Consumer Electronics

Largo, Md. -- Inland Western Retail Real Estate Trust announced that Capital Centre LLC, one of its wholly owned subsidiaries, signed a lease with TD Burger LLC, operating as Timothy Dean Burger, to occupy the 2,000-sq.-ft. space at The Boulevard at the Capital Centre in Largo, Md.

The restaurant plans to open in the winter of 2012.

Fort Worth, Texas -- RadioShack Corp. said Thursday that it has named William "Bill" Nebes III as senior VP, overseeing the company's operations in Mexico.

Nebes will report to Jim Gooch, president and CEO.

Nebes has served as VP of Mexico operations for RadioShack since February 2009, shortly after RadioShack acquired full ownership of the Mexico business in December 2008.

How much is a brand worth? If the brand in question happens to be Walmart, the answer is an eye-popping $139 billion, according to Interbrand Design Forum’s ranking of the top 50 U.S. retail brands by brand value. The study calculates the financial net worth of retail brands based on three metrics: the brand’s financial performance, the role the brand plays in driving consumer selection, and the ability of the brand to secure the delivery of expected future earnings.

Video surveillance is undergoing a major change as analog systems are replaced with high-definition, high-megapixel cameras and NVRs (network video recorders). Chain Store Age spoke with Keith Marett, VP marketing and communications for Avigilon, a leader in high-definition (HD) and megapixel video surveillance systems, about the shift from analog to digital systems.

What are the latest trends in video surveillance?

NEW YORK — The growing popularity of its Nook devices once again helped drive up sales at Barnes & Noble. The company reported that total sales for the third quarter increased 5% to $2.4 billion from $2.3 billion for the same period last year. Barnes & Noble store sales increased 2% from $1.46 billion to $1.49 billion. Comparable-store sales increased 2.8%, on top of a 7.3% increase a year ago.  Retail core comparable-store sales, which exclude sales of devices, accessories and warranties, increased 4.2% over last year.

New York City -- Barnes & Noble reported that its net income for the 13 weeks ended Jan. 28 fell 14% to $52 million, compared with $60.6 million as rising costs offset higher sales for both physical and digital books. The company also said it will introduce a cheaper Nook Tablet, with eight gigabytes of memory for $199. (Its current device sells for $249.)

Revenue rose 5% to $2.44 billion. Revenue from Nook e-readers and its digital catalog rose 38% to $542 million. The company estimates it now has a 27% to 30% share of the U.S. e-book market.

DAYTON, Ohio — While Walmart maintained the No. 1 position on Interbrand's U.S. Most Valuable Retail Brands list for 2012, several other retailers are moving up the ranks.

Although Walmart touts a value that's more than $139 billion, this year also marked a 2% decrease for the big box retailer, Interbrand said. Second on this year's list was Target, which holds a value of $23 billion, a 1% increase over last year.

Bentonville, Ark. -- Wal-Mart Stores' investment in China continues to grow as the company now has a controlling stake in one of the country's fast-growing e-commerce websites. The company announced that it has reached an agreement to increase its investment in the holding company of Yihaodian, bringing its total ownership stake to approximately 51%. Yihaodian is a leader in online grocery sales, as well as in such categories as consumer electronics and apparel.

Closing of the transaction is subject to Chinese government regulatory approval.