Convenience Stores

Niles, Ill. -- Tucker Development Corp. said that Ross Dress for Less has opened a 30,122-sq.-ft. store at Pointe Plaza in Niles, Ill.

In addition, Tucker Development announced two new lease transactions at Pointe Plaza: Batteries Plus has signed a 1,500-sq.-ft. lease, and Naf Naf Grill has signed a lease for 2,808 sq. ft.

Other tenants at Pointe Plaza include Walmart, Babies "R" Us, Starbucks, Men's Wearhouse, Fresh Farms International Market, Brick House Tavern + Tap, Jimmy John's, Walgreens and T-Mobile.
 

Seattle -- Starbucks Coffee U.K. plans to create thousands of new jobs in the United Kingdom as it steps up its drive-thru program following three years of development and strong customer response to the convenience of Starbucks coffee on-the-go.

The move will see 200 new drive-thru stores opened over the next five years. Combined with openings of conventional stores over the same period, the company expects to create 5,000 new jobs.

Poway, Calif. -- Jacksonville, Fla.-based Regency Centers said that Villa Capri Ristorante has leased restaurant space at Twin Peaks shopping center, located in Poway, Calif.

The 2,570-sq.-ft. restaurant is slated to open in January 2012, bringing the center to 98% leased.

Twin Peaks is a 198,139-sq.-ft. shopping center home to several national and regional retailers such as Target, Albertsons, Starbucks and Subway.

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.

Walmart prices are lower than dollar store competitors in two New Jersey markets, but not by much, according to a recent survey conducted by Deutsche Bank.

New York City -- Winick Realty Group said that restaurateur Danny Hodak, owner of Hell’s Kitchen Mediterranean eatery Taboon, has leased 1,000 sq. ft. of ground-floor space at 30 East 13th Street, between Fifth Avenue and University Place, for a new, as-yet-unnamed quick-service Mediterranean concept.

The restaurant is anticipated to open in the next two months and if it’s a success, Hodak plans to roll out more locations for the concept across New York City.
 

CHICAGO — Eva Kohn of Valassis Inc. and Subriana Pierce of Supervalu were named co-chairs of the Network of Executive Women CPG Retail Diversity Forum 2012 scheduled for March 6 to 8 in Dallas. The NEW Diversity Forum, formerly the Multicultural Workforce Conference, is the consumer products and retail industry’s leading diversity and inclusion event.

A funny thing happened on the way to Costco reporting a 6% increase in November same-store sales.

The warehouse club operator noted that sales in the electronics area increased in the high single digits and, in a reversal of prior year trends, attributed the gain to higher average selling prices as opposed to strong unit volume. In fact, unit volumes of televisions declined, but the drop was offset by strong sales of pricey big screen LED models as opposed to the prior year when sales were still dominated by LCD and plasma models that were experiencing deflationary pricing.