Financial/Banking

Watauga, Texas — Dollar Tree has leased an 8,450-sq.-ft. location at Brooks Crossing, a community retail center in Watauga, Texas. The Weitzman Group represented the shopping center, and The Retail Connection represented Dollar Tree.

The Brooks Crossing tenant line-up includes Albertsons, GameStop, Tuesday Morning, Chase, GNC, Subway, Taco Bell and others. Cencor Realty Services manages Brooks Crossing.

Cincinnati – Kroger Co. reported a lower third-quarter profit that matched Wall Street's view. Net income fell to $299 million from $317 million a year earlier, partly on the costs from the pending acquisition of Harris Teeter.

Los Angeles — The largest residential development currently under construction in downtown Los Angeles, One Santa Fe has been “topped out” by Bernards, the commercial builder directing the project.

Construction companies “top out” projects when they add the last beam to the top of a building.

Oakbrook Terrace, Ill. — Mid-America Asset Management Inc. has announced six retail leases in four Chicago shopping centers.

New York -- Eddie Lambert’s ESL Partners has reduced the size of its stake in Sears Holdings Corp. disclosing in a regulatory filing on that it now owns 48.4% of its shares, down from 55.4%.

In a statement, Lampert said that his fund had distributed 7.4 million shares in Sears to investors who wanted to withdraw money from his firm.  He said that he had not sold any of his personal holdings.

New York -- New York & Co. reported a loss of $3.4 million for the quarter ended Nov. 2, compared with a loss of $3.8 million in the same period last year.

Sales fell to $217.6 million, from $219.3 million, and same-store sales increased 3%.

Sears Holdings chairman and CEO Eddie Lampert has pared down his stake in the retailing company, according to a regulatory filing Tuesday.

A Securities and Exchange Commission filing showed that Lampert reduced his stake in Sears Holdings to 48.4%, from a 55.4% stake reported in March. That leaves him with about 51.6 million shares in the company, whose stock was valued at $50.38 per share Wednesday morning on the NASDAQ, down from its opening price of $52.62.

Foothill Ranch, Calif. -- Wet Seal recorded a loss of $14.9 million for the fiscal 2013 third quarter, essentially flat with last year.

Sales dipped to $127.7 million from $135.5 million, and same-store edged up 0.8%, including an increase of 1.7% at Wet Seal and a decrease of 6.7% at Arden B.