Mass Merchant

Augusta, Georgia — Ben Carter Enterprises will break ground in December on the Outlet Mall of Georgia at Augusta, an 800,000-sq.-ft. fashion outlet mall slated to open in spring 2016.

Ben Carter’s announcement comes on the heels of a key land agreement reached with the owners of the Georgia Theatre Co., who agreed to reposition their theatre to accommodate the mall.

New York -- Ron Johnson, who has been keeping a low profile since he was ousted from J.C. Penney in April 2013, made a rare guest appearance at Stanford University. Johnson, a graduate of Stanford and a member of its board, was a guest speaker at the university's View From the Top series in May, where he discussed with Stanford Graduate School of Business students Penny, Apple and Target and the lessons learned over his career in retail.

Plymouth Meeting, Pennsylvania — Wolfson Group will launch a redevelopment of Hilltown Crossings, a community shopping center with a gross leasable area of 354,458 sq. ft., located on Route 309 at Orvilla Road in Hatfield, Pennsylvania.

Columbus, Ohio — Glimcher Realty Trust has appointed Kenneth Marshall to the role of VP, Development. In this position, Marshall will support the company’s development strategy, contributing to the leadership and implementation of redevelopment projects throughout the portfolio.

Prior to joining Glimcher, Marshall served as executive VP of the Commercial Division of Colonial Properties Trust (now MAA). In addition, he has served as VP and Regional Development Director for The Westfield Corp.

Plymouth Meeting, Pennsylvania —The newly redeveloped MacDade Mall – located at 2600 MacDade Boulevard in Holmes, Pennsylvania – has attracted two new junior anchors: Marshalls, which opened in August 2013, and Ross, which will hold its grand opening this month.

Sacramento, California — West Coast shopping center owner/operator Pacific Castle has acquired four Sacramento-area properties for approximately $40 million, signaling an ongoing trend to add to the company’s diversified portfolio.

ECRM compared retail circular advertising in June 2013 versus June 2014 and noted trends occurring across top retail chains. Both Walmart and Toys “R” Us experienced some extreme shifts versus last year. Toys “R” Us did not run any circulars during the month of June, down from two last year. Instead, it ran only web and email promotions. The inverse occurred in January, when it ran no print ads in 2013 and only a single short circular in 2014.

La Quinta, California —The Mansour Group has announced the sale of a 36,000-sq.-ft. Stein Mart building located in La Quinta, California. Sale price was approximately $8 million. 

The property was sold via Mansour Group by an unnamed developer to a private, all-cash investor out of San Diego.

The freestanding building is situated in Washington Park, a 600,000-sq.-ft. power and lifestyle center anchored by Lowe’s, Target, Cost Plus, Office Depot, Trader Joe’s with plans for additional construction.