Discount Store

Columbus, Ohio -- DSW Inc. said Tuesday it will open between 35 and 40 stores in 2012, up from an initial plan of 15 to 20 new stores this year.

The footwear and accessories retailer also raised its annual earnings guidance.

“The expansion of our footprint into new and existing markets is a key growth initiative for us,” said Mike MacDonald, president and CEO, DSW Inc.

The majority of the new stores are slated to open in the second half of 2012, according to the company.

Target may have floundered a bit in December, but many retailers reported solid sales gains for the month. Overall, retail sales rose 3.4% at the 22 retailers tracked by the Thomson Reuters same-store sales index, compared with the 3.3% analyst forecast, however results were mixed.

That was the case with the nation’s discounters and department store retailers, with many chains citing unseasonably warm weather that sapped demand for cold-weather merchandise.

Toms River, N.J. -- Fameco Real Estate said it has signed a lease with Tardi’s Ristorante at Bellcrest Plaza, located in Toms River, N.J.

Owned by H. Hovnanian Industries, Bellcrest Shopping Plaza is a 106,000-sq.-ft. neighborhood shopping center formerly anchored by Foodtown but still home to Planet Fitness, Burger King and Provident Bank.
 

Seattle -- Nordstrom plans to open a Nordstrom Rack in Tysons Corner, Va. The approximately 42,000-sq.-ft., two-level store is scheduled to open during fall 2012.

Nordstrom Rack will open in the former Filene's Basement space and join tenants Morton's Steakhouse, Bertucci's restaurant and Bank of America in a 215,000-sq.-ft.  mixed-use project. The project is owned by Rocks Tysons Two LLC and managed by Allen & Rocks, Inc. with KLNB Retail handling leasing.
 

Matthews, N.C. -- Family Dollar Stores Inc. reported Thursday that its first quarter profit rose 8% to $80.4 million, compared with $74.3 million in the year-ago period.

Sales for the period ended Nov. 26, 2011, rose to $2.15 billion from $2 billion in the year-ago period, missing Wall Street’s expected $2.17 billion in revenue. Same-store sales rose 4.1%.

Family Dollar reported quarterly results after the market closed Thursday and offered a reminder why Walmart suppliers who participated in last month’s Connecting Northwest Arkansas Supplier Survey ranked dollar stores as the greatest competitive threat to Walmart in the next five years.

Minneapolis -- Target Corp.’s plan to open 125-135 stores in Canada is rapidly taking shape, as the retailer has released the locations of its first 24 stores in the country.

As previously announced, Target purchased the leasehold interests of 189 sites currently operated by Zellers Inc.

The majority of Target’s initial two dozen stores will open in early 2013, and include four locations in Toronto (Centrepoint Mall, Cloverdale Mall, Shoppers World Danforth and East York Town Centre).

Just when it looked like Walmart shares might be ready to make a run earlier this week after poking above $60 for the first time in more than three years, along came Target to spoil the party.