Department Store

At a time when the future of the company is unclear, Belk Inc. is reportedly building another flagship store.

Rouse Properties Inc. announced it has signed a lease with Belk Inc. to open a new 237,000 square foot flagship store at The Shoppes at Bel Air in Mobile, Ala. Belk will be taking the place of an existing Sears, and expanding on its already integral presence at The Shoppes at Bel Air.

Cincinnati - Phillips Edison Grocery Center REIT II Inc. has acquired two grocery-anchored shopping centers, expanding the company's portfolio in Colorado. Meadows on the Parkway is a 216,437-sq.-ft. grocery store-anchored shopping center in Boulder, Colorado, The center is anchored by Safeway and also features national tenants Subway, Regus, Great Clips, Michaels, Anytime Fitness and Fast Signs.

Hoffman Estates, Ill. - Sears Hometown and Outlet Stores Inc. is getting a little love from its hometown. For the third consecutive year, Sears Hometown and Outlet Stores has been recognized as one of “Chicago's Best and Brightest Companies to Work For” by the National Association for Business Resources.

Bon-Ton Stores has hired a 30-year veteran of the retail industry as its chief operating officer.

The Bon-Ton Stores Inc. has named William Tracy to the position of COO, effective July 27. Tracy will have responsibility for stores, information systems, supply chain, distribution & logistics, omnichannel strategy, real estate, and HR.

Austin, Texas – Parents are always telling their school-aged children that character is key, and they also apply a version of that maxim to back-to-school shopping. According to a recent survey by RetailMeNot, parents say their kids want school supplies featuring popular characters from films and TV shows.

Respondents indicated their children want "Minions"-themed school supplies the most (33%) followed by "Jurassic World" (31%), "SpongeBob" (24%) and "Star Wars" (22%).

York, Pa. - The Bon-Ton Stores, Inc. has named William Tracy to the position of COO, effective July 27. Tracy will have responsibility for stores, information systems, supply chain, distribution & logistics, omnichannel strategy, real estate, and HR.

Charlotte, N.C. – Belk Inc. is expanding its presence in Alabama. The regional department store chain will open a new 237,000-sq.-ft. flagship store at The Shoppes at Bel Air in Mobile, Alabama.

Belk will be taking the place of an existing Sears, and expanding on its existing presence at The Shoppes at Bel Air. This activity is taking place following recent Reuters reports that private equity firm Sycamore Partners may be preparing to bid up to $3.5 billion for Belk.

JCPenney Co. is launching a back-to-school marketing campaign that covers all the bases of omnichannel retailing.