Corporate Governance

Toronto - Sears Canada Inc. has entered into a definitive agreement with Concord Pacific Group of Companies to sell and lease back three of its properties for $140 million. The after-tax proceeds, including adjustments, will be approximately $130 million.  

The locations include store space and adjacent property located at the Metropolis at Metrotown in Burnaby, British Columbia, Cottonwood Mall in Chilliwack, British Columbia and North Hill Shopping Centre in Calgary, Alberta. The transaction is scheduled to close on or about June 8, 2015.

Houston – Salata, a custom salad and salad wrap restaurant eatery, will open a 26,000-sq.-ft corporate complex in West Houston. Construction on the facility began in January and completion is estimated for summer 2015.

The headquarters will house offices for the chain's corporate employees, a training restaurant for franchisees and managers and a production facility. It will also feature a 2,500-sq.-ft. restaurant open to the public during regular lunch hours, which will also serve as a test kitchen and training restaurant.

Retailing Today's sister publication Chain Store Age reported this week that new concepts remain the lifeblood of retail.

Columbus, Ohio – Expenses, primarily related to incremental marketing activities, helped decrease profits at Express Inc. during the fourth quarter of fiscal 2014. But the chain beat Wall Street analysts earnings and sales estimates while also giving an upbeat outlook for its current quarter.

Express reported net income of $41.8 million, down 16% from $49.7 million last year.

Increased sales at Famous Footwear and the divestiture of its Shoes.com website helped Brown Shoe increase profits in the fourth quarter.

Brown Shoe Company reported that same store sales increased 4%, while profit was $16.2 million, or 37 cents a share, for the fourth quarter that ended Jan. 31, up from $6.2 million a year earlier. Adjusted earnings totaled $9 million in the quarter, or 20 cents a share, up from $6.2 million a share, or 14 cents a share, a year earlier. Net sales rose 2.6 percent in the quarter to $615.4 million.

Indianapolis -- Simon Property Group has put out feelers to acquire The Macerich Company, confirmed by a letter from Simon chairman and CEO David Simon to Arthur Coppola, chairman and CEO of Macerich.  

Macerich has not responded to the offer, although the letter from Simon references prior discussions that include a proposal by Simon to acquire all of the outstanding stock of Macerich for $91.00 per share in cash and Simon shares. The total value of the proposed transaction is approximately $22.4 billion.
 

New York -- Triple Five Group,  the company that owns and manages the nation’s largest shopping center, Mall of America in Bloomington, Minn., and the largest one in North America, West Edmonton Mall, Alberta (Canada), is looking to build its largest center yet. The company has proposed a sprawling mega-mall and entertainment destination near Miami Lakes in Northwest Miami-Dade County. As outlined in an article in the Miami Herald, the project would include a Legoland and an indoor ski slope.

Clayton, Mo. -- Increased sales at its Famous Footwear division and the sale of its shoes.com online site, helped boost Brown Shoe Company’ profit in the fourth quarter.  

The retailer reported net earnings of $16.2 million, which included adjustments related to the sale of Shoes.com, compared with $6.2 million in the year-ago period. Adjusted net earnings were $9 million.

Consolidated net sales in the quarter, ended Jan. 31, totaled $615.4 million, up 2.6% from year-ago period. Same-store sales increased 4%.