Retail

Boucherville, Quebec, Canada -- Canadian home-improvement chain Rona Inc. announced Tuesday it has named Robert Sawyer as president and CEO, effective next month.

Sawyer was previously an executive at grocery chain Metro Inc.

Rona’s acting CEO Dominique Boies will remain as company CFO.

Middletown, N.Y. -- National Realty & Development Corp. said that Chipotle Mexican Grill will join Orange Plaza with a new 4,625-sq.-ft. store.

Orange Plaza is an 815,000-sq.-ft. power center located in Middletown, N.Y. and anchored by Walmart Supercenter, Home Depot, Kohl’s, Burlington Coat Factory, Marshalls, Bed Bath and Beyond, and Staples.

Colton, Calif. -- The Hodgdon Group announced that it has completed construction of the conversion of a former Babies "R" Us building at Eastland Center in West Covina, Calif., for the opening of an Ashley Furniture HomeStore on March 15.

Hodgdon Group's HMC Construction handled all entitlements and served as the design-build contractor for the major renovation of the 42,000-sq.-ft. freestanding building. The West Covina location, in Eastland Center, represents the 15th Ashley Furniture HomeStore to be completed by the Hodgdon Group.

New York -- CVS Caremark has donated $250,000 to the Chicago State University’s College of Pharmacy for the development of the CVS Caremark Student Center and Technology Laboratory.

“This donation will help to improve the College’s physical space and technological resources, which greatly enhances student success within the College of Pharmacy. To say thank you is an understatement,” stated Dean Miriam Mobley Smith with the College of Pharmacy.

Dublin, Ohio -- The Wendy's Co. announced Tuesday an agreement with The Eljuri Group to develop 20 Wendy's restaurants in Ecuador.

As the largest business group in Ecuador, Eljuri said it expects to open the first two Wendy's locations in 2013 in Guayaquil, a coastal city with a population of 2.3 million people.  

Amarillo, Texas — Hastings Entertainment reported that net income was approximately $1.2 million, or 15 cents per diluted share, for the fourth quarter ended Jan. 31, compared with a net loss of approximately $8.4 million, or $1.00 per diluted share, for the same period last year. Net loss was approximately $9.3 million, or $1.14 per diluted share, for the fiscal year ended Jan. 31, compared with a net loss of $17.6 million, or $2.05 per diluted share, for the fiscal year ended Jan. 31, 2012.

Dallas -- The 49th annual SPECS conference officially kicked off on Monday morning at the Hilton Anatole in Dallas with two kinds of inspiration: Greg Buzek, present of IHL Consulting Group, introduced the Retail Orphan Initiative, and U.S. Navy Seal Scott Taylor presented Afterburner Black Ops, challenging the audience of retailers in design, construction, facilities, store planning and development to use Seal techniques to run their organizations.

Minneapolis -- Target Corp. said Monday that it will open 17 southwestern Ontario, Canada store on March 19 and another four on March 28, on the heels of three successful pilot-store launches in the area.

The added slate of openings, said Target, will allow the retailer more opportunity to volume-test in advance of April grand opening dates.