Corporate Governance

Whatever happened to the customer? It’s a question I’ve been asking myself more and more lately, and one that more than a few national brands should be working harder to answer. At a time when retail is evolving in exciting ways, one of the most disappointing trends over the last several years is a conspicuous (and costly) lack of focus on the customer.

Des Moines, Iowa — The Des Moines Area Community College opened its school year with a new campus: a 65,000-sq.-ft. former J.C. Penney store located on the main level of Southridge Mall.

The mall’s owner, Macerich sold the space to DMACC for $1. The school, which has three other campuses in the Des Moines metro area, has invested $13 million in design, construction, equipment, labs and classrooms. Major donations will be announced this fall.

Houston — Transwestern has announced that Amber Strang has joined the firm as executive managing director of tenant advisory services. In her newly created role, Strang will pursue multi-market business and work to enhance client services. Strang will also serve on Transwestern’s board of directors and executive committee.

Bakersfield, Calif. — Foot Locker and Victoria’s Secret have expanded and remodeled at the 1.1 million-sq.-ft. Valley Plaza Mall in Bakersfield, Calif. Victoria’s Secret has also opened a new store for the popular PINK brand.

The newly remodeled Foot Locker, now spanning 5,000 sq. ft., plans to introduce an exclusive department called House of Hoops. It will feature elite athletic apparel and footwear.

Milford, Conn. — Subway opened its 40,000th location at an AppleGreen petrol station in Ipswich, England. The company has opened 1,761 locations around the world since the start of 2013. The largest chain of sub shops in the world, Subway leads the next largest chain by more than 5,500 locations.

The U.K. is the brand’s third largest market, behind the U.S. and Canada. There are 14,000 international locations in 102 countries outside the U.S.

Greenwood Village, Colo. — Red Robin Gourmet Burgers has announced the opening of two new restaurants. The first will open in Canton Crossing, Md., and Inner Harbor location in downtown Baltimore in late September. The second will open in Monroeville, Pa., at The District at Monroeville Mall outside of Pittsburgh in early October.

Alpharetta, Ga. — McAlister’s Deli, a fast casual restaurant, has announced its largest franchise deal so far. The Saxton Group has signed an agreement to develop 30 new restaurants in three states over the next six years in Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Missouri. The primary focus will be in the Dallas-Fort Worth and Kansas City markets.

Three locations included in the agreement have already opened in Midwest City, Okla., Dallas and Sherman, Texas.

McAlister’s has more than 320 restaurants in 23 states.

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Following a difficult start to the year, leading branded footwear and accessories retailer DSW has rebounded with an increase in sales that resulted in solid quarterly profit results for the second quarter ended Aug. 3. 

The company reported sales of $562 million for the quarter, up 9.7% from $512 million for the prior-year period. Comparable-store sales increased 4.4% for the quarter on top of the prior-year quarter’s 4.2% increase.

ST. LOUIS — Brown Shoe Company saw a shift in sales to the second quarter from the third quarter which helped deliver net sales of $621.7 million for the second quarter ended Aug. 3, up 10% from $564.9 million last year.

SAN FRANCISCO — The Levi’s brand has made significant management changes to its leadership structure in an effort to drive innovative product and consumer engagement campaigns around the globe.