Retail

J.C. Penney Co. is expanding its kids and baby line-up with the launch of exclusive new brands, including dedicated in-store environments for Disney and giggleBABY.

Penney’s Disney shop concept ranges in size from 800 sq. ft. to 1,100 sq. ft. The branded department features toys, collectibles and children's apparel designed exclusively for Penney and showcasing various Disney characters.

Columbus, Ohio – Lane Bryant officially reopens its store at the West Towne mall in Madison, Wis. on Friday, Oct. 4 with a new look. On the same day Lane Bryant opens a new store in Houston.

The store will celebrate its grand opening at both stores from Oct. 4 through Oct. 6. Customers who shop at those location during the weekend will be able to enter for a chance to win one of 150 $25 Lane Bryant gift cards.

Boston – Women are more likely to have shopped online in the past year than men (57% compared to 52%), but men are more likely to have made a purchase via smartphone (22% compared to 18%) or tablet (20% compared to 17%), according to a new study from SeeWhy Conversion Academy.  

The report, “The Roles of Gender, Geography and Age in Mobile Commerce,” reveals that among 18-to-24-year-olds, women are actually more likely than men to shop via smartphone (21.6% compared to 21.3%) and tablet (20% compared to 14%).

Fort Worth, Texas – RadioShack Corporation is reportedly planning to raise funds before the end of this year to gain the confidence of suppliers in its turnaround effort. According to Bloomberg, RadioShack currently has enough liquidity to operate through 2014 but intends to raise additional cash through financing.

Ahold USA-owned supermarket chain Giant Food Stores celebrated its 90th birthday.

The supermarket banner, which operates nearly 200 stores under the Giant and Martin's Food Markets brands in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia, marked its anniversary Friday morning at a store in its hometown of Carlisle, Pa. Customers at all the company's 200 stores will receive free slices of cake and free apple slices Friday.

Chicago — Mid-America Asset Management Inc. has announced that three new restaurants have taken space in Chicagoland shopping centers.

Restaurant franchise Red Snapper has leased 1,800 sq. ft. at Dorchester Commons in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago. Mid-America represented the landlord. The tenant was self-represented.

A recent string of media reports has focused on major retailers that track customers who return merchandise. While the plaintiffs’ bar and the media are seeking to transform return monitoring into a headline-grabbing consumer privacy issue, the practice is hardly new, it is certainly justified as an anti-fraud measure and any litigation or compliance risk should be mitigated by appropriate disclosures.