Retail

Johor, Malaysia — Genting Simon, a joint venture between Genting Group and Simon Property Group, has announced the opening of the second phase of Johor Premium Outlets in Johor, Malaysia.

The expansion has added 40 new stores and 100,000 sq. ft. to the center, bringing the store total to 120.

Deerfield, Ill. -- Healthcare Clinic at select Walgreens, located at more than 400 Walgreens stores nationwide, and iTriage, a consumer healthcare technology company, are launching a nationwide mobile appointment scheduling app. The expanded free mobile service, previously piloted in Denver and Chicago, is now available to patients in Healthcare Clinic at select Walgreens markets across the U.S.

Franklin Township, N.J. — La Perle Spa and Salon has leased 1,802 sq. ft. at Rutgers Plaza in Franklin Township, N.J., according to Levin Management, the exclusive leasing and managing agent for the 266,650-sq. -ft. center.

Co-anchored by a 74,000-sq.-ft. Stop & shop and a 98,684-sq.-ft. Kmart, Rutgers Plaza tenants include Office Depot, Dollar Tree, RadioShack, GameStop, Dressbarn, Chase Bank, Plaza Cleaners, Anthony’s Pizza, Venus Jewelers and Burger King.

By Sven Hammar, co-founder and CEO, Apica

Recent public and embarrassing website crashes of Amazon, Groupon and even Google accentuates the need to take web and mobile performance more seriously. Unresponsive websites and mobile applications is comparable to a physical shop throwing out its customers and locking its doors. Luckily, there are ways to minimize the risk of slow response times and site crashes.

Boston – Despite conventional industry wisdom, shoppers who use mobile devices for showrooming are almost twice as likely to purchase from the retailer in-store or online (38%) than buy elsewhere (21.6%). A new study from e-commerce technology provider SeeWhy, “Showrooming Realities: When Worlds Collide,” also shows that one third (33%) of more 60,000 consumers surveyed who owned a mobile device had used a device as part of their shopping process, and 12% do it routinely.

Philadelphia — Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust has completed the sale of Chambersburg Mall in Chambersburg, Pa., for $8.8 million.The sale marks another step in PREIT’s continuing effort to improve the quality of its portfolio through the sale of non-core assets. Net proceeds from the transaction totaled approximately $8.4 million.

New York -- Aéropostale has implemented Gerber Technology’s YuniquePLM software to optimize and increase collaboration between its headquarters and global suppliers. By implementing YuniquePLM, Aéropostale’s designers, sourcing team and vendors speak a much more consistent language.

Strong retail sales in the month of October point to a good holiday sales season ahead. According to the National Retail Federation, October retail sales, excluding automobiles, gas stations and restaurants, increased 2.5% seasonally adjusted over September, and 4.2% unadjusted from 2012.

In a broader view, October retail sales released Wednesday by the U.S. Census Bureau, which include non-general merchandise categories such as automobiles, gasoline stations, and restaurants, increased 0.4% seasonally adjusted month-to-month, and 3.9% adjusted year-over-year.