Events

Hhgregg Inc. is the latest retailer to give its store employees off for Thanksgiving Day.   The appliances and consumer electronics retailer announced it will close its 220 stores on the holiday, and reopen them at 7 a.m. on Black Friday.  To date, approximately 42 national retailers and the nation’s largest mall have announced they will not be open on turkey day (see list at end of story.)  

Simon and General Growth Properties veteran Tom Martin has joined McWhinney’s development team as VP of mixed-use operations and general manager of Dairy Block.   A McWhinney press release said that Martin will also hold the title of Mayor of Dairy Block, a mixed-use project the company is building in the Lower Downtown, or LoDo, section of Denver. The neighborhood houses Coors Field, Union Station, boutiques, and galleries.  

Inland Private Capital Corp.’s Keith Lampi received the Distinguished Service Award from the Alternative and Direct Investment Securities Association during its recent annual conference in Las Vegas.   "Keith has exhibited an honorable commitment to excellence and service to the industry while adhering to the highest ethical standards and quality performance," said ADISA executive director and CEO John Harrison in presenting the award.   

Hands down, “digital disruption” was the theme of the third annual Northwest Arkansas Technology Summit, held in Rogers, Arkansas. In line with evolving concept itself, there were many definitions of what digital disruption truly means heard throughout the event.  

Century 21 Department Store is set to open its doors on Fulton Street in downtown Brooklyn.   The store, the off-price retailer’s 11th location, will occupy four floors and 140,000 sq. ft. at City Point, a 1.8 million-sq.-ft. retail, residential and office space under development. It officially opens on Oct. 11.   

The retail industry saw an increase of 10,000 jobs in September over August, according to the National Retail Federation.   The gains came as the Labor Department announced that the U.S. economy overall gained 156,000 jobs.  

Macerich spent the weekend celebrating the opening of Green Acre Commons, an open-air congregation of big-box retailers adjoining its Green Acres Mall in Valley Stream, New York.   A fixture in the retail scene on the Queens-Nassau County border, the 1.8 million-sq.-ft. mall has served the area for more than 50 years with tenants such as Macy’s, J.C. Penney, Century 21, Express, and American Eagle. Last year, Macerich redeveloped and re-merchandised the south side of the property, creating a new entrance for Old Navy and H&M.

Walmart is hosting 26 startups to present their ideas as part of the company's Technology Open Call, the Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette reported Thursday.   The event is being held in conjunction with Friday's Northwest Arkansas Tech Summit and features companies like FreshSpire, a service that notifies participating consumers the availability of discounted produce that's about to expire. 

ModCloth, the online apparel retailer known for its indie and vintage-inspired styles, is opening up its first permanent store.   The company will open a 4,000-sq.-ft. location in Austin, Texas, in November, Bloomberg reported. Other locations are likely to follow.  

Raceways appear to be the newest fertile ground for retail. International Speedway Corporation recently started construction at One Daytona, a mixed-use project across from Daytona International Speedway, and now Tanger Outlets has started up a new center a lap away from Texas Motor Speedway.