Strategy

Omnichannel solutions provider RichRelevance has hired a former WalmartLabs executive to serve as its chief product officer.

Mahesh Tyagarajan will be responsible for product strategy and management, engineering and cloud operation and infrastructure. The company also named microstrategy and business objects veteran John Dickson as vice president of client services, where he will drive the expansion of RichRelevance’s position as the dominant provider of large-scale omnichannel personalization deployments around the world.

Austin, Texas -- GBT Realty Corp. announced its acquisition of a prime retail site in the heart of one of the fastest-growing cities in Texas and the U.S. Located in Cedar Park, Texas – a community that has grown over 400% since 2004 – Lakeline Commons is a 1.43-acre site that is shadow-anchored by Target and adjacent to The Home Depot.  

GBT acquired the north Austin outparcel for $1.6 million on March 19 from Regions Bank.  No additional terms are available.

New York -- Legendary Manhattan off-price retailer Century 21 will open its first store outside its Northeast home base, at Sawgrass Mills, Sunrise, Florida. The 85,000-sq.-ft. store is set to open in the fall of 2016.

Washington, D.C. -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has awarded its 2015 Energy Star Partner of the Year — Sustained Excellence Award to Kohl’s Department Stores and Staples in recognition of the companies’ continued leadership in protecting the environment through superior energy efficiency initiatives.

Arlington, Va. – The Food Marketing Institute (FMI) is reportedly asking major credit card companies to delay the October 2015 mandate for U.S. retailers to comply with the Europay, Mastercard Visa (EMV) chip-based payment card standard. According to the Wall Street Journal, the FMI sent a letter to Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Discover Financial Services asking for the deadline to be moved into 2016.

New York -- Joe Magnacca has stepped down as CEO of RadioShack. Magnacca made the announcement on Wednesday in an internal memo to employees, according to the Dallas Business Journal. It came a day after Standard General was given the green light by a bankruptcy court judge to acquire RadioShack’s assets.

Chattanooga, Tenn. -- CBL & Associates Properties and Horizon Group Properties have begun construction on the second phase of The Outlet Shoppes of the Bluegrass, near Louisville, Kentucky.

The 53,400-sq.-ft. expansion is scheduled to open this November and will bring eight more retailers to the center including H&M, Abercrombie & Fitch, The Limited Outlet, and Johnny Rockets. The outlet shopping center, located off Interstate 64 between Louisville and Lexington, opened July 31, 2014.

Midwestern grocery chain Cub Foods is introducing special needs shopping carts that combine the functionality of a wheelchair with a traditional cart.

The customized carts will be available at all 76 Cub stores in Minnesota, as well as one store in Freeport, Ill., by the end of April.