BJ's Wholesale Club, Inc.

North Plainfield, N.J. — The Shops at 5 in Plymouth, Mass., has named Levin Management its exclusive managing agent.

The 420,000-sq. ft. open-air shopping center takes its name from its location off Route 3 at Exit 5 on Long Pond Road. Anchor tenants include BJ’s Wholesale Club, TJ Maxx/HomeGoods and Kohl’s. Other national names include The Sports Authority, PetSmart, Pier 1 Imports, Panera Bread and IHOP.

Increased traffic at Costco helped fueled sales in the first quarter of 2014.

A strong increase in shopper traffic at Costco during November translated to a 3% increase in same-store sales, excluding gas, at U.S. locations during the four-week November reporting period which ended December 1.

Costco didn’t comment specifically on Thanksgiving weekend sales during a recorded call to recap results, but the company did say that traffic increased a little more than 4% while average transaction sizes were down slightly. Costco and its direct competitors Sam’s Club and BJ’s Wholesale Club were closed on Thanksgiving Day.

This year, it seems that you can’t turn on the TV or read the news without seeing that another store is opening on Thanksgiving. Some believe Black Friday is fading away as more retailers choose to open early to compete with other shopping options such as online sales. I don’t think that Black Friday is going away, but I do think that it is evolving to best serve the needs of the consumer. Any retailer that is going to be successful long-term has to evolve, too.

Queens, N.Y. -- South Korean skin care brand Amore has opened a 1,600-sq.-ft. store at The Shops at SkyView Center. The new store, which grand-opened on May 24, is located on Level B and joins Restoration Hardware Outlet, Target, Carter’s, BJ’s Wholesale Club, Marshall’s, Old Navy, Bed Bath & Beyond and Best Buy, among others.

Queens, N.Y. -- Onex Real Estate Partners announced its latest lease deal for The Shops at Sky View Center, as fashion boutique Limited Editions For Her will open a 4,000-sq.-ft. store at the Flushing, Queens center.

The store will be located across from Old Navy on Level D and is slated to open in June. “Obtaining a retail space at The Shops at SkyView Center is the perfect vehicle for Limited Editions For Her to continue its New York expansion and broaden its customer base,” said Brad Guth, VP retail for Limited Editions For Her.

Royal Palm Beach, Fla. -- Jones Lang LaSalle Retail announced that the firm has been retained by Clarion Partners as the exclusive leasing and management agent for Coral Sky Plaza in Royal Palm Beach, Fla.

The 233,000-sq.-ft. strip center is anchored by BJ’s Wholesale Club and is currently 97% leased.

Coral Sky Plaza is tenanted by Ross Dress for Less, Bed Bath & Beyond, Buy Buy Baby and BJ’s Wholesale Club. Jones Lang LaSalle said it is currently seeking high-impact retailers to fill a vacant endcap space.