Labor & Employment

Chicago — Jones Lang LaSalle’s Capital Markets team has announced the completion of a sale-leaseback transaction for a portion of Walgreens Corporate Campus in Deerfield, Ill.

Realty Income purchased the 38-acre property with six buildings spanning 574,605-sq.-ft. and secured a long-term lease from Walgreens. The terms have gone undisclosed.

Philadelphia -- More than three-fourths (79%) of retailers expect an increase in sales this holiday season – the highest percentage seen since the financial downturn. That’s according to global management consultancy Hay Group’s seventh annual retail holiday survey, whose results were more optimistic that several other holiday forecasts.

Los Angeles -- Rite Aid Corp. has been ordered to pay more than $12 million to settle a civil environmental protection lawsuit filed in California claiming about 600 of its stores illegally dumped pesticides, bleach and other toxics, the Associated Press reported.

The lawsuit was filed last month by the district attorneys of Los Angeles, San Joaquin and Riverside counties, with a total of 52 California district attorneys joining the civil action.

The Men’s Wearhouse has appointed Vitamin Shoppe director B. Michael Becker to its board of directors. 

Becker has served as a director at Vitamin Shoppe since January 2008 and is chairman of its audit committee. He spent his career as an audit partner for Ernst & Young LLP from 1979 until his retirement in 2006. He was a senior consultant on airline risks to Pay Pal from August 2008 to November 2009.

Washington, D.C. – The National Retail Federation told a congressional committee holding an Oct. 9 hearing on the terrorist attack at a Kenyan shopping mall that the safety of employees and customers is retailers’ top concern.

Bi-Lo and Winn-Dixie parent Bi-Lo Holdings plans to retire the Sweetbay and Reid’s banners. The company will begin converting all Sweetbay stores to the Winn-Dixie name and Reid's stores to Bi-Lo in 2014, and confirmed the Harveys banner would remain intact.

The grocery retailer acquired all three banners from Brussels, Belgium-based Delhaize Group last May.

Walmart and its joint venture partner in India, Bharti Enterprises, are parting ways after six years, the companies announced.

Plans call for Walmart to acquire Bharti’s 50% stake in their joint venture begun in 2007 to operate cash and carry wholesale stores branded as Best Price Modern Wholesale. At the time, that was the only sector of retail where Indian law allowed for foreign direct investment. The first Best Price store opened in 2009 and today there are 20 units spread throughout India.

Jacksonville, Fla. -- Bi-Lo and Winn-Dixie parent Bi-Lo Holdings said it would begin in 2014 the process of converting all Sweetbay stores to the Winn-Dixie name and Reid's stores to Bi-Lo, but that the Harveys banner would remain intact.

The grocery retailer acquired all three banners from Brussels, Belgium-based Delhaize Group last May.