Events

Buffalo, N.Y. -- Headwear and apparel retailer New Era said Thursday it will expand its international presence with the opening of New Era Tokyo on Feb. 26.

The 1,100-sq.-ft. store, the retailer’s eighth global store, is located in Harajuku.

"We're focused on growing our retail presence internationally so having a flagship store in Japan's main city is really exciting," said Matthew Reeves, New Era Japan's managing director.

Seattle -- American Girl said Wednesday it will make its Northwest U.S. debut as it opens a new store this summer at Alderwood Mall in Lynnwood, Wash.

According to a report by the Seattle Times, the Middleton, Wis.-based retailer, a division of Mattel, said it is taking 12,500 sq. ft. of space spanning the mall's interior and outdoor Village.
 
The new store will replace several departed or relocated tenants, including Cold Stone Creamery, World Wrapps and Anchor Blue.

Chain Store Age has launched the fourth edition of its New Product Digest, which is designed to provide retailers with the latest news regarding new products and services, and to help suppliers promote their companies while influencing buying decisions.
 
The companies featured in this volume include Federal Health Specialty Contracting, The Maintenance Company and DuctSox. Check out this month's edition.

New York City -- Register now for the Chain Store Age Webinar, “Decoding the CFO's ‘Black Hole’: Protecting the Brand and Bottom Line.”

Presented by FM, the Webinar will be held this afternoon at 2 p.m. ET. Topics include current trends in retail facility maintenance, obstacles to protecting brand image and how to overcome them, and case studies of successful retailer facility management programs.

Click here to register.

Tarrytown, N.Y. -- DLC Management Corp. said Tuesday that two of its Northeast Leasing team members have successfully achieved the Certified Leasing Specialist (CLS) designation from the International Council of Shopping Centers.

Evan Podob, VP -- director of Northeast leasing, and Christopher Ressa, senior leasing representative -- Northeast, received their certifications in January.
 

WAYNE, N.J. -- Toys "R" Us is kicking off an in-store fundraising campaign to benefit North America's largest autism science and advocacy organization.

Now through April 30, monetary donations will be collected at all Toys "R" Us and Babies "R" Us stores and online to benefit Autism Speaks.

Atlanta -- Home Depot reported Tuesday that profit for the quarter ended Jan. 30 surged 72% to $587 million, compared with $342 million a year earlier, and and the home-improvement chain provided 2011 guidance at or above the views it gave in December. Results were helped by a strong showing in the United States.

Revenue increased 3.8% to $15.12 billion, beating Wall Street expectations of $14.81 billion. Same-store sales rose 3.9% and were up 4.8% in the United States.

Plano, Texas -- J.C. Penny Co. said Tuesday it has introduced a new logo, designed to symbolize the retailer’s transformation to a more updated and relevant destination.

The new logo emphasizes a new, lowercase “jcp” by positioning it slightly off-centered in a red box while still featuring the company's signature red color. It was designed by Luke Langhus, a third-year graphic design student at the University of Cincinnati.

The Associated Press is reporting that Target has revised its policy governing political donations following a flap last year that tarnished the company’s progressive image. Target drew the wrath of gay rights activists after it was revealed the company donated $150,000 to a business group that supported Minnesota’s conservative Republican gubernatorial candidate Tom Emmer who is an opponent of gay marriage and other gay rights initiatives.

The retail world takes center stage this week as financial markets are poised to dissect a slew of earnings reports from major retailers who will be sharing details on the profitability of holiday sales, perspective on the state of the economic recovery and the outlook for consumer spending during the remainder of 2011.