Department Store

Peoria, Ill. -- Christopher M. West, COO and partner of Cullinan Properties, announced several additions to the Cullinan team.

Shawn Luesse has been hired as project manager for the Streets of St. Charles mixed-use development in metro St. Louis. Luesse was previously director of development for the G & T Group, based in Champaign, Ill.

Seth Marks has joined the team as leasing representative, assisting with the retail, restaurant and entertainment leasing for The Streets of St. Charles and the Quincy Mall in Quincy, Ill.

SUFFERN, N.Y. — The Ascena Retail Group will acquire Charming Shoppes Inc., parent company of Lane Bryant, for about $890 million.

The move gives Ascena -- which owns the Dressbarn, Maurices and Justice chains -- entry to the steadily-growing large-size women's clothing market. In addition to Lane Bryant, Charming Shoppes also owns the Fashion Bug and Catherines Plus Sizes banners. It operates more than 1,800 stores nationwide. In 2011, nearly 85% of Charming Shoppes’ sales involved plus-sized apparel.

Bethesda, Md. -- Sax Realty said that Joe’s Crab Shack will open in the Hunt Valley Towne Centre, north of Interstate 695, in Bethesda, Md.

The center is anchored by Wegman's, Burlington Coat Factory, Dick's Sporting Goods, Best Buy, DSW and Regal Theatres. This will be the fourth new Joe's to open in Maryland, joining restaurants in Greenbelt, Bel Air and Arundel Mills which opens summer 2012.

ARMONK, N.Y. — Mobile commerce increased more than 13% in the first quarter of 2012, according to IBM's first retail economic indicator, a cloud-based analytics report, which examines the state of the online retail sector.

The increase in mobile commerce sales, along with improved consumer attitudes toward the digital buying experience, indicate that consumers will be shopping more with their smartphones and other mobile devices in the near future.

Other highlights of the report include:
 

Suffern, N.Y. -- The Ascena Retail Group said Wednesday it will acquire Lane Bryant parent Charming Shoppes Inc. for about $890 million.

The move gives Ascena -- which owns Dressbarn, Maurices and Justice -- entry to the large-size women's clothing market.

Minneapolis -- Target said it will open its new smaller format concept, CityTarget, at the Beverly Connection in Los Angeles, in March 2013. The 99,000-sq.-ft. will be located on the second floor of the shopping complex, at the corner of La Cienega and Beverly Boulevard.

Target’s annual shareholders’ meeting will be held June 9 in downtown Chicago at the location of a soon-to-open CityTarget store on State Street. The venue is an interesting choice that speaks volumes about the potential for the new urban format.

Pembroke Pines, Fla. -- Indianapolis-based Kite Realty Group announces that two additional tenants have joined Cobblestone Plaza, located in Pembroke Pines, Fla.

Great Clips will open a 1,066-sq.-ft. store and Michael’s Jewelry will open in a 1,400-sq.-ft. space.

The 140,452-sq.-ft. Cobblestone Plaza is newly anchored by Whole Foods, which opened March 28, joining All Pets Emporium and Party City.