Finance & Capital Management

By Ryan Condren, CPEX Real Estate

Greensboro, N.C. – The Fresh Market Inc. will close its remaining stores in California, which include locations in Palo Alto, Santa Barbara and Laguna Hills, by March 31 in order to focus on higher growth opportunities. The decision comes even as adjustments to promotions and pricing helped drive impressive fourth quarter results.

Kansas City, Kan. -- Coach will permanently extend its temporary stay at Kansas City’s signature designer outlet shopping destination, Legends Outlets Kansas City. The permanent location, which will nearly double the existing pop-up footprint, is slated to open fall 2015.

Do more with less. That’s an overall trend in retail facilities services, where retailers have less resources to run their properties even as they come under pressure to increase service levels while also reducing costs.

Putting aside all the challenges at Staples – weak demand, activist investor pressure to change its board and an uphill battle to acquire its largest competitor – one aspect of the company’s business is encouraging.

Although the company’s results for the fourth quarter were not good on either an as reported or adjusted basis, the commercial division achieve respectable sales growth and in the fourth quarter was the most profitable of Staples three business segments.

Seattle – If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em. Amazon.com is reportedly heeding that old saw with plans to open a store on the Tmall site of Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Holding Group.

Framingham, Mass. – Staples Inc. underwent a difficult fourth quarter of fiscal 2014 as the company swung from a profit to a loss on special charges, faced investor pressure to change its board, sluggish sales and deal with fallout from its plan to acquire its largest competitor.  

Washington, D.C. -- Despite harsh winter weather throughout the country, retail industry employment in February increased by 24,000 jobs and has increased 218,000 on a year-over-year basis as retailers and merchants again added strength in numbers to the overall economy, according to the National Retail Federation.

Strong monthly gains were witnessed in apparel, building material and supplies, sporting goods and home and home furnishing sectors. Job gains as calculated by NRF do not include auto dealerships, restaurants or gas stations.