Corporate Governance

New York -- Consumer confidence unexpectedly dropped in August from a six-year high as Americans faced rising interest rates, according to the University of Michigan/Thomson Reuters preliminary index of consumer sentiment.

The index fell to 80.0 from 85.1 in July, which was the highest since July 2007. The median projection of 68 economists surveyed by Bloomberg called for little change at 85.2.

The outlook component fell to 72.9 in August from 76.5 in July, while current conditions dropped to 91.0 in August from 98.6 in July.

Canton, Mass. – To mark the first anniversary of its mobile gifting/payment app, Dunkin’ Donuts is launching a sweepstakes on Twitter. The sweepstakes, called “DD Mobile Appiversary,” will give 365 consumers a $10 Dunkin' Donuts mGift.

New York -- Tiffany & Co. today released its annual Corporate Responsibility Report, which affirms what the retailer says are efforts to positively improve the entire jewelry supply chain. This includes promoting responsible mining standards and increasing awareness about critical issues affecting the industry, such as the environmental concerns surrounding the development of the proposed Pebble Mine in Bristol Bay, Alaska.

New York -- J. C. Penney disclosed in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing on Friday that it entered into a Registration Rights Agreement with Bill Ackman’s Pershing Square and its affiliates that gives him an out to completely walk away from the company. Under the deal, Ackman can make up to four requests to Penney to register the sale of his restricted common stock.

"It is paving the way for (Pershing Square) to sell the stock if they choose to do so," Imperial Capital analyst Mary Ross Gilbert said in a Reuters report.

I think it’s exciting to watch retail going back downtown.
 
I remember shopping in big downtown department stores years ago, and I remember when the big retailers began their exodus to suburban malls leaving huge, sad-looking buildings behind.
 
But retail, as they say, follows rooftops, and the rooftops were springing up in suburbia and then further out in edge communities. Today, we all have a number of friends and acquaintances that commute for an hour or more in each direction every day.
 

Evanston, Ill. — Three new tenants are coming to the 212,373-sq.-ft. Evanston Plaza on Chicago’s North Shore, according to Mid-America Asset Management Inc. www.midamericagrp.com, the exclusive representative of the center.

DaVita, a division of DaVita HealthCare Partners Inc., signed a lease for 10,000 sq. ft. and plans to open a kidney dialysis center in the fall of 2013. The U.S. Army & Marines lease 2,424 sq. ft. for a recruitment center. Papa Romeo’s Pizza has taken 1,464 sq. ft.

By Jeff Weidauer, [email protected]

Online outdoor clothing and gear retailer Moosejaw’s new store in Boston is designed to bring the quirky brand’s “Love the Madness” philosophy to life.    

Unlike the company’s previous stores, which involved taking over existing retail locations from other retailers, the new space was created specifically to evoke Moosejaw’s irreverent style and establish a brick-and-mortar presence that truly reflects the brand.

While second quarter sales were less than expected, one area where Walmart exceeded plan was expenses incurred related to Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and compliance matters.

The company said it spent $82 million on efforts in those areas compared to the $65 million to $70 million it though it would spend at the start of the year. Expenses during the first half of the year totaled $155 million.

Yesterday’s release of disappointing sales and profits at Walmart was hardly unexpected, but it heightened concerns about the health of the consumer and sparked a broader market sell-off.