White House Black Market (WHBM)

While sales at Chico’s appear to be improving, the specialty retailer's turnaround plan also includes selling off one of its divisions.

Fort Myers, Fla. – Chico’s FAS Inc. on Wednesday released better-than-expected second quarter sales and earnings and also announced it was selling off its Boston Proper specialty women’s apparel business.

Earlier this year, the retailer launched a turnaround plan that includes closing some 120 stores through February 2017, cutting jobs and reducing spending.

Henderson, Nev. -- Vestar recently completed a $120 million buyout from its joint venture partner, Rockwood Capital, to take full ownership and operations including property management, leasing and marketing of The District at Green Valley Ranch, a 37-acre, 384,107-sq.-ft. mixed-use center in Henderson, Nevada.  

New York -- Walmart has joined an elite group of corporate titans in taking a pledge to fight climate change. Among other things, the retail giant will double its solar commitment.

Walmart on Monday signed a pledge to take measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, increase low-carbon investments and invest in clean energy as part of a new White House climate change initiative, the “American Business Act on Climate Pledge.”

Las Vegas – Privately held real estate company Vestar has completed a buyout of The District at Green Valley Ranch, in Henderson, Nevada. Vestar paid $120 million to its joint venture partner Rockwood Capital to take full ownership of the 37-acre, 384,107-sq.-ft. landmark retail property minutes from Las Vegas.

Under the auspices of ensuring digital opportunity for all Americans, Best Buy has aligned itself with President Barack Obama and several service providers on wide-ranging initiative to improve high speed Internet access.

The program, called ConnectHome, was unveiled by the president on July 15 during a visit to Durant, Okla., and involves 275,000 households with nearly 200,000 children in 27 cities.

Cincinnati -- The highly publicized mixed-use project Liberty Center, in Cincinnati, Ohio, has just announced its first slate of retail tenants.  

With a scheduled October 2015 opening, Liberty Center includes more than 800,000 sq. ft. of retail, restaurants and entertainment, including a 200,000-sq.-ft. Dillard’s anchor that will be the state of Ohio’s first ground-up Dillard’s store.

This year, GGP and The Lego Group partnered to host The Lego Americana Roadshow, a highly visual, educational and free traveling installation of larger-than-life Lego replicas of some of the nation’s most beloved landmarks.  

Washington, D.C. – The National Retail Federation (NRF) is publicly supporting legislation that would amend the federal Taft-Hartley Act to allow governors to intervene in port labor disputes rather than being required to ask the White House to do so.

Minneapolis -- Best Buy’s five-year-long initiative to reduce its carbon footprint by at least 20% by 2020 was commended by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) at White House ceremonies in Washington, D.C. The reduction is part of Best Buy’s organization-wide effort to address climate change.