Finance & Capital Management

Boulder, Col. -- Sunflower Farmers Market appointed Chris S. Sherrell as its CEO, the natural grocery chain announced Friday. He has worked with Sunflower since its inception in 2002 and most recently served as the company's president and COO.

Sherrell has served as the acting CEO since the middle of February, shortly after Michael Gilliland, the company's founder and then-CEO, was arrested in Phoenix following a prostitution sting operated by undercover Phoenix Police Department officers.

New York City -- Simon Property Group is set to sell its newly bought Prime Outlets retail shops in Jeffersonville, Ohio, as part of a deal with federal regulators that required it to sell one of two Ohio properties, the Dayton Business Journal reported.

Simon, which bought the 22-site outlet arm of Prime Outlets Acquisition Co. last year for $2.3 billion, was required to sell either the Jeffersonville site or Cincinnati Premium Outlets in Butler County amid concerns that it would gain an anti-competitive advantage in the market.

New York City -- Massmart Holdings Ltd. promised to add jobs if Wal-Mart Stores is allowed to buy a controlling stake in the South African wholesaler, CEO Grant Pattison. His remarks were made on Monday at a tribunal in Pretoria, South Africa, that will determine whether Wal-Mart will be able to go through with the deal.

New York City -- CVS Caremark Corp. is disclosing another government inquiry into its business, as the company said the Securities and Exchange Commission has requested documents related to its Caremark pharmacy benefits management unit, the Associated Press reported.

The company said it received a subpoena from the SEC on Feb. 28.

The agency asked for corporate records on several issues, including public disclosures in 2009 related to pharmacy benefits management and its Medicare Part D prescription-drug benefit businesses.

East Rutherford, N.J. -- Triple Five on Monday gave more information on its plans to transform the controversial and long-delayed Xanadu project in New Jersey’s Meadowlands Sports Complex, in East Rutherford, into what it promises will be “the world's largest and premier tourism, entertainment and retail destination, eventually reaching 7.5 million sq. ft.”

As thousands of retailers and shopping center owners and managers prepare to descend on Las Vegas for the International Council of Shopping Centers’ 2012 RECon conference May 22-25, we thought it appropriate to talk with a retail real estate expert about not only the state of the industry, but also what to expect from this year’s show. 

Senior editor Katherine Field talked with Mitchel S. Friedman, senior VP of New York City-based RCS Real Estate Advisors, to gain his insights about the show and the industry as a whole.

By Lynn Burkhart Jr., [email protected]

NEW YORK — Wal-Mart Stores said that by the end of the year it will have invested the equivalent of approximately $756 million to expand its operations in Brazil.

Marcos Samaha, president of Wal-Mart's Brazilian subsidiary, said in a Tuesday statement that 1.2 billion reals ($755 million) will be used to build 80 stores, renovate existing locations and improve logistics.

Ashburn, Va. -- Commerce, Mich.-based LaVida Massage announced it will open its first Virginia location, located at Greenway Corporate Drive, in Ashburn.
      
The new 3,200-sq.-ft. location is slated to open in early June.

Columbia, S.C. -- Edens & Avant announced it has named Ed Senenman as senior VP, investments for the company.
       
Senenman will be located in Edens & Avant’s new New York City office as the company continues to expand its NYC presence as part of an overall strategy of focusing on retail investments in major East Coast markets.
       
Senenman was previously senior director of acquisitions for Federal Realty.