Home Improvement

The Woodlands, Texas -- Conn’s has opened two new HomePlus stores in Scottsdale, Ariz., and Laredo, Texas. The new Conn’s HomePlus store format showcases furniture and mattresses in addition to consumer electronics and home appliances.

Conn’s currently operates more than 70 retail locations in Texas, Louisiana, Arizona, Oklahoma and New Mexico.

Sears Canada is undergoing a six-month reorganization that will result in 712 job cuts, including 79 staffers who have already been terminated at its head office.

According to Sears, the head office staff reduction aligns its support structure with the size and volume of the organization and also takes advantage of internal processes that have been recently implemented to improve efficiency.

Chicago -- Upward growth in large-scale, new construction projects as well as an uptick in fine dining and hospitality construction, is predicted for 2014, according to Englewood Construction’s Commercial Construction Forecast 2014.

Big Lots has appointed former Kitchen Collection executive Richard Chene as EVP, chief merchandising officer. Chene will oversee all merchandising and global sourcing strategies and execution, including the development and attraction of talent for the organization.

Crest Hill, Ill. — Mid-America Real Estate Corp.’s Net Lease Investment Group recently brokered the sale of a two-tenant 88,000-sq.-ft. retail building leased to Big Lots and Home Owners Bargain Outlet in Crest Hill, Ill. A private investor in California purchased the property from a local Chicago area investor for $2.25 million.

Major retailers surrounding the property include Jewel/Osco, Ultra Foods, Food 4 Less and TJ Maxx.

Thanks to a housing market that continues to flourish, Lowe's had a solid third quarter, with sizable gains in earnings and sales.

The company's net earnings jumped 26% to $499 million. Sales for the quarter increased 7.3% to $13 billion, up from $12.1 billion in the year ago quarter. Comparable sales for the quarter increased 6.2%.

Despite a weak demand for core office supplies, Staples is driving growth online and in new categories, which resulted in net earnings of $135.2 million for the third quarter ended Nov. 2, compared with a loss of $596.2 million a year earlier.