Old Navy, LLC

Newport Beach, Calif. — Lucescu Realty said it has opened a new regional office in Phoenix, its second office outside its California headquarters. The company recently opened a Las Vegas office and plans to open a San Francisco presence by year-end 2011.

In other company news, Lucescu Realty said it completed the sale of The Promenade in Scottsdale, for $110 million.  Lucescu Realty represented the seller, a local private investor, and procured the buyer, Excel Trust of San Diego. 

San Francisco -- Old Navy will complete its 300th remodeled store in mid-July as it continues to overhaul its entire chain. The design has a racetrack layout and features improved visual merchandising with light wood and white shelving, walls and backdrops that spotlight the core Old Navy product categories. For more photos, click here.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — HSN announced that Arthur Lewis has been appointed SVP merchandising, digital commerce, effective June 27.  Lewis will report directly to Jill Braff, EVP digital commerce for HSN.

Lewis will oversee HSN's cross-channel merchandising strategy on hsn.com, mobile and tablet platforms.  He will also leverage his extensive digital background to grow all brands and categories of business, including online product exclusives and category expansions, the company reported.

As part three of our ongoing coverage of RECon, the annual retail real estate convention conducted by the International Council of Shopping Centers and held May 22-25 in Las Vegas, Chain Store Age talked with Joe Boehm, senior VP, retail leasing, of Cleveland-based Forest City Enterprises, regarding his impressions of RECon 2011 and what Forest City projects garnered the most attention at the show.

What impression of the state of the industry were you left with by the end of RECon 2011?

 NEW YORK  — A sluggish economy, cool weather and high prices at the pump tempered retail sales in May, as retailers reported mixed results for the month. Retail Metrics projected an increase of 5.1% for the 25 chains tracked, which would mark the 21st straight monthly gain from September 2009.

Retailers who turned in strong performances in May included Macy’s, with a 7.4% rise in same-store sales when a 5.6% increase was expected. The company lifted its full-year same-stores sales estimate.

New York City -- A sluggish economy, cool weather and high prices at the pump tempered retail sales in May, as retailers reported mixed results for the month. Retail Metrics projected an increase of 5.1% for the 25 chains tracked, which would mark the 21st straight monthly gain from September 2009.

Among the May standouts was Costco Wholesale Corp., with a 13% rise in same-store sales. Analysts were expecting an 11.2% increase. However, without gasoline sales and beneficial foreign exchange rates, Costco’s same-store sales would have been 7%.

New York — Old Navy has received LEED Silver certification for its new location in Fort Worth, Texas. It is the first LEED certified store in the chain’s portfolio.

The location also features Old Navy’s updated store environment, which has an upbeat and fun ambience, raceway layout and key destination areas for easy shopping.The clean and modern design is accented with a colorful palette. A kid-friendly area features an interactive video game projected onto the floor

Bronx, N.Y. -- New Rochelle, N.Y.-based Welco Realty Inc., an X Team partner, announced that Daffy’s opened its first store in Bronx, N.Y.  

The retailer opened a store in Bay Plaza Shopping Center, one of the largest strip shopping centers in New York City. Welco Realty negotiated the deal on behalf of the landlord, Prestige Properties & Development Co.  

NEW YORK — Apparel retailers across the board experienced strong sales gains in April, thanks in large part to the inclusion of Easter in this year’s reporting period, leading many to raise their quarterly earnings guidance.

Gap Inc. wants international and online sales to account for 30% of its revenues within two years and a restructuring announced this week is expected to play a role in facilitating that growth.

The company said it would consolidate four existing international business units into one under the leadership of Stephen Sunnucks, a 30-year retail veteran who joined Gap five years ago.