Strategy

Two of the nation’s leading planning and design firms have officially joined forces.

Callison and RTKL have come together as CallisonRTKL. Both companies were previously acquired by the Netherlands-based Arcadis, a leading global design and consultancy.

Rite Aid on Tuesday celebrates the grand re-opening of its store at 300 Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard in Baltimore Tuesday. The store has been operating out of a temporary trailer after sustaining significant damage during the protests that rocked the city last spring.

Joining Rite Aid executive VP Bryan Everett at the ribbon-cutting ceremony will be U.S. Rep. Elijah Cummings and Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake.

Chicago -- Mid-America Real Estate Corporation announced it will exclusively represent Loyola University Chicago on their entire retail portfolio on the Lake Shore and Water Tower campuses in Chicago, as well as the retail at the base of a proposed Hampton Inn hotel.

Chicago-based Lakeside Management, NFP manages Loyola’s retail assets totaling nearly 110,000 sq. ft. and will be working closely with Mid-America.

Retailers who still think virtual reality is just for hard-core gamers should think again.

In another example of how physical retailers are employing state-of-the-art technology to remain engaging — and relevant — in a digital age, specialty apparel powerhouse Tommy Hilfiger on Tuesday became the first major retailer to employ virtual reality in its stores. The technology offers shoppers who otherwise might never attend a runway show a chance to view close-up and personal the fall runway show of the Hilfiger Collection.

From its artisan-looking shops and grocery-styled product displays to its ethical sourcing and activist ethos, Lush Fresh Handmade Cosmetics has always marched to the beat of a different drummer.
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Amid a slew of news from Target headquarters on Monday, the retailer also announced that, as part of the White House’s climate pledge, it would be working toward eight new sustainability commitments.

Just a few weeks after installing a new CEO, the Fresh Market is planning to conduct a strategic review that may include a sale of the specialty grocery chain.

The company says it has retained J.P. Morgan Securities as its financial advisor to assist in this process, which may result in the company continuing to pursue value-enhancing initiatives as a standalone company, capital structure optimization, or a sale of the company or other business combination.