Department Store

Los Angeles -- Caruso Affiliated said it has begun construction on 8500 Burton Way, an upscale residential and ground-floor retail property featuring Trader Joe’s, located in a flourishing region of Los Angeles, adjacent to Beverly Hills.

The eight-story building combines contemporary architectural elements with rich materials, and is moving forward at a time when most other commercial development has stalled.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla . -- Stein Mart announced that its costume and sterling jewelry buyer, Lori Cassidy, was named to the 2011 Merchants Hall of Fame by the trade publication Accessories magazine.

New York — The sale of the financially-beleaguered furniture retailer Robb & Stucky to liquidation firm Hudson Capital Partners of Massachusetts was approved Tuesday at a bankruptcy hearing in Tampa, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported.

Hudson Capital, in a joint venture with Hyperams LLC, offered the highest bid for the 96-year-old Fort Myers-based company, which operates 20 stores, mostly in Florida.

Toronto — The Hudson's Bay Co. announced it has earned exclusive Canadian franchise rights for the United Kingdom’s Topshop and its male counterpart, Topman. The agreement includes the rights for both freestanding locations and in-store shops, expected to launch in The Bay in fall 2011.

BOCA RATON, Fla. -- The South Florida Business Journal  reported Tuesday that Office Depot has dismissed David Grove, SVP contract sales for the company. 

According to the report, Grove's termination was unrelated to company operations, citing an Office Depot statement. Grove joined the company just 14 months ago.

Before joining Office Depot, Grove served in various roles in the office products field including president business interiors at Corporate Express and director of business development at United Stationers.

Menomonee Falls, Wis. -- Kohl’s Department Stores on Wednesday is celebrating  the grand opening of nine new stores across seven states: Illinois, New York, South Dakota, Texas, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin.  The chain plans to open a total of approximately 40 stores in 2011.

In addition,  Kohl’s continues to invest in its existing store base, remodeling approximately 100 stores in 2011, an 18% increase from 2010.

New York — Walmart will next week start building its first smaller-format Express stores, according to building permits obtained by Bloomberg News.

The chain will begin construction March 16 on a 14,400-sq.-ft. store in Gentry, Ark., which is about 20 miles from the company’s Bentonville headquarters, according to the permits.

 York, Penn. -- Bon-Ton Stores Inc. said Wednesday its fiscal fourth-quarter profit climbed 6%.

The department store chain said its net income rose to $85 million for the period ended Jan. 29, up from $80.3 million a year earlier.

Revenue edged up 1% to $1.03 billion from $1.02 billion.

Revenue at stores open at least a year rose 0.8%.

Bon-Ton Stores' annual net income was $21.5 million. In the prior year, it lost $4.1 million.