Retail

Washington, D.C. -- The National Retail Federation calculated retail industry job gains at 43,600 in August, with marked increases in clothing, general merchandise and electronics stores.
 

Seattle -- Nordstrom plans to Nordstrom Rack at Riverside Plaza in Riverside, Calif. The approximately 45,000-sq.-ft. store will be the Rack's first location in Riverside County when it opens in spring 2014.

Riverside Plaza is owned and managed by Vestar.

"We are excited to have Nordstrom Rack as a tenant at Riverside Plaza," said Jeff Axtell, Vestar VP of acquisitions and development. "Nordstrom Rack is a premier retailer who will be a great complement to our existing tenants."

Walmart and Sam’s Club executives are scheduled to participate at several events in Northwest Arkansas in the coming weeks designed to educate the company’s suppliers on digital strategies.

Philadelphia -- Five Below will expand its presence in Texas by opening 11 stores in the Dallas-Fort Worth area on Sept. 12, 2013. The teen retailer’s entry into Dallas follows four successful store openings in Austin, completed in August of this year.

San Jose, Calif. -- Togo's Eateries announced the signing of two multi-unit franchise agreements with an existing franchise group to develop 20 new restaurants in Oregon and California over the next several years.

Togo's franchisee Mark Fischer will open 10 restaurants in Portland, Ore., and 10 additional locations in Los Angeles County, with the first location scheduled to open in Portland, Ore. in first quarter 2014.

This new development is part of the chain’s plan to grow the brand to 400 restaurants along the West Coast.

Small businesses have long been a core customer group at Sam’s Club, so much so that at one point the retailer’s tag line was, “in business for small business.” It makes sense then that Sam’s would invest in a program that promotes entrepreneurship and for that the nation should be thankful.

Ann Arbor, Mich. -- Retailers’ strides toward satisfying their customers was the subject of a survey conducted by CFI Group, which found that retailers' physical store and online presence were meeting consumer expectations, but store associates, price and checkout are areas needing improvement.

Minneapolis -- Target Corporation will open 23 new stores in Canada this fall, including its first stores in Quebec and Nova Scotia, along with additional Ontario locations in Ottawa and surrounding area. Fourteen stores will open on Sept. 17, and nine on Oct. 18.