Strategy

Los Angeles -- Construction has begun on Nadel Architects-designed Juanita Tate Marketplace, a 77,096-sq.-ft. outdoor retail center in South Los Angeles. Owned by Regency Centers, the $21 million development will bring a full-service grocery and retail center to the highly underserved surrounding community.

The center is being designed by Nadel Architects.

Mooresville, N.C. -- Lowe's has launched a dedicated fleet of natural gas-powered trucks at its regional distribution center in Mount Vernon, Texas. The fleet is among the first serving a major retail distribution center in North America to run solely on natural gas.

With the transition from a diesel-fueled fleet to trucks powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG), Lowe's expects to reduce greenhouse gas emissions nearly 20%  and control fuel costs as it transports up to 68 truckloads each day to stores in Texas, Louisiana, and Oklahoma.

CTPartners, a leading global retained executive search firm, has appointed Jefferey DeFazio to be a partner in firm’s consumer and retail practice based in San Francisco.

DeFazio has worked with leading global brands in the consumer and retail industry, placing board members and senior executives in multinational companies, and has also recruited for smaller fast-growing private equity- and venture capital-backed organizations. He joins CTPartners from another major search firm where he spent three years leading the consumer practice on the West Coast.

Cincinnati -- The Kroger Co. named  Michael L. Ellis, senior VP of retail divisions, as president COO effective January 1, 2014, completing the succession plan announced in September.

In September, Kroger announced that chairman and CEO David B. Dillon will retire as CEO on January 1, 2014, and will continue to serve as chairman through December 31, 2014. He will be succeeded by W. Rodney McMullen, Kroger's president and CO, effective January 1, 2014.

Issaquah, Wash. – Costco Wholesale Corporation is reportedly cooperating with the U.S, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in an ongoing investigation of prescriptions for controlled substances. According to Reuters, the DEA served Costco with warrants and subpoenas related to the investigation.

Costco announced its cooperation in an SEC filing and has made no other public comment. The DEA has been investigating pharmacy chains and distributors across the country in regard to prescription drug misuse and abuse.

Twitter has hired Google advertising executive J.J. Hirschle to head retail as the company prepares to expand its business ahead of an initial public offering, according to Bloomberg.

The article states that Hirschle will direct the team responsible for selling advertising products to retail companies. He starts his new role at Twitter Monday, Oct. 28.

Click here to read the entire Bloomberg report.

Pittsburgh – Dick’s Sporting Goods is opening new stores in Wyoming and Kentucky on Oct. 25. The new stores are located at the Eastridge Mall in Casper, Wy., and Gary Farms in Bowling Green, Ky.

The Casper store will be Dick’s first store in Wyoming, and the Bowling Green will be the retailer’s ninth store in Kentucky. Dick’s will have a total of 547 stores as of Oct. 25.

The Bon-Ton Stores plan to close its location in the mall at Steamtown in Scranton, Pa. The company will not renew the lease, which terminates January 31, 2014. The closing will impact approximately 50 employees at this location.

The company acquired the leasehold interests in the Scranton store in 2000. It does not expect costs associated with the closing of the location to be material.