Events

To plug the widening book seller gap, who are you going to call?  Chain Store Age columnist Jeff Green offers a few ideas of his own for filling the category chasm created by Borders' liquidation and Barnes & Noble contractions. 

Check out Jeff's newest column, "Turning the Page on Bookstores," on our real estate community site, under Retail Rap with Jeff Green, chainstoreage.com/community.

WASHINGTON — NRF reported that total back-to-school spending on grades K to 12 is expected to reach $22.8 billion. According to NRF’s 2011 Back-to-School survey conducted by BIGresearch, families with children in grades K to 12 will spend an average of $603.63 on apparel, school supplies and electronics, within a few dollars of last year’s $606.40 average. 

Ann Arbor, Mich. -- Borders Group on Thursday won court approval to liquidate its remaining 399 stores, even as it negotiates to sell up to 35 stores to Books-a-Million.

"This is a bittersweet day," said U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Martin Glenn before a packed courtroom. "There are a lot of sad people around the country, a lot of sad people in the corporate headquarters. But there has been a late-breaking development."

New York City -- McDonald’s Corp. plans to build the largest restaurant in its system as part of its role as official restaurant of the 2012 Olympic Games in London. The chain has been an Olympics sponsor since 1976.

Speaking in a global webcast on July 20, McDonald's UK CEO Jill McDonald said the planned restaurant will span 32,290 sq.-ft. over two levels, and will have a kitchen four times standard size to accommodate the crowds. The chain says it expects to serve 1.75 million meals during the games, which run from July 27 to Aug. 12, 2012.

By Adam Siegel, VP sustainability, RILA

New York City -- M&M’s World has made its European debut, opening a 35,000-sq.-ft. store in London’s busy Leicester Square.

NEW YORK — Reality TV star Audrina Patridge will continue her partnership with Iconix Brand Group and will appear in a television commercial for the company's Bongo brand, which is sold exclusively at Kmart and Sears.

WASHINGTON — First Lady Michelle Obama on Wednesday afternoon will be joined by corporate chiefs from Walmart, Walgreens and Supervalu and smaller regional market chains as she announces a new initiative to support the Let's Move! campaign, according to a Monday posting on the blog site Obama Foodorama.