Target, Inc.

By Jason Fredrickson, Guidance Software

The recent cyber attacks on Target, Neiman Marcus and Michaels Stores had an immediate and profound impact on sales, as well as a widespread and ongoing ripple effect on consumer confidence in the safety of credit-card information at point-of-sale (POS) terminals.

There is no substitute for a strong brand — whatever the sales channel. That’s the basic underlying premise of Interbrand’s annual “Best Retail Brands” report, which ranks the top 50 North American and international retailers by brand value. It’s a premise worth keeping in mind amid all the online versus offline talk. As Interbrand global CEO Jez Frampton puts it: “In the end, it is the brand, not the footprint, that will endure.”

In general, the top acquirers of 2013 logged big gains over 2012

Editor’s Note: The 25th annual Chain Store Age survey of Fastest-Growing Acquirers surveyed retail square footage purchased during the 2013 calendar year.

Lenders are lending again, the equity markets are investing again, and buyers and sellers appear to be moving retail real estate faster than last year — which was a relatively good recovery year.

New retail space in 2013 was once again heavy on redevelopment, expansion and outlet centers

Year five and, once again, too few square feet in ground-up shopping center construction to rank the “Fastest-Growing Developers” as has been the Chain Store Age tradition for the 20 years prior.

Today, developers seem fated to redevelop and expand existing centers, develop 300,000-sq.-ft. to 600,000-sq.-ft. outlet centers and perhaps add an occasional grocery-anchored infill center.

Indianapolis – Hhgregg Inc. has hired Troy H. Risch as COO. Risch joins Hhgregg from RadioShack, where he served as executive VP of store operations.

Prior to this, Risch held a variety of operational leadership positions with Target Corp., including executive VP of stores. Risch will assume the COO position on May 5, 2014.

Dallas — LA Fitness has signed leases for four new spaces, two in Austin, Texas, and two in San Antonio, Texas. Venture Commercial Real Estate represented LA Fitness in each transaction.

In Austin, LA Fitness plans to begin construction immediately on a 40,000-sq.-ft. facility at 2020 Anderson Lane and a 46,200-sq.-ft. facility in the Lamar Oaks Shopping center on Lamar Boulevard. Retail Solutions and The Weitzman Group represented the landlords for the Anderson Lane and Lamar Boulevard locations, respectively.

Minneapolis -- Target Corp. named veteran IT executive Bob DeRodes as chief information officer. The retailer also announced that it plans to incorporate MasterCard chip-and-PIN technology across its Target-branded REDcard portfolio by early 2015, and is converting existing payment terminals at its stores this year ahead of schedule.

Fort Worth, Texas – Tony Risch, executive VP of RadioShack Corp., has resigned to pursue other unspecified interests. The resignation is effective April 18, and his duties will be temporarily taken over by other executives.

Risch joined the company in December 2012. RadioShack is currently in the process of closing 1,000 stores. He previously spent 19 years at Target Corp. No timetable has been given to hire a permanent replacement.