Marketing

Tarrytown, N.Y. -- DLC Management Corp. announced Wednesday that it has named Michael Mahan as leasing representative in the firm’s Atlanta office, where he will handle a portion of the company’s Southeastern portfolio of shopping centers.

Mahan brings with him several years of commercial real estate experience, most recently as a leasing manager for Lamar Cos.

The recent opening of the 500th Vitamin Shoppe store was heralded as an important milestone for this rapidly growing company but within a few years the nation’s second largest nutritional products specialty retailer could be eyeing 1,000 units.

“There are many markets we are interested in establishing a presence in, and we will continue to move forward with our growth plans to expand in current markets and penetrate new ones,” Vitamin Shoppe CEO Tony Truesdale said on the occasion of the opening of the 500th store in St. Peters, Mo., earlier this month.

CINCINNATI — Kroger is the latest retailer to join the Diabetes Prevention and Control Alliance as a partner.

The supermarket conglomerate will implement the DPCA's Diabetes Control Program, which is designed to help patients gain better control of their condition, at select store pharmacies, including stores in the Cincinnati, Columbus and Dayton, Ohio, markets, and will offer the program in Atlanta, Dallas, Houston and Las Vegas later this year.

SUNBURY, Pa. — Weis Markets’ official Facebook page is celebrating its 10,000th fan with exclusive coupon offers, the grocer announced Tuesday.

Weis Markets’ Facebook fans now are eligible for these coupons at Facebook.com/WeisSuperMarket. The coupon offers include $5 off a $50 purchase; $1 off 12-oz. Weis quality granola; $1 off 12-count Weis quality coffee solos and $1 off a Weis Five Star item.

New York City -- Women’s fashion apparel retailer Francesca's Holdings Corp. filed for up to an estimated $150 million to be raised in an initial public offering.

The company has about $41.4 million in proceeds from the offering earmarked toward repaying a senior secured credit facility, Dow Jones Newswires reported. Remaining funds may be used for opening new stores and growing its e-commerce business.

For the year ended Jan. 29, Francesca's same-store sales climbed 15% on top of a 9.8% increase a year earlier.

New York City -- Loehmann's Holding Co. announced that Joan Durkin has been appointed CFO and senior VP finance. She assumes the CFO role from Joe Melvin who successfully led the company out of Chapter 11 in early March.

Durkin most recently served as VP finance for Brown Shoe Co.

By Jeff Weidauer, jweidauer_@_vestcom.com

One of the drawbacks of today’s connected global economy is the pervasive homogeneity in nearly everything. One can visit any state -- indeed, nearly any country -- and see many of the same stores and restaurants offering the same products.

Secaucus, N.J. -- The Children's Place Retail Stores said Tuesday that its customer email address database, which is stored at an external email service provider, was accessed by an unauthorized third party.

According to the provider, email addresses were accessed and no other personal information was obtained.

The Children's Place said it is notifying its customers and has launched an investigation.
 

Rumors that Target would open in San Francisco’s Metreon center have now been confirmed: Terranomics announced it has brokered a signed lease for Target to open in the Wesfield-owned center.

The lease for 99,677 sq. ft. was only just officially signed, San Francisco Business Times reported. The Metreon will soon begin construction on a multi-million dollar remodel that will make room for Target, and will recreate the ground level as a food collection of Bay Area restaurant concepts.

New York City -- Gap has chosen Manhattan's Upper West Side for its second freestanding Athleta store, Crain’s New York Business reported.

The report said has signed a lease to open a 3,500-sq.-ft. Athleta at 216 Columbus Ave. at W. 70th Street. The store will open in the fall, and Gap is already seeking more New York area locations, according to Crain's.

Gap bought Petaluma-based Athleta, a catalog and website that sell women's athletic clothes, for $150 million in 2008.