Seasonal

Denton, Texas — Golden Triangle Mall has announced the addition of Charlotte Russe to a list of national and regional tenants that have recently committed to or renewed leases at the renovated mall. The specialty fashion retailer will occupy 4,475 sq. ft. and will open before the holiday shopping season.

In addition to Charlotte Russe, the list of new retailers includes Buckle, Body Central, Pro Image Sports and food court eateries Italia Express, Tobu Oriental Eatery and Smoothie Paradise.

Ahold USA-owned supermarket chain Giant Food Stores celebrated its 90th birthday.

The supermarket banner, which operates nearly 200 stores under the Giant and Martin's Food Markets brands in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia, marked its anniversary Friday morning at a store in its hometown of Carlisle, Pa. Customers at all the company's 200 stores will receive free slices of cake and free apple slices Friday.

Washington, D.C. – The National Retail Federation’s Shop.org expects holiday sales to grow between 13%-15% from last holiday season to as much as $82 billion.

“Online and mobile continue to be a leading area of growth for retailers. In this economy savvy, cost-conscious consumers go to the web to do their research and get the best bang for their buck,” said NRF president and CEO Matthew Shay.

Washington, D.C. – The National Retail Federation (NRF) expects holiday sales to increase 3.9% to $602.1 billion, up slightly from last year’s 3.5% increase. The forecast is higher than the 10-year average holiday sales growth of 3.3%.

The group noted, however, that its forecast hinges “on Congress and the Administration's actions" over the next 45 days as the government shutdown entered a third day

Plano, Texas -- J.C. Penney Co. is set to launch Disney branded shops inside 565 Penney stores on Oct.4. The shops will offer toys, collectibles and children's apparel designed for Penney and showcasing various Disney characters, including those from Toy Story and Monsters University and Disney Junior shows.

The National Retail Federation showed its Christmas spirit on Thursday by releasing a holiday forecast that calls for sales to increase 3.9% to $602 billion and assumes the President and Congress will be able to resolve their differences.

NRF’s forecasted growth rate of 3.9% is a solid figure and well above the 3.3% average growth rate of the past 10 years and ahead of last year’s 3.5% gain. In addition, the trade group’s Shop.org digital division forecast that online sales would grow between 13% and 15% to roughly $82 billion.

Home furnishings retailer West Elm is opening a retail store in Birmingham, Ala., Thursday, Oct. 10 — it’s first ever location in the state.

The nearly 8,000-sq.ft. store located in the Summit Birmingham shopping center will feature the brand’s mix of furniture, home décor, gifts and artist collaborations. The store will also feature an assortment of local handcrafted products sourced through Etsy.com, including one-of-a-kind furniture, lighting, leather goods and wall art.

St. Petersburg, Fla. — The Sembler Company leased 58,000 sq. ft. in Florida during August. Here are the individual lease signings:

Austin, Texas – More than nine-in-10 (91%) holiday shoppers admit to overspending on presents, according to a new survey from RetailMeNot, with 60% of overspenders saying they do so because they thought giving a gift the person would love was worth the extra money.

Apparel, cosmetics and home furnishings retailer Dillard’s is offering a custom edition of the Southern Living Christmas Cookbook to benefit the Ronald McDonald House Charities. 

The exclusive, 288-page hardbound cookbook is filled with holiday recipes, color photos, menus, decorating tips and entertaining ideas and costs $10. It is available at all Dillard’s stores nationwide, as well as online. Proceeds from the sale of the cookbooks will benefit local Ronald McDonald Houses operated by RMHC Chapters in Dillard’s markets.