eCommerce

Walmart Canada president and CEO David Cheesewright is scheduled to speak next week at the Jefferies 2011 Global Consumer Conference near Boston. Walmart doesn’t typically push country presidents on stage at investor conferences except at its own analysts’ meetings when it has hosted events overseas in such places as China earlier this year or prior years in Brazil and the United Kingdom. However there are some interesting things going on in Canada these days, and the Jefferies event is an opportunity for Walmart to showcase some of its management talent.

This sounds like a pretty cool deal. Walmart’s wholly-owned video-on-demand subsidiary Vudu and Sony Pictures Home Entertainment in an exclusive arrangement this week offered a new type of digital move card for the science fiction film, Battle: Los Angeles.

The cards cost $14.96 and went on sale the same day as the Blu-ray and DVDs. The big difference between buying the physical Blu-ray disc or DVD is customers who purchase the card simply enter a code to access the film directly from a computer or more than 300 different Vudu-enabled consumer electronics devices.

Walmart may have been slow to embrace the online space in the mid 90’s when dot-com fever first heated up, but it isn’t making the same mistake the second time around as the digital world undergoes the mobile and social revolution.

Washington, D.C. -- A report released Thursday by the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates said that import cargo volume at the nation’s major retail container ports is expected to remain at about the same levels as last year through July before starting to resume increases later this summer.

Atlanta -- Sandal retailer Flip Flop Shops announced Thursday it has signed its 100th franchisee agreement for a new store to be located in Universal Studios, Calif. The store will be followed by openings in Santa Monica and Las Vegas.

The announcement follows recent news about the growing chain’s master franchise deal for Canada, which will see units open across the country.

Tukwila, Wash. -- Jacksonville, Fla.-based Regency Centers said it has leased retail space in Tukwila, Wash., at Southcenter Plaza to Jos. A. Bank.

Jos. A. Bank has leased 4,075 sq. ft., bringing the center to 97% leased, and is currently open for business.

The 170,000-sq.-ft. shopping center is anchored by a 112,000-sq.-ft. Target alongside national retailers such as Performance Bicycle, Super Cuts, Starbucks, Burger King and Quiznos.
 

Greenville, S.C. -- Charlotte, N.C.-based The Chambers Group, an X Team partner, said it has completed a lease for the first REI in South Carolina.

The outdoor equipment retailer will join The Point shopping center, a Whole Foods-anchored property located in Greenville, S.C., and owned by Beachwood, Ohio-based Developers Diversified Realty.

REI will occupy 22,000 sq. ft. of a former Circuit City space.
 

Brooklyn, N.Y. -- Winick Realty Group announced that Fushimi, an Asian fusion restaurant, will open its third New York City location, in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

The restaurant leased 7,200 sq. ft. and is set to open in the next few months.
 

Phoenix -- Los Angeles-based Karlin Real Estate said it has acquired through foreclosure two Phoenix-area shopping centers totaling nearly 220,000 sq. ft.

The move follows the firm's purchase of a non-performing loan portfolio with an aggregate unpaid principal of approximately $65.5 million.

The Boulevard at Surprise Pointe is a 201,223-sq.-ft. lifestyle center in Surprise, Ariz., anchored by a Walgreens and UltraStar Cinemas.

Houston -- Grubb & Ellis Co. said Wednesday that it represented Gulf Coast Commercial Group in the sale of Westheimer Crossing Shopping Center, a 94,053-sq.-ft. retail center in Houston.

Delta Troy Interests Ltd. purchased the property for an undisclosed price.  The property was approximately 90% occupied at the time of sale to multiple tenants, including DSW, REI and Michaels Stores.