Events

A fresh round of unionization efforts appear to be in store for major retailers next spring after organized labor won a favorable ruling regarding how elections are conducted.

Walmart has announced the 75 winners of its Food Pantry Holiday Makeover campaign, which gifts a food pantry organization with a $20,000 grant for renovations. 

Ridgefield, Conn. - Moviegoers are still enjoying the big-screen entertainment at the AMC Theaters in Levittown, New York, even as Schimenti Construction is renovating the ten-theater complex.  The company’s first project with AMC, it will be completed in January 2015, in just 95 calendar days from start to finish.  

Ottawa, Canada – The U.S. retail tradition of ‘Cyber Week’ is spreading north. New data based on parcel volumes compiled by Canadian mail service Canada Post show that e-commerce shipments as a result of Cyber Week this year have doubled since 2012.  

Porch.com CEO Matt Ehrlichman has been named the USA Today Entrepreneur of the Year for 2014.

Key criteria of the award included exhibiting significant growth this year and solving a consumer problem.

Ehrlichman won the honor after a team of USA Today editors sorted through 10 finalists.

More than 3,200 military members, veterans and their families attended the Holiday for Heroes event at Mall of America.

The mall, working with Beyond the Yellow Ribbon, invited attendees to enjoy unlimited rides at Nickelodeon Universe, free breakfast at Hard Rock Cafe, a military resource fair, visits with Santa, an ugly sweater photo booth and prizes valued at more than $200.

This is the first year Mall of America has hosted Holiday for Heroes.

Arlington, VA - Retailers on Friday criticized the National Labor Relations Board decision that gave the go-ahead to new laws to expedite the union election process. The amendments, to go into effect April 14, provide for electronic filing and transmission of election petitions and other documents; eliminates or reduces unnecessary litigation; and allows parties to consolidate election-related appeals to the board into a single appeals process, the NLRB said in a statement.  

Indianapolis – Simon  has broken ground on Tampa Premium Outlets in Wesley Chapel, Florida. Opening in October 2015, the multi-million dollar project will bring a diverse mix of more than 110 retailers with 441,000-sq.-ft. of leasable space. It will also include  a  a food pavilion with multiple dining options.  

New York - New York City’s first outlet center is expected to transform the Staten Island waterfront when it opens in 2016 adjacent to the 630-ft.-high New York observation wheel on the New York Harbor.

New York City - The International Council of Shopping Centers set new attendance records at its New York National Deal Making Conference, moved for the first time to the Javits Convention Center, held December 8 and 9, and keynoted by Donald Trump. The two-day event at the new location nearly doubled the size of the space from prior years, and drew more than 400 exhibiting companies and 9,600 attendees, representing a new attendance record and a 26% increase compared to the 2013 event.