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Fry's Food Stores opens
upscale store in Phoenix
Fry's Food Stores is taking its business strategy to a whole new level, thanks to the opening of a superstore in Phoenix, according to a story in the Arizona Republic. The Arizona supermarket chain, known for its low prices, is staking a claim for more affluent shoppers with an upscale store that features valet parking, custom car washes, a cooking school, wine bar and expanded selections of organic produce and high-end meats. The 136,000-square-foot location offers services, products and features not available at any of Fry's 121 other supermarkets in Arizona, or at the almost 2,500 stores operated by its Cincinnati-based parent, Kroger Co.
-- Posted September 2, 2010
Foot Locker opens second
Run store in New Jersey
Foot Locker Inc. has opened its second RUN by Foot Locker store in Menlo Park Mall in Edison, N.J. The first RUN by Foot Locker opened in February in New York City. It was opened at a former Foot Locker location near Union Square at 32 East 14th. St.
REI expanding in South Carolina
REI (Recreational Equipment Inc.) plans to open a new store in Santa Barbara, Calif. and relocate its current location in Santa Ana to Tustin, CA. The new 24,500-square-foot REI will open in the fall of 2011. The relocation will increase the store’s size from nearly 25,000 to 33,500 square-feet. Opening this fall, the larger location will allow REI to increase its current product assortment by approximately 30 percent.
-- Posted September 1, 2010
Dunkin' Donuts opens
75 U.S. locations to date
Dunkin' Donuts opened 338 net new locations around the world in the first half of this year, including 75 in the United States. The company is expanding its presence in existing markets and entering new ones and it has committed to 72 new developments in the United States. In the first half of the year, Dunkin' Donuts signed multi-store development agreements in 14 U.S. markets, including Detroit; Miami; St. Louis; Chicago and others. Locations have opened in cities including Atlanta; Phoenix; Tampa and Raleigh, N.C. The company has more than 9,000 restaurants in 31 countries.
Jo-Ann Stores in growth mode
Jo-Ann Stores plans 50 new stores; 50 remodels on tap for 2011
On the strength of a strong second quarter, Jo-Ann Stores plans to open at least 50 new stores and remodel at least 50 stores next fiscal year.
-- Posted August 31, 2010
Title Nine opens shop in Chicago
Title Nine is opening two stores in the Chicago market, its first locations in the Midwest, according to the Chicago Tribune. The first will open in downtown Evanston and the second in the Lincoln Park neighborhood in October. The openings will bring the 21-year-old women's activewear direct mail and retailer's store count to 18 nationwide. Title Nine distributes more than 30 million catalogs a year, but has been slowly building its store base. Until recently, its stores were focused in California, the Pacific Northwest and Colorado. Title Nine opened in Madison, WI., and Edina, MN, in the past year. It also opened a store in 2009 in Austin. It now has six stores in California (Berkeley, La Jolla, Los Gatos, Mill Valley, Palo Alto and Walnut Creek); three in Colorado (Boulder, Colorado Springs and Cherry Creek); and two in Washington, (Bellevue and Seattle). Other stores are located in Boise, ID; Edina, MN; Portland, OR; Austin, TX; and Madison, WI.
-- Posted August 27, 2010
Target redesigns five Denver stores
Target has redesigned five Denver-area Target stores toward delivering one-stop shopping attributes. The five stores – located in the Denver suburbs of Arvada, Aurora and Englewood, Colo., and Boulder and Greeley – feature an open-market grocery layout with increased fresh-food selections, and reinventions in several other areas throughout the store such as beauty, home, shoes and electronics. In 2010, Target said it will add approximately 350 new and remodeled locations nationwide.
-- Posted August 26, 2010
Dow Jones: Costco eyeing mall stores
Costco Wholesale may accelerate plans to open stores in shopping malls, according to a Dow Jones report. Costco, which earlier said it would build three mall-based sites earlier this month, also is seeking several other mall sites as a way to expand into urban areas, the report said.
Fresh & Easy to enter northern California
Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market plans to open eight stores in Northern California in early 2011. The stores, to be located in the San Francisco Bay Area and Modesto, will be the grocers first north of Fresno. Fresh & Easy first opened in Southern California in November 2007. Fresh & Easy will open nine stores in California in September, including its 100th California store.
