Department Store

Niles, Ill. -- Tuesday Morning has signed a lease for 20,000 sq. ft. at Village Crossing in Niles, Ill., a North Shore suburb of Chicago.

According to Oakbrook Terrace-based Mid-America Asset Management, the exclusive leasing representative for the center, Tuesday Morning plans to open in January 2011 as a new anchor, joining Dick’s Sporting Goods, Jewel/Osco and Pier 1 Imports.

Atlanta -- Oxford Industries has acquired Sugartown Worldwide, the owner of the upscale women's lifestyle brand Lilly Pulitzer, which sells to better specialty and department stores as well as through its stores and other direct to consumer channels.

TORONTO - Sears Canada announced that it has appointed Sharon Driscoll as SVP and CFO. Driscoll has held her current position with the company as SVP finance, since November of 2008.

Prior to joining Sears in 2008, Driscoll was employed with Loblaw Companies Limited, holding the position of SVP corporate development, and before that SVP finance national merchandising and SVP finance retail Ontario region. 

Maumelle, Ark. -- Dillard’s announced it will locate an Internet fulfillment center in Maumelle, Ark., to support the continuing growth of its online business. The company has signed an agreement to purchase the former Target distribution facility and will create over 300 new jobs in the Central Arkansas area.

Walmart, Target and Best Buy attracted record levels of customers to their websites during November, according to data released this week by the online measurement firm comScore. Retailers have come to expect a surge in traffic to their sites as the holiday approach and during November that proved to be the case and then some.

New York - Macy’s Inc. said Monday that 14 of its stores, including Herald Square and Queens Center in New York, will remain open 24-hours-a-day until Christmas.

The extended hours begin on Tuesday, Dec. 21.

The stores, which are located in New York, New Jersey, Illinois, Virginia, Michigan and Minnesota, will be joined by another slate of nine stores that will stay open until 2 a.m., located in New York, New Jersey, California and Massachusetts.

Chicago - Boosted by a very weak comparison period, ShopperTrak’s National Retail Sales Estimate (NRSE) reported that total GAFO retail sales for the last Saturday before Christmas (12/18), or Super Saturday, increased a sharp 15.1% compared with last year, while the company’s retail traffic index (SRTI) reported a similar 10.1% total U.S. foot traffic uptick for the same period.

With only a few days to go until Christmas retailers are already positioning themselves for post holiday success by touting promotions to capitalize on gift card redemptions. Target and JCPenney this week announced special incentives that begin the day after Christmas when both plan to open at 7 a.m.