Strategy

BENTONVILLE, Ark. - Sam's Club announced that it is offering its business, advantage and plus members tools to help them achieve their health goals including free monthly in-club health screenings and access to a new health management benefit, The Prevention Plan from U.S. Preventive Medicine.

New York City -- Macy’s said Tuesday that it plans to expand its website offerings and would add about 725 new positions over the next two years to implement the e-commerce expansion plan.

CHICAGO - Claire's Stores has announced the appointment of Jay Friedman as president of the North American division, reporting to Gene Kahn, CEO, effective immediately.

In his position, Friedman will lead both the Claire's and Icing businesses and will have direct oversight of buying, planning and allocation, supply chain, stores and overall operations of approximately 2,000 stores in the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.  

Retail executives are invited to introduce their rising stars to the industry’s leading store development and facilities event -- SPECS, which will be held March 13-16, 2011, at the Gaylord Texan in Grapevine, Texas. Qualified senior executives and their future leaders will receive FREE registration to this year’s show.

CINCINNATI - Macy's Inc. has announced a series of organizational expansions, totaling approximately 725 new positions over the next two years, to support the growth of macys.com and bloomingdales.com. 

Princeton, N.J. -- A report released Tuesday by NAI Global said that real estate conditions worldwide had stabilized and were beginning to improve.

According to NAI Global’s 25th annual Global Market Report, after a prolonged, challenging period marked by frozen credit, sidelined investors, stalled development, rising vacancy rates and declining rental rates and property values, modest improvement is expected in just about every market sector and geography in 2011.

London -- A Tuesday report by the Financial Times said that Andy Bond, former CEO of Asda, has left his post of part-time chairman of the United Kingdom’s second biggest supermarket by market share, a position that he has held for less than a year.

The report also said that Bond will leave Walmart as well, which owns Asda, once its $2.4 billion deal to acquire a majority stake in South Africa’s Massmart is complete around the end of March.

New York City -- A report released Tuesday by the International Council of Shopping Centers and Goldman Sachs Group said that U.S. retail sales are up 3.6% on a year-over-year basis.

Same-store sales at a selection of U.S. retailers rose 0.4% from the week ended Jan. 1 from the prior week, the groups also said.