Strategy

St. Paul, Minn. -- Paster Enterprises announced that Aldi has opened at Crystal Town Center, in St. Paul, Minn.

The new grocery store anchor measures 17,929-sq.-ft.
 

Princeton, N.J. -- NAI Global said that Jay B. Olshonsky has joined the NAI Global New York City team as executive VP and COO.
 
Olshonsky previously was COO at NAI Friedland Realty, NAI Global’s Westchester County affiliate. He joined the NAI network in 2010 after 15 years with CB Richard Ellis, where he served as managing director in charge of its Washington, D.C., brokerage operations.

Oxnard, Calif. -- New York City-based Centro Properties Group announced that Wet Seal has opened a 6,000-sq.-ft. store at Esplanade Shopping Center, located in Oxnard, Calif. 

The new store celebrated its grand opening on April 16.

Centro Properties Group is the owner of Esplanade Shopping Center.

From where I sit, I’ve noticed a certain “buzz” of optimism in our industry -- frustrations and anxieties from a tough couple of years seem to be giving way to increasingly sunny retail sales forecasts. Is this sudden sense of optimism justified by cold, hard facts? Or, is this increasing sense of optimism somewhat irrational?

Located just 10 miles northwest of downtown Atlanta in Smyrna, Ga., The Crossings at Four Corners is currently undergoing a complete revitalization. The 153,000-sq.-ft. redevelopment, which officially broke ground on Feb. 8, includes the installation of a new traffic signal at the north end of the property, the renovation of approximately 60,000 sq. ft. of retail space and the addition of several outparcels. The true core of the project, however, will be the brand new, 96,000-sq.-ft. Kroger Food store.

Houston -- Men's Wearhouse announced Monday that company president and COO Douglas S. Ewert will succeed founder George Zimmer as president and COO, effective June 15.

According to the retailer, the transition is part of a previously announced succession plan.

Ewert, 47, has been nominated by the board to be elected as a director of the company at the annual shareholder meeting and will be included in the list of nominees in the proxy statement for consideration by the shareholders.

Daqing, China -- QKL Stores said Monday that it opened a new hypermarket store, its 51st, in Hailin County, Heilongjiang Province, on April 15.

The new store by Northeast China’s leading regional supermarket chain is approximately 7,300 sq. meters and is located in a small shopping center in a newly developed residential area which can serve over 80,000 potential customers.

The timing of Walmart’s new ad campaign couldn’t be better with Easter a week away, and a considerable amount of sales volume associated with that holiday still in play. Walmart should be able to get its share of that spending as the heavy rotation of ads reminds shoppers of its everyday low prices on the broadest assortment in the land and an easy price match guarantee.

ABILENE, Kan. -- Duckwall-ALCO Stores reported that net sales from continuing operations for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2011 increased 4.4% to $136.9 million and same-store sales, excluding fuel center sales, increased 1.8%, compared with the same period in the prior fiscal year. Net sales from continuing operations for the fiscal year decreased 0.6% to $465.2 million and same-store sales decreased 2.4%, compared with the same period in the prior fiscal year.

MINNEAPOLIS -- Best Buy said that it plans to open hundreds of wireless device stores, as well as expand online and in China in an effort to be more competitive as consumers up their online shopping. The chain is also scaling back the size of its signature namesake format. 

In an analyst conference Thursday, the retailer unveiled plans to shrink square footage at big-box stores by 10% over the next three to five years, a move that Best Buy said will eventually save $70 million to $80 million annually.