville company claims it can spot Zika virus in mosquitoes
As companies scramble to find ways to prevent the spread of the mosquito-borne Zika virus in Latin America, one Rockville company says it has found a way to spot the virus in mosquitoes. GenArraytion, a seven-person biotech company, told The Washington Post it has developed a molecular test to determine if a mosquito is carrying the virus. The test is designed to be used as a research tool to track mosquito populations that may carry the virus, which could help officials to focus extermination efforts on those populations, company officials told the newspaper.
Chevy Chase IT company makes acquisition
Chevy Chase-based Battle Resource Management Inc. (BRMI) announced Wednesday it acquired the software developer Clearsoft, of Fairfax, to shore up the services it offers its information technology clients. BRMI did not say how much it paid for Clearsoft, but said the company’s software development strengths will help BRMI offer “business process innovation as well as new technology” to its clients.
