Strategy

Atwater, Calif. -- Jacksonville, Fla.-based Regency Centers said that Dollar Tree has leased retail space in Atwater, Calif., at Applegate Ranch Shopping Center.

Dollar Tree leased 9,264 sq. ft. and is now open. The 464,136-sq.-ft. shopping center is anchored by a Super Target, Walmart, Marshalls and Petco.
 

After two years of being in New York City in order to be closer to the center of the fashion industry in the United States, Walmart is moving its apparel office back to Bentonville, Ark.

New York City -- Brixmor Property Group said Wednesday it has appointed Thomas W. Litzler as senior VP, central region.

Based in Chicago, Litzler will serve as the asset manager for the region, directing leasing, property operations and redevelopment activity for 11.7 million sq. ft. of community and neighborhood shopping centers in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri and Wisconsin.

Toano, Va. -- Flooring retailer Lumber Liquidators reported Thursday that net income in the third quarter rose 57.2% to $6.7 million, compared with $4.3 million in the year-ago period.

Sales surged 16.8% to $172 million in the quarter, and same-store sales increased 3%.

The retailer has opened 33 new store locations in 2011, including six opened during the third quarter. It plans to open seven to nine new stores in the fourth quarter.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — A down economy means people are less likely to buy new cars, which means they will need to take care of the ones they do have, and that's good news for companies like O'Reilly Automotive, which reported sales and earnings growth for the third quarter.

Dallas -- Neiman Marcus announced Thursday that it had entered into agreements with Visa and MasterCard to begin, effective Nov. 1, accepting MasterCard and Visa credit, debit and prepaid cards at all 41 Neiman Marcus stores.

The luxury retailer had long been criticized for accepting only its private-label credit cards, American Express and cash.

"We listened to our customers and heard that they wanted more flexibility in their payment choices," said Karen Katz, president and CEO, Neiman Marcus.
 

New York City -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced that Panera Bread’s 35 Maryland locations are on EPA's list of top green power purchasers among retailers.
 
The company’s green power purchase of more than 11 million kilowatt hours for its 35 Maryland bakery-cafes is equivalent to avoiding the yearly carbon dioxide emissions of nearly 1,400 passenger vehicles or from more than 800 average American homes’ electricity use.

The fashion and retail blogospheres went into overdrive with complaints about how Target botched the launch of its latest and exclusive limited time collection, Missoni for Target. And shoppers across the nation took to Facebook, Twitter and other sites to share their frustrations. The folks who seemed to be the most put-out were those who ordered goods online.  After experiencing long delays and going through any number of hurdles before they were even able to place an order, many are now being told that their orders would be delayed or, even worse, canceled.