Retail

Listening to the debate over the years about whether India should allow foreign direct investment in its retail industry sounded an awful lot like the opposition Walmart has dealt with for decades in the United States.

Chicago -- More customers shopped the Sunday before Thanksgiving than the days following Black Friday, according to ShopperTrak, a leading provider of retail and mall foot-traffic counting services.

As retailers assess what worked and what didn’t in terms of Black Friday promotions and Thanksgiving weekend sales, overall there are a few things that stand out.

New York City -- Prudential Douglas Elliman's Retail Group said it has arranged the first New York flagship for Perrin Paris at the Carlyle Hotel on Madison Avenue between 76th- and 77th Streets.

The House of Perrin is renowned for its elegant and timeless leather gloves, handbags and accessories, often composed of such unique and exotic skins as crocodile, python and more. Neighboring boutiques in the Carlyle Hotel include Vera Wang, Stubb & Wootton and Yves Delorme Linens.
 

Cherry Hill, N.J. -- Philadelphia-based Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust said that Pure Health Bar has opened at Cherry Hill Mall, in Cherry Hill, N.J.

Located in the Food Court, the 263-sq.-ft. Pure Health Bar is the only one of its kind in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, expanding the mall’s roster of first-to-market retailers.

Washington, D.C. -- Supervalu has joined the U.S. Department of Energy’s Better Buildings Challenge, which aims to engage building operators nationwide in improving energy efficiency by 20% by 2020. The announcement was made by President Barack Obama and former President Bill Clinton during a leadership event attended by Craig Herkert, Supervalu chief executive officer and president, in Washington, D.C.

NEW YORK — Increases in Nook products helped offset a decline in physical book stores at Barnes & Noble during the second quarter. Total sales for the period ended Oct. 29, 2011, slipped 0.6% to $1.89 billion from $1.90 billion in the year-earlier quarter, with the biggest drop occurring at the chain’s college stores. Online revenue grew 17% in the quarter to $206 million, which the company attributed to increases in sales of ebooks and its Nook line of e-reading devices.

Dallas -- Venture Commercial Real Estate said it represented L.A. Fitness in the completion of a long-term lease for a 50,000-sq.-ft. facility in the new Cityville at Cityplace mixed-use development, under construction in Dallas.

“Urban infill presents a challenge as we expand to open new clubs in densely populated areas such as Dallas’ Uptown neighborhood,” said John Gabriel, senior VP real estate for LA Fitness.

Venture Commercial has helped L.A. Fitness secure 27 locations across the Dallas-Fort Worth area.