Development/Redevelopment

Tucson, Ariz. -- Commercial Retail Advisors said that La Mia Toscana Italian Restaurant has signed a lease for a 3,210-sq.-ft. restaurant in the Cottonwood Plaza Shopping Center in, Tucson, Ariz.

La Mia Toscana is expected to open in first quarter 2013.

Houston -- Starbucks Coffee Co. founder and CEO Howard Schultz said his company plans to add 1,000 stores in the U.S. in the next five years, according to a Bloomberg report.

San Francisco -- Uniqlo will open its first store on the West Coast, in San Francisco, on Oct. 5.

In case you missed it, Retailing Today published its annual Insights 2013 issue recently and while Target is currently the nation’s sixth largest retailer that position is likely to change in 2013.

It is conceivable Target could become the nation’s fourth largest retailer by this time next year, overtaking both Home Depot and Walgreens.

SAN FRANCISCO — Fast Retailing will open its first West Coast Uniqlo flagship store in the Union Square neighborhood of San Francisco.

Silicon Valley companies paved the way for corporate America to offer non-traditional workplace amenities and now Target has joined their ranks.

Seattle -- Green-building consulting firm Paladino and Co. said Wednesday it has acquired S.D. Keppler & Associates, a green consultancy out of Rockville, Md.
 
The two firms have joined to establish a comprehensive consulting offering focused on elevating the impact of green real estate programs within business.

Matthews, N.C. -- Family Dollar Stores reported Wednesday that net income for the quarter ended Aug. 25 inched up to $80.9 million, from $79.8 million in the same period last year. Results were impacted by an $11.5 million litigation charge stemming from the preliminary settlement of a lawsuit in New York.

Sales for the quarter rose 10.8% to $2.36 billion, a record for the company, and same-store sales increased 5.4%.

Grand Rapids, Mich. -- Regional grocer Meijer said Tuesday it will hire 12,000 new employees in preparation for the 2012 holiday shopping season. Most positions will be part-time.

According to Janet Emerson, executive VP of operations for Meijer, “Our goal is to deliver the best customer experience and the lowest prices, and as we continue to grow it's so important that we have the right levels of staff and the right people in those roles."

NEW YORK — Saks Inc. has opened its first Saks Fifth Avenue store in Kazakhstan, in the city of Almaty.