Events

Plymouth Meeting, Pa. -- Fameco Real Estate, L.P. said that Patel Bazaar and Spice Kitchen have signed leases for 6,900 sq. ft. along the 422 Corridor in Montgomery County, Pa.

Patel Bazaar, an Indian grocery store, has signed a 4,900-sq.-ft. lease at Jefferson Plaza Shopping Center in West Norriton Township. The grand opening is scheduled for January 14. Spice Kitchen, an Indian restaurant, has signed a lease for 2,000 sq. ft. at the Park Ridge Shopping Center in Trooper. The center is anchored by Acme. Spice Kitchen opened its doors several weeks ago.

Los Angeles -- In recognition of his business and philanthropic achievements, The Home Depot’s executive VP merchandising, Craig Menear, will receive The Spirit of Life Award from City of Hope’s Hardware/Homebuilding Industry group. Menear will be honored Jan. 11, at a reception, at the Rosen Plaza Hotel in Orlando, Fla., by colleagues and industry members. The day will begin with a golf tournament event that supports City of Hope’s lifesaving research, education and treatment programs for cancer and other life-threatening diseases.

Reston, Va. -- Retail e-commerce spending for the entire November -- December 2010 holiday season reached $32.6 billion, marking a 12% increase versus last year and an all-time record for the season, according to comScore.

The New Year is off to a busy start at BJ’s Wholesale Club. Amid ongoing speculation about the retailer being a potential takeover target, BJ’s on Wednesday announced the closure of five clubs, several senior level personnel changes and released its December sales a day earlier than normal.

Retail executives are invited to introduce their rising stars to the industry’s leading store development and facilities event -- SPECS, which will be held March 13-16, 2011, at the Gaylord Texan in Grapevine, Texas. Qualified senior executives and their future leaders will receive FREE registration to this year’s show.

New York City -- A report released Tuesday by the International Council of Shopping Centers and Goldman Sachs Group said that U.S. retail sales are up 3.6% on a year-over-year basis.

Same-store sales at a selection of U.S. retailers rose 0.4% from the week ended Jan. 1 from the prior week, the groups also said.

New York City -- Barnes & Noble reported a preliminary same-store sales increase of 9.7% for the nine-week period ended on Jan. 1, led by the popularity of its Nook e-readers (the figure includes Nook devices sold in stores but not on its website). Last week, Barnes & Noble said the Nook had become its best-selling single item ever.

Barnes & Noble, which put itself up for sale in August, introduced the Nook in 2009 in a bid to compete with Amazon.com's market-leading Kindle and win a share of the growing digital books market.

LAS VEGAS - Sears announced that it has launched a new social media initiative called the Sears Blue Blogger Crew, which is dedicated to providing knowledgeable, industry bloggers the opportunity to engage in consumer electronics announcements, events and activities throughout the year.