Finance & Capital Management

New York -- Hiring by the nation’s retailers this past holiday season was at the highest level in six years despite the uncertain economy, Superstorm Sandy and the presidential election, according to an analysis of government job data by Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Chicago, a leading outplacement consultancy.

Oak Brook, Ill. -- Inland Diversified Real Estate Trust announced Monday the acquisition of a majority interest a portfolio of six grocery/home-improvement-anchored retail properties located in Las Vegas.

The properties were acquired in a joint venture between a subsidiary of Inland Diversified and affiliates of the seller Territory Inc.; the joint venture valued the portfolio at about $296 million.

Savannah, Ga. -- Brixmor Property Group announced the recent openings of a 34,103-sq.-ft. Save-A-Lot and a 1,000-sq.-ft. Maison De Macarons at Eisenhower Square, located in Savannah, Ga.

Also, a lease has been executed for an 8,640-sq.-ft. Generation One, a hospital-based, senior-related healthy aging program.

Brixmor, based in New York City, is the owner of Eisenhower Square.

Atlanta -- Jones Lang LaSalle announced Monday that it has promoted Kristin Mueller to COO.

The firm also announced the establishment of new leadership roles, including the promotion of John Bemis and Geno Coradini to Retail Market Lead in Atlanta/Southeast and Dallas/Southwest, respectively.

Austin, Texas -- Accruent, a leading provider of real estate and facilities software, announced that it has acquired Expesite, Columbus, Ohio, a provides a suite of SaaS solutions highlighted by VisionPM, its design and construction project management product.

Bolingbrook, Ill. -- Ulta Beauty reported that its holiday revenue grew 23.2% as sales “strongly” rebounded the weekend before Christmas.

Total sales for the seven-week holiday period were $475.6 million, compared with $386 million in the year-ago period. Same-store sales increased 7.4%, on top of a 12.6% increase during the same period in the prior year.

New York -- Office Depot announced that Kevin Peters had resigned from his role as president of the retailer’s North American division, effective immediately.

Top food executives at Walmart are presumably in the crosshairs of Safeway recruiters now that longtime chairman and CEO Steve Burd has announced his retirement.

BELLEVUE, Wash. — Coinstar, a leading provider of automated retail solutions, has appointed its current CFO J. Scott Di Valerio as new CEO, effective April 1. At that time, Di Valerio will also be appointed to the Coinstar board of directors.

Di Valerio succeeds Paul Davis, who is retiring on March 31, and will remain a member of the board until then.

Di Valerio has been CFO at Coinstar since 2010, and has overseen Coinstar's corporate information technology and supply chain functions.

Office Depot on Friday announced that Kevin Peters had resigned from his role as president of the retailer’s North American division effective immediately.

Office Depot said Peters was leaving the company after five years to become CEO of an unidentified industrial distribution company.