Discount Store

New York -- Dollar Tree / Deal$ has leased 8,000 sq. ft. on Steinway St. in Astoria, New York, according to SRS Real Estate Partners.

The SRS New York City office represented the tenant, and Lucid Vass Realty Group represented Astoria Properties Company, the landlord.

Pleasanton, Calif. -- Ross Stores has agreed to pay a $3.9 million fine to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) for neglecting to inform the commission within a mandated 24-hour period that it sold or stocked in stores roughly 23,000 pieces of children’s apparel with drawstrings located at the neck or waist between January 2009 and February 2012. Sales of children’s clothing with these types of drawstrings has been officially banned in the U.S. since 2011 and subject to voluntary restrictions since 1996.

New York -- Loblaw Cos., Canada's largest grocer, is testing a small-store discount under the Box by No Frills banner. 

The company debuted the concept in Calgary, in a 10,000-sq.-ft. store. The store everyday low price" on groceries and other merchandise, Sarah Davis, Loblaw's CFO said in a conference call Wednesday, The Canadian Press reported.
 

SAN FRANCISCO — The Gymboree Corporation has appointed former Levi Strauss & Co. executive Joelle Maher as the company's new COO.  

At Levi Strauss & Co., Maher was most recently EVP, president global retail, and prior to that SVP of Americas multi-channel retail, and VP, planning, allocation, stores, store operations and outlet. She also held executive leadership positions at Lucky Brand Jeans, Old Navy and Macy's East.

Cicero, Ill. -- The town of Cicero, Ill., and Wal-Mart Stores announced an agreement on Tuesday to build a Walmart Supercenter on a portion of a former racetrack site.

Under the contract, Wal-Mart will pay $7.5 million for 24.67 acres of land at the long-vacant and dilapidated Sportsman’s racetrack to construct a 190,000-sq.-ft. store.

Cicero will continue to own 10 acres of the remaining Sportsman's property, which is reserved for future retail expansion and development.

PHILADELPHIA — Customers and employees of extreme value retailer Five Below have raised nearly $345,000 for Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to finding a cure for cancer for all children. 

Chicago -- Englewood Construction announced its retail group has begun work on the Chicago market’s first Ports 1961, a luxury apparel retailer, in Rosemont, Ill.
 
“Ports 1961 chose to enter the Chicago area by locating within Fashion Outlets of Chicago,” said William Di Santo, president of Lemont, Ill.-based Englewood Construction. “The retail world is anxiously awaiting the August 1 opening of this world-class fashion outlet mall in Rosemont.”

BURLINGTON, N.J. — Burlington Coat Factory was the beneficiary of an unseasonably cool first quarter that resulted in soft sales at some other retailers.

The company’s net sales increased 8.4% to nearly $1.1 billion for the quarter from $982 million for the quarter ended April 28, 2012. Comparative store sales increased 3.4%.