Discount Store

Plano, Texas -- J.C. Penney Co. announced that departing Saks Inc. CEO and chairman Stephen Sadove has been elected to its board of directors.

Sadove's  election is effective upon his leaving Saks, which will occur once the acquisition of the upscale department store by Hudson's Bay Company is completed, which is expected by the end of the year.

Sadove is a highly regarded industry veteran. He is the current chairman of the National Retail Federation.

Family Dollar saw strong growth in refrigerated and frozen food, health aids and tobacco, which buoyed sales in consumables to 8.3% for the fourth quarter ended Aug. 31. Despite the increase, comparable store sales for the quarter were flat. 

The company’s total net sales for the quarter increased 5.8% to $2.5 billion compared with total net sales of $2.4 billion in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2012. However, customer traffic and the average customer transaction value were flat during the quarter. 

Denton, Texas — Body Central will open a new location at Golden Triangle Mall in Denton, Texas, on Oct. 9. The specialty women’s apparel retailer operates more than 200 stores in 23 states across the U.S., under the Body Central and Body Shop banners.

Golden Triangle, Denton’s only mall, features Macy’s, Dillard’s, J.C. Penney, Sears, Barnes & Noble and DSW Shoe Warehouse as anchors. Cencor Realty Services manages the mall, and The Weitzman Group and MG Herring Group handle the leasing.

Columbus, Ohio -- DSW Inc. is increasing its presence in New York City. The company will open a 27,000-sq.-ft. store on 125th Street in Harlem on Oct. 11, and a 20,000 sq. ft. store at Bay Plaza in the Bronx on Oct. 31.

The new locations bolster DSW's presence in New York City when combined with existing locations at 14th Street/Union Square, 34th Street, and the Upper West Side.

Dallas — Jones Lang LaSalle Retail will lease seven shopping centers in the Dallas region for American Retail Management LLC and Inland Diversified. The properties total more than one million sq. ft. and are nearly 95% occupied. The assignments include:

I don’t want to be a Grinch, but things aren’t looking too promising for retailers who were hoping to end the year on a holiday high note. But, before I get into more predictions on retail sales this holiday season, it might be a good idea to talk a little bit about why I’m feeling so lukewarm about the prospects for a 2013 end-of-year bonanza.

Springfield, Mass. — Charter Realty has announced four leases totaling 59,030 sq. ft. in the Springfield Plaza Center in Springfield, Mass.

Planet Fitness will move into a 20,000-sq.-ft. facility currently under construction. Aaron’s Rentals has renewed its lease for 8,030 sq. ft. Rocky’s Ace Hardware has also renewed on 25,500 sq. ft. Finally, the 99 Restaurant has renewed a 5,500-sq.-ft. space.

K-Mart, Super Stop and Shop and TJMAXX anchor the 550,000-sq.-ft. Springfield Plaza Center.

Plymouth, Minn. — Lillians, The Hippest Shoppe in Town, has announced the opening of its newest franchise location in the southern Wisconsin town of Monroe. Lillians of Monroe is the brand’s third store opening this year and the eighth location in Wisconsin. The brand offers boutique and department store fashions and accessories.