-- Posted August 25, 2010
Krispy Kreme may be on
expansion trail again
It's been quite a ride for Krispy Kreme, going from an obscure regional brand to burgeoning growth in 2003, to a scandal-ridden mess. Today, the doughnut maker is beginning a new chapter. Following a quarter that saw its biggest profit in six years, it is talking about expanding its store base this year. It will be an interesting story to watch.
-- Posted August 23, 2010
Sears leases in-store space to Edwin Watts
Sears is opening an Edwin Watts golf shop inside its store at the Westfield Hawthorne mall in Vernon Hills, Ill. – a move that continues Sears Holdings' efforts to make money from its existing real estate. The golf shop – one of 12 opening inside Sears stores nationwide and the only one in the Midwest – will let shoppers test golf equipment and buy its signature products.
Sears also confirmed that it is leasing 43,000 square feet inside its Sears store in Costa Mesa, Calif. to discount fashion retailer Forever 21. The fast-fashion Forever 21 will occupy 14 percent of the Sears’ store in the upscale mall when it opens in spring 2011. The company is trying a variety of strategies to boost growth, ranging from online same-day deliveries from Kmart’s mygofer.com service to selling Craftsman and Die-Hard brands elsewhere.
-- Posted August 20, 2010
IBHS looks at Gulf rebuilding 5 years later
Five years after Hurricane Katrina, building codes along the Gulf Coast today are, for the most part, inadequate, according to a report from the Institute for Business Home Safety. When Hurricane Katrina made landfall on Aug. 29, 2005, it caused an estimated $41.1 billion in insured losses across six states and took an incalculable economic and social toll on many communities. Five years later, the recovery continues and some residents in the most severely affected states of Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi are still struggling. For a closer look, download: Five Years Later – Are We Better Prepared .
Costco sets plans for new stores
Costco has signed a multi-site agreement with The Westfield Group to add clubs at Westfield centers in Los Angeles; Sarasota, Fla.; and Wheaton, Md. In Los Angeles, a 146,000-square-foot Costco will anchor a proposed “Village at Westfield Topanga” site between Westfield’s existing Topanga and Promenade centers. In Sarasota, a 145,000-square-foot Costco (Costco’s first club along Florida’s Gulf Coast) will be housed in a redeveloped department store at Westfield Sarasota Square. In Wheaton, located within the suburban Maryland-Washington, D.C. region, a 148,000-square-foot Costco will occupy a former department store site. Costco’s Sarasota and Wheaton clubs are planned to open in late 2011/early 2012. The Los Angeles club is expected to open by late 2012.
-- Posted August 19, 2010
Abercrombie & Fitch reports
profit; will close 60 stores
Abercrombie & Fitch Co. reported it posted a profit in the second quarter as lowered prices bolstered sales. But the retailer also it is closing 60 stores in the United States in 2010 as it expands internationally. Abercrombie plans to open three Abercrombie & Fitch stores; three Abercrombie Kids stores; three Hollister stores; two Gilly Hicks stores; and five outlet stores in the United States. The 60 closures will occur mainly through lease expirations. Internationally, it plans to open namesake stores in Copenhagen, Denmark, and Fukuoka, Japan, and will open 20 international mall-based Hollister stores, down from prior guidance of 25 stores.
-- Posted August 18, 2010
Modell's unveils renovated
Times Square flagship store
Modell’s Sporting Goods is showcasing its newly renovated Times Square flagship store. The two-level, 20,000-square-foot store features leading brands in distinct category shops. Attractions include a Manhattan-styled playground-style court with street-style backboard, rim and park bleachers that's built into the design of a 4,000-square-foot Nike concept shop on the store’s main level. Also included is a New York Yankees ticket booth offering same-day game tickets 50 percent off face value, and a cap-embroidery station where customers can have their caps customized. The flagship is set off with a 300-square-foot high-definition LED video screen on the back wall of the top level. Aside from showing the daily customer activities occurring in-store, the video wall and 36-plus high-definition LCD TV displays throughout the store also broadcast the day’s biggest sporting events, exclusive offers, product endorsements and special event alerts.
