JCPenney Co.

It seemed like such a great idea at the time. On Nov. 17, we reported that mall owner Forest City had hatched this innovative plan to monitor shopping patterns at two of its shopping centers by tracking patrons’ cell phones during the holiday 2011 season, beginning Black Friday.

Cherry Hill, N.J. -- Philadelphia-based Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust said that plus-size fashion retailer Fashion to Figure has opened a 2,719-sq-ft. store at Cherry Hill Mall, in Cherry Hill, N.J.

The new store is located on the Upper Level near J.C. Penney.

Dallas -- GTM Development, a limited partnership created by The MGHerring Group and Cencor Realty Services, said it has completed the acquisition of Golden Triangle Mall in Denton, Texas.

MGHerring will be responsible for the redevelopment of the 765,000-sq.-ft. Golden Triangle Mall, which will begin in early 2012 with a grand reopening slated for next fall.

Cencor manages the mall while MGHerring and The Weitzman Group, Cencor’s brokerage affiliate, jointly lease the property.

Every year, in December, Chain Store Age examines the northeastern region — New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maine, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Vermont and Rhode Island — and, in 2011, there appears to be some positive momentum.

Retail real estate executives will tell you that we’re not completely out of the woods yet, but the industry is certainly inching in the right direction.

Plano, Texas -- J.C. Penney Co. reported Monday a loss of $143 million for the quarter ended Oct. 29, compared with a profit of $44 million in the year-ago period. Sagging comps and shrinking margins led to the performance decline.

For the quarter, sales dropped 4.8% to $3.99 billion, reflecting the company’s exit from its catalog and catalog outlet businesses, which it sold off during the quarter. 

As previously reported, same-store sales dipped 1.6%.

PLANO, Texas — JCPenney, which reported sales and income decreases for the third quarter, has brought on two new executives to join fellow Apple alumnus, CEO, Ron Johnson. 

Owings Mills, Md. -- Chicago-based General Growth Properties and Hyde Park, N.Y.-based Kimco Realty Corp. said Thursday that the two companies have formed a joint venture partnership to redevelop Owings Mills Mall, Md.

The new JV gives each company 50% interest in the 25-year-old, 1 million-sq.-ft. mall; GGP previously owned 100%.

"We're exploring a number of options to revive Owings Mills Mall and provide the shoppers of northwest Baltimore County a more viable center that meets their needs,” said Shobi Khan, COO, GGP.

Willow Grove, Pa. -- Philadelphia-based Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust announced that Bravo! Cucina Italiana has opened at Willow Grove Park.

The 7,500-sq.-ft. restaurant is the first of its kind in the region, according to PREIT.