Corporate Governance

Egg Harbor Township, N.J. -- Spirit Halloween, the largest seasonal Halloween retailer in North America, has officially opened the doors of some 1,050 plus locations in the United States and Canada for the 2013 Halloween season. The company this year is celebrating its 30th anniversary.

Spirit stores provide one-stop shopping for everything from top costumes and decor, to accessories and party goods. The stores are feature a variety of interactive displays designed to entertain and — in tune with the season — thrill shoppers.

Camp Hill, Pa. -- Rite Aid Corp. reported that it swung to  profit in the second-quarter profit, fueled by increased sales and stronger margins. The drugstore chain raised its full-year forecast.

Rite Aid reported a profit of $32.8 million for the quarter ended Aug. 31, compared with a year-earlier loss of $38.8 million. It was the chain’s fourth-straight quarterly profit.

Sales for the quarter were $6.3 billion, up from $6.2 billion in the year ago period. Same-store sales were up by 1%,

Menomonee Falls, Wis. -- Kohl’s Department Stores said it plans on hiring more than 50,000 associates nationwide this holiday season to support seasonal business in stores and growth on its online platform.

Kohl’s anticipates hiring an average of 40 associates per store to provide shoppers with excellent customer service throughout the holiday season at its 1,158 stores in 49 states.

Burlington, Ontario -- Ikea announced the completion of North America's largest Ikea location, in Ville St. Laurent. Growing from 237,473 sq ft to 469,694 sq ft, the state-of-the-art Ikea Montreal will host a warehouse that is twice the size, doubling the amount of products available to take home at any time.

The new store will also offer customers 1407 parking spots, 600 seats in the restaurant, 48 cash lanes, 54 room settings and 2 full home settings.

Philadelphia -- Wal-Mart Stores and McDonald’s were the only retailers to crack the Hay Group’s eighth annual Best Companies for Leadership Study Top 20 list.

The study surveyed nearly 18,000 individuals at more than 2,200 organizations worldwide to examine how companies develop their leaders and foster cultures of innovation. This year, Procter & Gamble led the Top 20. Wal-Mart ranked No. 7, and McDonald’s came in at No. 8.

Boise, Idaho — Gordmans Inc. has signed an anchor lease for 50,505 sq. ft. at Southshore Shopping Center in Boise, Idaho, said Pine Tree Commercial Realty LLC. The store is slated to open next spring.

The property is owned by Pine Tree –Inland Development I LLC, a joint venture between Inland Real Estate Corporation and Pine Tree Institutional Realty LLC, an affiliate of Pine Tree Commercial Realty.

Mark Bottles Real Estate Services represented the landlord in the transaction.

Peoria, Ill. — Cullinan has announced the appointment of Victor Ambrosio and VP, director of leasing in the company’s Chicago office. In his new role, Ambrosio will direct Cullinan’s leasing, sales and marketing functions and manage third party broker relationships.

Northbrook, Ill. — Pine Tree Commercial Realty LLC recently promoted Todd Zinsmaster from senior VP to executive VP of acquisitions and development.

Rockville, Md. — Kids First Swim School has leased an 8,654-sq.-ft. space at the Randolph Hills Shopping Center in Rockville, Md. Divaris represented the landlord, Randolph Properties Limited Partnership, in the transaction.

Kids First Swim School is the nation’s largest provider of year-round, warm-water swimming instruction. The school operates in 16 locations in four states and teaches more than 80,000 students every year.

Flemington, N.J. — HomeGoods has signed a long-term lease with The Shoppes at Flemington in Flemington, N.J., and is open and operating in a 22,000-sq.-ft. building that came as part of the deal.

Levin Management manages and markets the center for the owner, Garrison Investment Group. Welco Realty represented HomeGoods.

Levin also served as the construction manager for the development of the new retail space and managed the land development approvals.