-- Posted August 17, 2010
Survey says: Retail sales up 4.5% in July
Some good news was bound to happen. After three straight months of declines, consumer foot traffic was flat for July as the 2010 calendar shift moved July 4 to Sunday, according to a recent survey by ShopperTrak. The shift provided another full day of spending on the following Monday, as most shoppers took advantage of an extra day off. GAFO sales also performed well for the month as July 4 promotions and hot weather experienced through most of the country boosted spending for seasonal, summer merchandise. The survey also showed that the store traffic in apparel and accessories was up 6.4 percent as compared with June. ShopperTrak predicted a 1.4 percent traffic decline with a 3.5 percent retail sales increase for the back-to-school season.
-- Posted August 13, 2010
J.C. Penney headquarters goes LEED Gold
J.C. Penney Co.’s corporate headquarters in Plano, Texas, has been awarded LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold certification by the U.S. Green Building Council. The building serves as a workplace for more than 5,500 associates and is the third largest campus facility in the nation to receive the designation. The company, which spent five years retrofitting the 1.9 million-square-foot facility, addressed areas related to energy and water savings, indoor environmental quality and recycling waste.
Some of the improvements include retrofitting lighting systems with high-efficiency ballasts and lamps; installing occupancy sensors in enclosed office areas to reduce lighting needs; reducing daily air conditioning and lighting schedules to match operations; upgrading plumbing fixtures that include motion-controlled faucets; adjusting operating times for non-essential items such as fountain pumps and landscape lighting; implementing the use of green cleaning products that have a low environmental impact and do not adversely impact air quality; and managing a comprehensive recycling initiative where associates recycle approximately 852 tons of paper, cardboard, plastics, cans and merchandise samples a year.
-- Posted August 12, 2010
Nike unveils new store
concept in Santa Monica
Nike opened its newest retail store at Santa Monica Place at the Third Street Promenade. The two-story, 20,000-square-foot location showcases Nike’s newest store concept with the launch of a fresh attitude, innovative consumer experiences, market tailored product offerings, community resources and the introduction of Nike+ Run Club and team customization services. The store is the first multi-category concept in the United States since the company opened its last NIKETOWN in 1999.
As part of the new NIKEiD team customization concept, Nike is giving team consumers the destination to gear up with their own custom footwear, apparel and equipment. With more than 115 key styles that can be customized on site, groups have the power to create authentic Nike team gear for practice, intramurals or just for fun with name, number, and sport logo. It’s a portal into a design community, both virtual and hands-on, for consumers to share ideas, concepts and bring NIKEiD to life for teams. Premium online NIKEiD is also available at the new retail location.
The store also will feature new runners’ services and Nike+ Run Club. Founded as a running company, there is no better place than Nike for runners to get more from their run and join a local community of runners. As part of Nike+ Run Club, participants can test-drive the latest Nike footwear and tune into their experience using Nike+, the exclusive technology that allows runners to connect their iPod or iPhone to their running shoes while tracking distance, pace, calories and more.
-- Posted August 11, 2010
Giant Eagle plans to remodel
some Ohio area stores
Giant Eagle is remodeling some of its Akron, Ohio area stores. According to plans, the newly remodeled store would include an expanded produce section, featuring an enhanced offering of organic produce; a new cafe as part of an expanded prepared foods offering, including a cold and hot bar with soup and more ''grab and go'' selections; an expanded deli with a new dedicated cheese shop; an expanded meat and seafood department; expanded frozen and dairy sections, and a new drive-through pharmacy (this has not yet been constructed).
-- Posted August 3, 2010
Write it down: 2010 executive
retreat schedule set
If you’re looking to build strong relationships with key industry decision makers, the Commercial Construction Executive Retreats are the place for you. Our events provide: high-level conversations on issues and trends driving your business (roundtable discussions); diverse relationship building activities (think golf); and evening networking events (dinner and cocktails).
This year’s retreats are:
Retail Retreat
September 23-26, 2010
The Broadmoor
(Colorado Springs, Colo)
Hospitality Retreat
October 21-24, 2010
Barnsley Gardens
(Atlanta, Ga.)
For more information on attending one of these events, e-mail Editor Michael J. Pallerino at
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. For more information on sponsorship opportunities, contact Publisher David Corson at 678-765-6550 or
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