Strategy

MOORESVILLE, N.C. — Lowe's has created two new executive positions, with the goal of streamlining its operations to better serve its customers. The new positions are chief customer officer and chief operating officer, and they will be filled by current EVP business development, Gregory Bridgeford, and Rick Damron, EVP store operations, respectively. The promotions are effective May 5, and both executives will report to Robert Niblock, chairman, president and CEO.

MINNEAPOLIS — Best Buy may be dealing with all of the negative attention surrounding the resignation of Brian Dunn, but "the show must go on," as they say, and the search has begun for a new CEO. The company has announced the members of its CEO search committee. The company said the committee will oversee a global search process to identify internal and external candidates, including current interim CEO Mike Mikan.

Toronto -- Sears Canada, Inc., an arm of Sears Holdings Corp., said Friday it has completed the transaction with landlord The Cadillac Fairview Corp. to return three stores for $170 million.

The stores – located in Vancouver, Calgary and Ottawa – are slated to be exited by Sears as of Oct 31, 2012. The agreement between Sears and the landlord was first announced in March.
 

New York -- London has reclaimed the number one position as the most targeted market for international retailers, according to a survey by global property adviser CBRE. It was followed by Dubai, New York City, Moscow and Paris.

Milwaukee -- The Milwaukee office of Opus Development Corp. announced that T.J Maxx, Ulta Salon, Rue 21 and Charming Charlie’s will be the first tenants in the second phase of its Shoppes at Fox River retail development in Waukesha, Wis.

Corpus Christi, Texas -- Trademark Property Group announced that its La Palmera property in Corpus Christi, Texas, has five new stores planning to open by late spring.

Construction is underway on White House | Black Market (3,453 sq. ft.), Soma Intimates (2,313 sq. ft); Bebe (4,885 sq. ft.); Traffic Shoes (1,105 sq. ft.); and Papaya (6,350 sq. ft.).

The Children’s Place has opened a 3,467-sq.-ft new location by Champs, and construction is underway on a Payless ShoeSource location (3,360 sq. ft.), adjacent to the new Papaya.

Jacksonville, Fla. -- Regency Centers announced the addition of Dale Johnston as VP, chief information officer, charged with overseeing Regency’s information technology team nationwide and advancing the company’s technology platforms from its headquarters in Jacksonville, Fla.

Before joining Regency, Dale served as VP and chief information officer for neighborhood shopping center developer and owner Edens in Columbia, S.C. 
 

Tampa, Fla. -- The Container Store said it will be the anchor tenant of The Corner, a new 35,000-sq.-ft. retail center to be built on the corner of Westshore Boulevard and Spruce Street opposite International Plaza, in Tampa.

The Corner is a joint venture development of Saber Corner, an affiliate of Saber Real Estate Advisors, and ARC Property Trust, a Real Estate Investment Trust sponsored by ARC Properties Inc.

IBM’s decision to sell its Retail Store Solutions (RSS) business to Toshiba TEC was the most significant announcement in the retail point-of-sale industry in the last 10 years, according to industry analyst Greg Buzek, president, IHL Group, Franklin, Tenn. The acquisition establishes a new company in which Toshiba will initially own 80.1% and IBM 19.9% for the next three years to aid transition and after which time IBM will relinquish its stake.

Minneapolis -- Best Buy Co. has announced the members of its CEO search committee. The company said the committee will oversee a global search process to identify internal and external candidates, including current interim CEO Mike Mikan.

As part of Best Buy’s commitment to transparency, the company said the board will also publicly announce the selected search firm and will post the position on the company website. The final search firm selection will be announced in the next few weeks.