Retail

Melville, N.Y. -- A&G Realty Partners said Tuesday it has been retained by Charming Shoppes to exclusively manage the resolution of all remaining Fashion Bug real estate leases in the United States.

On June 14, Ascena Retail Group acquired Charming Shoppes and announced plans to cease operating and close down the Fashion Bug arm by early 2013.

"We're pleased to be working with A&G Realty Partners to wind down our remaining Fashion Bug store leases,” said Jonathon Graub, executive VP real estate, Charming Shoppes.

 Burton Snowboard's newly renovated SoHo flagship serves as a showcase for the brand's homey New England image. Featured elements include a vintage chairlift, a wood cabin made from reclaimed timbers and a snowboard fabrication press. The design restores the original building of the historical building while incorporating authentic bare wood, reclaimed wood and distressed steel.

Design: Verdego Design, Venice Beach, Calif.

New York -- Survey results released Tuesday by Accenture found that half of U.S. consumers are likely to make a small luxury purchase in the next six months, including 53% who are likely to purchase specialty food or drinks, 48% to purchase luxury clothing and 48% to purchase luxury personal care products.

Los Angeles -- Survey results released Tuesday by PriceGrabber found that 71% of consumers believe that retailers offer better deals during Thanksgiving weekend than they do during the rest of the winter holiday shopping season, up from 58% in 2011.

When consumers who indicated that the best deals can be found over the Thanksgiving weekend were asked which days retailers offer the best prices, 71% said Black Friday (Nov. 23), down from 80% in 2011 and 86% in 2010, and 41% said Cyber Monday (Nov. 26), up from 37% last year and 33% in 2010.

Louisville, Colo. -- Video provider Envysion said Monday that chicken chain Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen has completed deploying the company's Envysion Insight solution to all corporate owned restaurant locations.

Popeyes will use Envysion's video-driven business intelligence in its 40 company-operated locations to improve loss prevention efforts, optimize operations and drive restaurant-level profitability.

Louisville, Colo. -- Video provider Envysion said Monday that chicken chain Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen has completed deploying the company's Envysion Insight solution to all corporate owned restaurant locations.

Popeyes will use Envysion's video-driven business intelligence in its 40 company-operated locations to improve loss prevention efforts, optimize operations and drive restaurant-level profitability.

New York -- Saks Inc. reported Tuesday that net income for the third quarter climbed 27.2% to $22.6 million, compared with $17.8 million in the same period last year. Results surpassed analysts’ expectations.
 
Revenue edged up 3% to $713.2 million, widely missing Wall Street’s expected $762.6 million in revenue. Same-store sales rose 3.3%.

New York -- Experian Marketing Services said Monday that its Consumer Expectation Index shows an increasing optimism about the economy. According to the CEI, U.S. consumers’ forward-looking view of the economy is at its highest level since the onset of the recession. During the first half of 2012, the average CEI figure was 92.7, which is above the index’s average of the first six months for each year dating back to 2008. The 2012 figure measured eight points above those for the first half of 2008 and one point over those for the first half of 2011.