Corporate Governance

DALLAS — Neiman Marcus launched an online beauty product specialist program that offers customers the same personalized counter experience they would receive in-store.

New York -- Hibbett Sports reported that profit surged 34% to $10.5 million in the second quarter, compared with $7.9 million last year and just edging Wall Street expectations.

Sales matched forecasts with a 13% rise to $186.2 million. Same-store sales edged up 0.3%.

But the sporting goods retailer lowered its full-year outlook, citing concern over consumer spending.

By Kathy Gersch, VP at Kotter International [email protected]

NEW YORK — Despite experiencing some challenges, particularly in the U.S., Foot Locker reported a comparable-store sales of 1.8% for the second quarter ended Aug. 3.

Jacksonville, Fla. — Madison Hawk will conduct a real estate auction on Sept. 18 for a free standing retail building just east of downtown Jacksonville, Fla. The building is part of a Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceeding.

Located at 1220 University Avenue, the 1.72-acre property contains a 15,070-sq.-ft. Walgreens Pharmacy that generates about $302,000 in net income annually. The Walgreens Co. lease is Double Net (NN) with the initial term running through 2019.

Roanoke, Va. — PetSmart has leased 17,168 sq. ft. at he Hunting Hills Shopping Center in Roanoke, Va. Divaris Real Estate and Metro Commercial represented PetSmart in the transaction.

DRE is the exclusive tenant representative for PetSmart in Virginia and Metro Commercial is the national tenant representative for PetSmart.

In advance of the Walmart-led U.S. Manufacturing Summit held in Orlando, Walmart U.S. president and CEO Bill Simon wrote an op-ed piece for the Huffington Post titled, "Reviving U.S. Manufacturing Key to Rebuilding the Middle Class." In it, Simon alludes to the vanishing middle class — which found themselves jobless as products once produced in the U.S.

Mount Vernon, Ill. — Hobby Lobby has signed a lease for 52,729 sq. ft. at Times Square Mall in Mount Vernon, Ill., and plans to open in the first quarter of next year, according to Pine Tree Commercial Realty LLC.

Pine Tree owns the 269,328-sq.-ft. center, anchored in partnership with The Sansone Group and Wanxiang America Real Estate Group.