Apparel

The Bon-Ton Stores says its holiday sales were negatively affected by unseasonably warm weather in November.

The company announced that its same-store sales for the nine-week holiday period ended Jan. 2 decreased 1.6%. Total sales for the combined months of November and December were $784.4 million, a decrease of 1.5% from sales of $796.4 million in the prior year nine-week holiday period.

Oak Brook, Ill. -- Mid-America Real Estate Corporation’s Investment Sales team recently brokered the sale of The Oaks of Oak Brook in Oak Brook, Illinois. Newport Capital Partners acquired the 67,143-sq. ft. property on behalf of Newport Fund II for $18.25 million.

The Oaks of Oak Brook is located at the northwest corner of Kingery Highway (Illinois Route 83) and 16th Street. The center features a tenant lineup including: Panera Bread, Athletico, Wells Fargo and Sleepy’s.

Big 5 Sporting Goods had a lackluster fourth quarter despite saying that cold weather in its Western markets drove strong traffic during the holidays.

For the fourth quarter ended Jan. 3, the company reported that net sales were $275 million, compared to net sales of $250.3 million for the 13-week fourth quarter of fiscal 2014. Same-store sales increased 0.1%. For the full year, net sales were $1.03 billion, compared to net sales of $977.9 million for the 52-week fiscal 2014 full year. Same store sales increased 1.3% for the fiscal 2015 full year.

There is a growing disconnect between shoppers’ growing in-store service expectations and retailers’ current service offerings and focus for the coming year.

New York City is the best city for shopping in the world, according to a report by Expedia.co.uk, followed by Berlin and Los Angeles. While New York has long been a retail hub, the Expedia study, “The World’s 25 Best Shopping Cities,” also contains a few surprises — Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), for example, is ranked No. 5. [Expedia.co.uk]

Outdoor retailer Timberland will use mobile technology to deliver a personalized, omnichannel environment in its flagship in New York’s Herald Square.

Baton Rouge -- JLL’s Capital Markets experts announced the firm has closed the sale of Hammond Aire Plaza located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on behalf of Kimco Realty. The asset was purchased by a joint venture partnership between DRA Advisors and Viking Partners.

Managing director Margaret Caldwell, VP Diane Roberts and associate Eric Spencer led the JLL team on the transaction.

Sundance is gearing up for major retail expansion.

The lifestyle apparel, art and home furnishings brand, founded by Robert Redford in 1969, has long operated a successful catalog and e-commerce site, along with a handful of physical stores. But in remarks at the recent ICR investor conference, CEO Matey Erdos said the company is planning to open up to 150 locations in the coming years.