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New York -- A Friday report by CNBC said that Goldman Sachs has lined up a $1.75 billion financing package for J.C. Penney Co., backed by the retailer’s real estate and other assets.

The news, which has not yet been confirmed by Penney, comes a day after investor George Soros reported a 7.9% stake in the company.

Earlier this month, Penney borrowed $850 million from its $1.85 billion revolving credit facility to boost its cash position and buy inventory.

New York -- Giving a much-needed boost to J.C. Penney Co., George Soros’ Soros Fund Management bought 17.4 million shares of the troubled retailer, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.  

The stake, which was seen as a vote of confidence in returning CEO Mike Ullman, makes the billionaire investor the fourth-largest Penney shareholder, with a 7.9% stake.

New York -- Christopher Finazzo, 57, who was an executive VP and chief merchandising officer at Aeropostale, was found guilty on Thursday of 14 counts of mail fraud, one count of wire fraud and one count of conspiracy. He faces up to 20 years in prison on each of the fraud convictions and up to five years for the conspiracy charge.
      
The jury took less than five hours to reach the verdict, which came after a three-week criminal trial in Brooklyn, N.Y.
     

NEW YORK — Christopher Finazzo, 57, a former EVP and CMO at Aeropostale, was found guilty of 14 counts of mail fraud, one count of wire fraud and one count of conspiracy. He faces up to 20 years in prison on each of the fraud convictions and up to five years for the conspiracy charge.

The jury took less than five hours to reach the verdict, which came after a three-week criminal trial in Brooklyn, N.Y. 

Electrolux reported net sales decreased 2% to $25.3 million compared with the same period last year. On an organic basis, adjusted for acquisitions, divestments and changes in exchange rates, sales increased 3.8% compared with the same period last year.

Dallas -- S&S Enterprises said it has sold a portfolio of 12 Sunoco fuel centers and convenience stores in central and southeast Florida for $32 million to entities managed by Cole Real Estate Investments.

The portfolio consists of 37,275 sq. ft., with seven of the 12 locations having been redeveloped and all locations having received 20-year lease extensions.

Indianapolis -- Jones Lang LaSalle said that Rebecca Wells has been named EVP in the company’s Indianapolis office, part of its Capital Markets arm.

In her new role, Wells will work closely with Midwest Capital Markets leader and International Director John Huguenard to expand the firm’s platform of services, focusing on retail and office dispositions in the Midwest.

Wells joins Jones Lang LaSalle from national commercial real estate firm Cassidy Turley, where she served as SVP Institutional Sales Group.

Pinecrest, Fla. -- Terranova Corp. said that it has signed a deal with Spanish restaurant chain 100 Montaditos to open a unit at Suniland Shopping Center, in Pinecrest, Fla.

100 Montaditos has signed a lease for 2,500 sq. ft. in Suniland, where it is projected to open in fourth quarter 2013. It is the third deal Terranova has transacted with 100 Montaditos, which it has signed in Coral Gables’ Miracle Mile and in downtown Miami’s Vizcayne, a condo tower with ground-floor retail.
    

Pleasanton, Calif. -- Safeway Inc. on Thursday said it earned $118.9 million, in the first quarter ended March 23, up from $72.9 million a year earlier, helped by tax benefits. The company maintained its forecast for the year.

Net sales inched down to $9.99 billion, from $10 billion a year ago, as the company sold its Genuardi’s division. Same-store sales rose 1.5%.

Walmart and other retailers are facing renewed criticism over their global sourcing practices following another factory disaster in Bangladesh.

Reuters is reporting that a block of garment factories and shops collapsed in Savar, 20 miles outside Dhaka, on Wednesday, killing 251 people and injuring more than a thousand. According to the report, an unknown number of the more than 3,000 people who work at the factory remain trapped inside. For more information, go to: