Consumer Electronics

New York City -- Retail sales rose 0.2% in November, following a 0.6% advance in October that was more than initially reported, according to figures released Tuesday by the Commerce Department in Washington. The November increase was the slightest gain in five months. Economists projected a 0.6% November increase, according to the median forecast in a Bloomberg News survey. Purchases excluding automobiles also rose 0.2%.

Keller, Texas -- Jacksonville, Fla.-based Regency Centers said that Bear Creek Running Co. will open a new store at Keller Town Center, located in Keller, Texas.

The new 1,200-sq.-ft. store is slated to open Jan. 2012.

Keller Town Center is a 114,937-sq.-ft. shopping center anchored by a 63,631-sq.-ft. Tom Thumb alongside national retailers such as Starbucks, Pizza Hut and RadioShack.

Dubuque, Iowa -- Youngstown, Ohio-based Cafaro Co. announced that Dubuque, Iowa, will get its first Ulta store, as the cosmetics retailer is about to break ground on a 10,000-sq.-ft. store at Kennedy Mall.

The new store is slated to open in the second half of 2012.
Kennedy Mall is a 700,000-sq.-ft. mall featuring Younkers, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Sears, J.C. Penney and Best Buy. It is owned and managed in association with Cafaro affiliated companies.
 

Atlanta -- Prepaid product and transaction services company InComm said Monday that it has teamed with Best Buy Co. to launch a digital content and gaming destination at eight Best Buy stores in Mexico.

Best Buy has partnered with InComm for nine years in the United States and this new offering represents a global expansion of the relationship.

The InComm prepaid destination includes digital content and gaming products such as iTunes, Play Station, Club Penguin, IMVU and Zynga.

Yonkers, N.Y. -- Forest City Ratner Cos., the developer of Westchester’s Ridge Hill, in Yonkers, N.Y., announced that four new retailers have completed leases and will be opening their stores during the spring/summer 2012. They are LA Fitness; T.J. Maxx; Pandora and Francesca’s Collection.

Additionally, Guitar Center, which had previously executed a lease, will be opening its new store at Ridge Hill during the December holiday season. These new stores will occupy 108,939 sq. ft. at Westchester’s Ridge Hill.

Indianapolis -- Simon Property Group announced that, in 50/50 partnership with Genting Berhad, it has opened Johor Premium Outlets, its first Premium Outlet Center in Southeast Asia.

The center encompasses 173,000 sq. ft. of GLA featuring 80 stores and is strategically located in Johor Bahur, Malaysia. A grand opening celebration will take place on December 11.

Atlanta -- The SpendTrend analysis released Friday by First Data Corp., which tracks same-store consumer spending by credit, signature debit, PIN debit, EBT cards and checks at U.S. merchant locations, found that overall year-over-year dollar volume growth was up 7.3% in November 2011, down from October’s 9.4% growth.

November 2011 had tough comparables as November 2010 was a particularly strong month, with dollar volume growth up 8.1%, according to First Data. November 2011 transaction growth was 6.1%. 

WAYNE, N.J. — Toys“R”Us' focus on the upcoming holiday shopping season was reflected in its third quarter results, which included a sales decrease. The company reported that net sales for the quarter were $2.7 billion, compared to $2.72 billion in the prior year. The company said it saw continued strength in learning and core toys, while the video game category remains a challenge.

Comparable store net sales decreased by 2.2% in the domestic segment and 3.9% in the international segment.