Department Store

San Jose, Calif. -- A Friday report by RetailNext said that its analysis of 8.5 million shopping trips to big-box and specialty retailers in the U.S. during the 2011 and 2012 holiday seasons revealed that:

WASHINGTON — The NRF Foundation and American Express announced the winners of their fifth annual Aspire2Retail Intercollegiate Challenge. Each student will receive an educational scholarship worth $2,500.

The contest is designed to increase understanding of diverse career paths in retail by engaging university students in a competitive, collaborative roleplay that involves implementing a multi-tiered business strategy.

Cedar Rapids, Iowa -- Jones Lang LaSalle’s Capital Markets group said Thursday that it has brokered the sale of Westdale Mall in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on behalf of Tremont Capital Corp. and Cedar Rapids Properties.

The 743,369-sq.-ft. property is anchored by J.C. Penney and Younkers.

Chicago -- General Growth Properties said Thursday it was informed by Brookfield Asset Management that affiliates of Brookfield acquired the GGP warrants held by affiliates of Pershing Square Capital Management.

The warrants represent the right to acquire 18.43 million shares of GGP stock at a value of $0.01 per share.

General Growth also said it has been offered by Brookfield the right to acquire the warrants, for the same price of $271.88 million paid by Brookfield, within the next 30 days.

New York -- The battle between Macy’s Inc., J.C. Penney Co., and Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia Inc. will go to trial Feb. 19, Bloomberg reported.

A New York State judge on Thursday said he case will not be tried before a jury and there will be no need to decide damages.
 
Instead, any potential damages in the dispute “are going to pale in comparison to the injunction,” the judge said. “That’s the real big bucks there -- if I stop this deal.”

At a time of year when much of the retail news we hear focuses on receipts and holiday sales performance, I can’t help thinking that the notion of value has become synonymous with price — and only price. You can make the argument that price has nearly hijacked the whole definition of value. Why is that, exactly? Should retailers be paying closer and more systematic attention to how they articulate (and how customers perceive) the value of their brand?

San Francisco -- In a development that will take it into the growing global luxury market, Gap Inc. announced Thursday it has acquired women’s apparel retailer Intermix Holdco for approximately $130 million in cash. The transaction was completed Dec. 31.

Cincinnati -- Macy’s on Thursday announced what it described as “normal-course adjustments” to its portfolio of Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s stores that include shuttering six locations (all in early spring 2013) and opening nine others.