Walmart

Miami Gardens, Fla. — The owners of Palmetto Gardens Plaza, a 7.1-acre center in Miami Gardens, have reached a settlement with PNC Bank, secured a new loan with Hudson Financial Services and signed a lease with Wal-Mart for a Neighborhood Market Store as its anchor tenant.

In January of 2010, PNC Bank filed a foreclosure action against Palmetto Design Center, the property owner. That action has been settled.

New York -- Walmart and Lowe’s have joined the Pacific Business Group on Health Negotiating Alliance (PBGH-NA) to launch the national Employers Centers of Excellence Network that will offer no-cost knee and hip-replacement surgeries for employees at four highly regarded hospitals in the United States.

With the implementation of Obamacare mired in controversy, two of the nation’s largest retailers are backing an innovative Employers Centers of Excellence Network that will offer no-cost knee and hip-replacement surgeries at four highly regarded hospitals.

Walmart and Lowe’s issued a joint statement that they and other large employers had joined the Pacific Business Group on Health Negotiating Alliance (PBGH-NA) to launch the national Employer’s Centers of Excellence Network.

Dallas — Jones Lang LaSalle Retail will lease seven shopping centers in the Dallas region for American Retail Management LLC and Inland Diversified. The properties total more than one million sq. ft. and are nearly 95% occupied. The assignments include:

A manufacturing facility in Rogers, Ar., operated by Redman & Associates plans to hire 74 new workers as it increases domestic sourcing of ride-on toys sold at Walmart.

Rogers, Ark. -- Walmart and Redman & Associates, a manufacturer of ride-on toys, announced that Redman will open a new manufacturing and distribution facility in Rogers, Ark., that will six-volt battery-powered ride-on toys featuring characters from popular Disney and Marvel franchises.

The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) organization’s CEO Summit is winding down in Bali, Indonesia and Walmart Asia CEO Scott Price used the event as a platform to share progress the company has made on a variety of fronts.

Price, who serves as chairman of the National Center for APEC, was among a roster of high level business executive and global political leaders to attend the event which ran from October 1-8. Notably absent was U.S. President Barack Obama who had canceled his visit at the last minute due to the U.S. government shutdown.

Across America, big-box centers are powering back up

Power centers have proven themselves to be a resilient asset class in recent years. First the recession cut into business. Then e-commerce leveled some of their big-box tenants, hurt others and ignited a downsizing trend.

Yet research from Washington, D.C.-based CoStar Group shows that only 2% of power centers have vacancy rates of 40% or higher and probably won’t recover. Another 6% have vacancy rates of 20% to 40% and are in serious condition but may recover.