Convenience Stores

Irvine, Calif. -- Irvine Company has announced it will begin a transformation $30-million reinvestment in Woodbridge Village Center located in Irvine, California. The redevelopment of the center includes upgrading the retail, dining and entertainment mix to complement longtime favorites, freshen the architecture for a coastal California feel, and create an expansive outdoor setting for dining, relaxing and community gatherings that overlooks North Lake.

Photo: Greg Foran, Walmart U.S. president and CEO

A Tesla board member and Walgreens supply chain executive are the newest members of the board of directors at Advance Auto Parts.

One of the nation’s leading automotive retailers, Advance Auto Parts named Brad W. Buss and Reuben E. Slone to its board. Both men bring interesting perspectives to the operator of nearly 5,200 stores.

When it comes to the customer experience, one retail segment stands out above all others.

Supermarket chains took 13 out of the top 20 spots in the sixth annual Temkin Experience Ratings, with regional grocers Publix and H-E-B earning the highest overall scores. Other supermarket chains in the top 20 were Save-a-Lot, Kroger, Wegmans, Aldi, Food Lion, Shop Rite, Giant Eagle, Trader Joe’s, Wawa (classified as a supermarket by Temkin), Winn-Dixie and Hy-Vee.

When it comes to redeeming their holiday gift cards, consumers overwhelming prefer brick-and-mortar stores.

According to a survey by the International Council of Shopping Centers, 77% of consumers who received gift cards planned to redeem them in a physical store.

Fred’s Super Dollar continues to see sales increases as 2016 continues. The company reported Thursday that for the four weeks ending Feb. 27, it saw net sales of $171.1 million, a 12% increase over the same period last year. The announcement follows January’s sales, which also increased 12% over the same four weeks in 2015. Comparable store sales rose 0.8% for the month, compared to flat comps in February 2015.

Need to fill empty space? Walk-in medical clinics hold a lot of tenant promise, as regional companies such as New York’s City Practice Group and national chains such as Humana’s Concentra increasingly find homes in spaces vacated by shuttered retailers in strip malls and shopping centers.

Hospitals are also getting in the game. Vanderbilt University Medical Center, for example, is building clinics in retail settings throughout the Nashville metro area.

Richmond, Va. -- Divaris Real Estate announced the completion of four leases totaling 14,367 sq. ft. of commercial space in the metropolitan Richmond, Virginia market.