Mass Merchant

J.C. Penney has joined the list of retail chains that plan to open their stores on Thanksgiving night to kick off the holiday shopping season. 

Penney will open most of its 1,100 stores at 8 p.m., the same as Macy's. Last year, Penney opened its stores at 6 a.m. on Black Friday, while rivals Macy’s and Kohl’s opened their doors at midnight.

Goodlettsville, Tenn. – Dollar General is opening its first fuel station, as part of a test pilot project. The new fuel pumps are located at the Dollar General Market in Hanceville, Ala.

Los Angeles -- Construction has begun on Nadel Architects-designed Juanita Tate Marketplace, a 77,096-sq.-ft. outdoor retail center in South Los Angeles. Owned by Regency Centers, the $21 million development will bring a full-service grocery and retail center to the highly underserved surrounding community.

The center is being designed by Nadel Architects.

Bentonville, Ark. – Wal-Mart Stores will reportedly close 20 underperforming stores in China next year as part of an overhaul of its Chinese operations. According to Bloomberg, Wal-Mart is restructuring its business in China, including a new management structure and more efficient purchasing operations.

However, Wal-Mart still plans to open 100 stores in China during the next three years. A Wal-Mart executive said the stores being closed there do not have ideal locations or layouts.

Walmart said its worldwide capital expenditure budget for the 2014 will range between $11.8 billion and $12.8 billion, roughly $200 million less than the company expects to spend during the current year, even as it adds more selling space.

Oakbrook Terrace, Ill. — Mid-America Asset Management has announced three new retail leases in Chicago’s northwestern suburbs. Mid-America represented the landlord in each transaction.

Charles Schwab signed a lease for 4,339 sq. ft. at Shops of Uptown in Park Ridge, a northwestern suburb of Chicago. The store is expected to open next spring. The 70,800-sq.-ft. center features Trader Joe’s, Houlihan’s and Jason’s Deli. Colliers International represented the tenant.

The Bon-Ton Stores plan to close its location in the mall at Steamtown in Scranton, Pa. The company will not renew the lease, which terminates January 31, 2014. The closing will impact approximately 50 employees at this location.

The company acquired the leasehold interests in the Scranton store in 2000. It does not expect costs associated with the closing of the location to be material.

Cincinnati -- The Kroger Co. named  Michael L. Ellis, senior VP of retail divisions, as president COO effective January 1, 2014, completing the succession plan announced in September.

In September, Kroger announced that chairman and CEO David B. Dillon will retire as CEO on January 1, 2014, and will continue to serve as chairman through December 31, 2014. He will be succeeded by W. Rodney McMullen, Kroger's president and CO, effective January 1, 2014.