Department Store

Fort Worth, Texas -- Trademark Property Co. announced it has been engaged to manage and lease Uptown Village at Cedar Hill, a 610,000-sq.-ft. mixed-use open-air center in Cedar Hill, Texas.

Strategically located in the midst of a dynamic retail hub less than 20 minutes south of downtown Dallas, Uptown Village includes 350,000 sq. ft. of specialty stores and restaurants and 35,000 sq. ft. of office space.

Ross Stores is in the process of opening 23 Ross Dress for Less and seven dd's Discounts stores across 17 different states. The new locations are part of the off-price retailer's plans to add a total of 75 Ross and 20 dd's Discounts stores during 2014.

"These latest openings reflect our ongoing expansion strategy to fill in our presence in existing markets while also increasing penetration in our newer Midwest region where we added another eight Ross locations in July,” said Jim Fassio, president and chief development officer.

New York – Uniqlo will open a store at Great Mall in Milpitas, California, on Sept. 12. The store will be the first Uniqlo location to feature a 100% eco-friendly design, with LED lighting, greener materials and high-efficiency elements throughout.

The new Uniqlo also include specialty shopping vignettes that will create a store-within-a-store feel in the women and children’s departments. In-store display materials will also include updated digital screens.

Kmart has been offering Shop Your Way members check-cashing services since September last year, but this week the retailer is making the service available for $1 or less, rather than $3. For the lowered price, members will be able to cash payroll and government checks up to $2,000 and personal checks up to $500.

Virginia Beach, Va. -- Home furnishings retailer West Elm will open a new store at Town Center of Virginia Beach, the retailer’s first in the Hampton Roads market.

The new store will be located on Main Street on the first floor of the newly constructed 4505 Main Street Tower, next to the recently announced Anthropologie store. A grand opening is slated for 2015.

New Hyde Park, N.Y. - Kimco Realty Corp. has acquired a portfolio of 10 shopping centers from its joint venture with SEB Asset Management for $275.8 million, including $193.6 million of mortgage debt. Kimco, which previously held a 15% ownership interest in the properties, paid approximately $69.8 million for the remaining 85% equity interest held by SEB Asset Management, the group’s specialist real estate manager.

Shopko is looking to drive traffic to its stores and e-commerce site with the launch of a new fashion blog called TREND.spire. The blog offers shoppers tips on how to put outfits together with pieces from either bricks-and-mortar locations or online.

New York – Rob Brown, an actor best known for his role on the HBO series “Treme,” has reportedly settled a discrimination lawsuit against Macy’s and the city of New York. According to Reuters, Brown’s suit accused three Macy’s security guards in a New York store of handcuffing him, publicly accusing him of credit card fraud, and marching him through the store before harassing and mocking him in a detention cell for an hour in a June 2013 incident.