Strategy

San Francisco -- Best Buy Co. has reportedly agreed to pay $10.2 million in a settlement related to a job discrimination class-action lawsuit, Reuters reported.

The lawsuit, filed in 2005 in U.S. District Court in Northern California, alleged that the retailer discriminated against women, African-American and Latino employees by denying them promotions and more lucrative sales positions. Best Buy has denied any wrongdoing.

PLANO, Texas — Last week, RetailingToday.com reported that former Apple executive Ron Johnson would succeed Mike Ullman as CEO of JCPenney. Today, JCPenney announced that Ullman, who was originally slated to remain on the company's board of directors indefinitely, will now be leaving the company on Feb. 1, 2012.

My husband loves Apple. In fact, I cannot remember one single trip to Mall of Louisiana (Baton Rouge) that hasn’t included a stop-in at the Apple store. There, he plays with the gadgets -- iPhones, iPads, MacBooks, iMacs, iPods -- and wanders the store, as content to browse the high-tech aisles as I am to shop the designer shoe department at Dillard’s.

Crystal Lake, Ill. -- Centro Properties Group said that Advance Auto Parts has opened a new location at The Commons of Crystal Lake, located in Crystal Lake, Ill.

According to Centro, which is based in New York City, the new store is 8,800 sq. ft.

New York City -- New York City-based Winick Realty announced that Westside Market has leased its fourth Manhattan location at 2589 Broadway, between 97th and 98th Streets on the Upper West Side.

The 46-year-old family-owned food market and caterer took a total of 15,607 sq. ft., including 8,607 sq. ft. on the ground floor and 7,000 sq. ft. on the lower level. It currently runs two additional Upper West Side locations, as well as one in Chelsea.