Retail

By Peter Witham, [email protected]

Cincinnati -- Retail loyalty programs have seen some impressive growth since 2011, according to results of the latest Colloquy Loyalty Census. In 2013, department stores achieved 70% growth in loyalty program memberships since the 2011 Colloquy Census, far surpassing the 26.7% rate of growth in loyalty programs across all sectors tabulated in the 2013 census. The number of department store loyalty memberships is 193.9 million.

San Jose -- Orchard Supply Hardware Stores Corp. is filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. As part of the filing, Orchard Supply has reached an agreement for Lowe’s to purchase acquire the majority of its assets for $205 million in cash, plus the assumption of payables owed to nearly all of Orchard’s supplier partners. Under the terms of the agreement, Lowe’s, serving as “stalking horse bidder,” would acquire no less than 60 of Orchard’s stores, based on further due diligence on the store locations.

New York -- Sixty-percent of retailers have energy management systems within their site portfolios, but only 46% have a formal energy management strategy in place.
 
Those are among the findings of a survey conducted by Ecova, a total energy and sustainability management company. In other survey findings, 44% of the respondents said they currently benchmark their portfolio or sites, and 21% have applied for the Energy Star label for their portfolio.

New York -- Nine owners and managers of 7-Eleven stores across Long Island (New York) and in Virginia were charged on Monday of harboring and hiring dozens of illegal immigrants and paying them using sham Social Security numbers.

Houston -- United Commercial Realty Houston has announced three new leases for Houston-area centers:

• Goody Goody Liquor will open a third Houston-area location at Copperfield Village Shopping Center this fall.

• Pink’s Pizza has signed a deal for its fifth area location at the Cougar Den Plaza adjacent to the University of Houston’s central campus.

• Affinity Veterinary will open a clinic at a center located at 19450 Katy Freeway in Houston.

Woodbury, N.Y. -- SoulCycle has taken 3,000 sq. ft. of new space at the expanding Woodbury Common Shopping Center in Woodbury on Long Island, said Charter Realty & Development Corp., who represented SoulCycle.

Owned and managed by Kabro Associates, the 85,000-sq.-ft. Woodbury Common is undergoing a 30,000-sq.-ft. expansion that will add parking, amenities and new facades.

Fresh Market will take 20,000 sq. ft. of the new space.

New York -- Saks Fifth Avenue is introducing a new creative campaign called “Look” that the retailer said will focus on its reputation as a place of discovery and be delivered to consumers via media including advertising, catalogs, shopping bags, direct mail, press initiatives, in-store events, digital marketing, social media and visual displays.