Events

Washington, D.C. -- On the heels of First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden’s “Joining Forces” military support announcement in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, Walmart has announced its Military Family Promise. 

The commitment guarantees a job at a nearby store or club for all military personnel, and military spouses, employed at Walmart and Sam's Club who move to a different part of the country because they or their spouse have been transferred by the United States military.

The historic May flood of 2010 in Nashville and Middle Tennessee took 23 lives, displaced thousands of residents and flooded hundreds of businesses, as more than 13 inches of rain was recorded over a two-day period and the Cumberland River reached nearly 12 ft. above flood stage.

Among the business casualties was the Opry Mills, a Simon Property Group outlet retail destination seven miles from downtown Nashville and a short walking distance from the Grand Ole Opry.

WASHINGTON -- Import cargo volume at the nation’s major retail container ports is expected to be up 9% in April over the same month last year, according to the monthly Global Port Tracker report released by the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates.

Washington, D.C. -- Import cargo volume at the nation’s major retail container ports is expected to be up 9% in April over the same month last year, according to the monthly Global Port Tracker report released Monday by the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates.

Atlanta -- Commerce, Mich.-based LaVida Massage announced the opening of its second location in the Atlanta area.

The new 2,800-sq.-ft. center, located in Canton, Ga., is slated to open in May. The center will be owned and managed by Mike Spidel.
 

Las Vegas -- Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino said it has added over 50,000 sq. ft. of new and remodeled tenants to the center throughout 2011.

Multiple new merchants totaling 17,300 sq. ft. are set to open at Miracle Mile Shops, including Guess (June), Pandora (May) and Chinese Laundry (April). Additionally, nine merchants totaling 34,422 sq. ft. such as Victoria’s Secret, Lucky Brand Jeans and Bebe are remodeling existing locations.

Walmart has long shunned outright sponsorship of a NASCAR team, while such other retailers as Target, Office Depot, Bass Pro Shops, Home Depot and Lowe’s have embraced the sport with much success. With most NASCAR fans already shopping its stores, Walmart has adopted for a more surgical approach, which is evident again this year as the company executes promotional events at stores in markets where races are being held.

WASHINGTON — While the calendar shift of Easter may have taken a toll on retailers' march performance, April sales should see a boost, as the National Retail Federation noted that consumers intend to spend more this year than in 2010.

NEW YORK -- Uniqlo, a subsidiary brand of Japan-based Fast Retailing Co., announced that it will open its third New York City location at 31 West 34th Street this fall. The 34th Street store is set to open late in the fall of 2011, following the opening of the company's largest flagshop store on Fifth Avenue in early fall. Uniqlo operates a store in NYC's trendy SoHo neighborhood.

In conjunction with the news of its NYC expansion, Uniqlo announced plans to hire 1,000 retail associates and 100 supervisors from the local tri-state area.

NEW YORK -- Showing that luxury is experiencing measurable bounce in the recovering economy, the higher-end department stores led the same-store sales pack in March.

Saks outperformed the rest of the category, recording an 11.1% same-store sales increase during the month. Total sales rose 9.2% to $260.2 million, compared with $238.2 million in the year-ago period.