Mass Merchant

Shreveport, La. – Houston-based developer NewQuest Properties is reportedly planning to build a roughly 22-acre shopping center in southwest Shreveport, La. According to the Shreveport Times, the center will be known as Camp Forbing Town Center and be located on a 47-acre parcel owned by the YMCA.

New York – Merger talks between J. Crew and Japanese retailer Fast Retailing Co. have reportedly ended, at least for the time being. According to the Wall Street Journal, Fast Retailing, owner of the Uniqlo chain, left the discussions not long after they were made public by the media in late February 2014.

Philadelphia – A new $500 million retail/residential development is reportedly planned for downtown Philadelphia. According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, a block of stores located on Market Street between 11th and 12th Street in Philadelphia will be razed or moved to make way for a new complex that will be known as East Market.

Ikea wants to expand the warehouse of its Detroit-area store in Canton, Mich. As a result, Ikea Canton, which opened June 2006 at 311,000 sq. ft., would grow to approximately 355,000 sq. ft. Initial utility work would begin this summer with actual construction starting in autumn. The store would remain open and operational during construction, maintaining its full product offering throughout the project’s completion in spring 2015.

Las Vegas -- 1960s-era The Boulevard Mall will receive a $25 million makeover in hopes of prompting an overall redevelopment of the Maryland Parkway corridor of Las Vegas.

The rehab, to be launched by owner Sansone Cos., which acquired the mall last December for $54.5 million, will be the property’s first major renovation in more than two decades. Sansone is looking at the renovation of the Boulevard as a catalyst in the overall redevelopment effort of the Maryland Parkway corridor.

Waban, Mass. -- Sam's Club and Amazon.com deliver the best customer experience in the retail industry, according to the 2014 Temkin Experience Ratings, an annual ranking of companies based on a study of 10,000 U.S. consumers. Sam's Club and Amazon.com continue their reign as the highest-rated retailers for the third straight year, each earning an "excellent" rating.

A $325 million expansion underway at the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minn., promises to make the 4.2-million-sq.-ft. retail institution even more of a destination.

North Plainfield, N.J. — Roy D. Vice has joined Levin Management as VP of construction and development. In his new role, Vice will work closely with Levin’s property management and leasing teams to oversee all construction and development activities in the firm’s retail portfolio of more than 13 million square feet.