Retail

Coca-Cola Life, a new reduced-calorie beverage with a blend of cane sugar and stevia leaf extract, is hitting the stores nationwide. 

Coca-Cola Life addresses the health concerns over sugary sodas.  The green-labeled can or bottle contains 35% fewer calories than Coca Cola Classic and is said to taste closer to the original than Diet Coke, which is sweetened with aspartame.  

Kalamazoo, Mich. -- Mid-America Real Estate Corporation’s Investment Sales team recently brokered the sale of Maple Hill Mall in Kalamazoo, Mich. The 283,551-sq.-ft. center was purchased from Kimco Realty Corp. by Whitehouse, Ohio-based Devonshire REIT.  

Befitting its Silicon Valley locale, Bloomingdale’s new 125,000-sq.-ft. outpost in Stanford Shopping Center, Palo Alto, California, is outfitted with a wide array of tech flourishes to make shopping easier.

Boston -- The current use of social media data by retailers for merchandise planning is limited, with only 39% using it for product development and only 35% using it for promotional planning.

The pre-owned luxury goods auction platform Worthy.com has added new functionality to its live auction experience for sellers.

For the first time ever, sellers auctioning their luxury watches and jewelry online can watch their auction as it unfolds, while having access to the high-definition photos and professional description of the item being auctioned, according to Worthy.

Houston -- EarthWerks flooring has added an additional position for the company. Lindsey Nisbet will join as head of product development and marketing strategy.     Nisbet will be focused on designing and developing new LVT products as well as determining the best ways to market and merchandise our line with our distribution and dealer network.  

New York -- Retail and consumer merger and acquisition activity in the United States during the third quarter of 2014 was driven by the highest volume of mega deals (deals with a value of over $1 billion) in at least seven years, leading to overall transaction value jumping significantly during the quarter when compared to the year ago period, according to PwC’s U.S. retail and consumer deals insights Q3 2014 report.   

Like an inconsiderate party guest, Old Man Winter arrived early this year, bringing his trusty cohorts snow, ice, wind and rain. The first official day of winter is still a month away, but many parts of the United States are feeling the freeze, especially in the Northern Plains, where snow fell 11 days before summer officially ended. If that is any indication of the upcoming season, retailers could be in for a long and brutal winter.

Winter Forecast

For many, winter is a magical time of the year.