Strategy

Washington, D.C. - The National Retail Federation (NRF) has asked an appeals court to uphold a judge’s ruling that the Federal Reserve set its cap on debit card swipe fees far higher than intended by Congress and that the cap needs to be recalculated at a lower level.

Leading beauty products manufacturer Elizabeth Arden is the latest company to cite an intensely promotional marketplace as the reason for worse-than-expected holiday season sales and profits.

The company said sales for its second quarter ended Dec. 31, would be in the range of $414 to $418 million and earnings per share would be between $1.13 and $1.16, substantially below sales of $468 million and earnings of $1.47 during the same period the prior year.

Dallas -- Corner Bakery Cafe rounded out 2013 with a multi-unit restaurant development agreement and plans to open eight new restaurants in the Sacramento area with new franchise partner East Bay Restaurants, Pleasanton, Calif.

East Bay Restaurants, which owns and operates 48 Burger King and seven Taco Bell restaurants, plans to open its first cafe in 2014 and the remaining sites over the next five years.

Successful leaders and companies bring more than unique products or services to market — they consistently tap into 10 key growth enablers outlined in a new book by veteran CPG executive and growth strategist Dan Mack.

Warren, Mich. – Art Van Furniture is adding its seventh Chicagoland location in Downers Grove. Renovations are set to begin to transform the two-story 106,000-square-ft. building into a new store scheduled to open in January 2015.

Tejon Ranch, Calif. — Swedish fashion retailer H&M has taken a 22,000-sq.-ft. space in the Outlets at Tejon, which is under construction along Interstate 5 in a trade area stretching from Northwest Los Angeles County to Bakersfield.

Established in 1947 in Sweden, H&M has 3,000 stores in 53 countries around the world.

Tejon Ranch Co. and The Rockefeller Group are developing the 320,000-sq.-ft outlet center.

Minneapolis – Best Buy Co., Inc. saw its revenues for the nine-week holiday period ended Jan. 4, 2014 fall 2.5% from the same period a year earlier. Holiday revenues for the 2013 season were $11.45 billion, compared to $11.75 billion in the 2012 season.

Consolidated same-store sales only grew 0.1%, although online sales increased 23.5%. Best Buy cited a more intense than expected promotional pricing environment as a key factor in its disappointing holiday results.

Conshohocken, Pa. — CBRE and FAMECO joined forces in 2013. Together, the new entity’s all-retail service lines include retailer representation, owner representation, property management and investment sales.

CBRE | FAMECO combines the power of CBRE’s global platform with the specialized retail expertise of FAMECO to create a one-stop source for retail occupiers, owners and developers throughout the Mid-Atlantic region and beyond.