Mass Merchant

Columbus, Ohio -- DSW Inc. is increasing its presence in New York City. The company will open a 27,000-sq.-ft. store on 125th Street in Harlem on Oct. 11, and a 20,000 sq. ft. store at Bay Plaza in the Bronx on Oct. 31.

The new locations bolster DSW's presence in New York City when combined with existing locations at 14th Street/Union Square, 34th Street, and the Upper West Side.

With the implementation of Obamacare mired in controversy, two of the nation’s largest retailers are backing an innovative Employers Centers of Excellence Network that will offer no-cost knee and hip-replacement surgeries at four highly regarded hospitals.

Walmart and Lowe’s issued a joint statement that they and other large employers had joined the Pacific Business Group on Health Negotiating Alliance (PBGH-NA) to launch the national Employer’s Centers of Excellence Network.

Moorestown, N.J. — Charlotte Russe will join Moorestown Mall’s lineup this fall with a 5,000-sq.-ft. store located in the center of the mall. Over the next several months, Marc Vetri’s Osteria, Firebirds Wood Fired Grill, Corner Bakery and the Regal Premium Experience (RPX) Theater will open stores in the mall as well. Distrito by Jose Garces is set to join the mall in 2014.

Milwaukee — Northwestern Mutual, Prudential Mortgage Capital Company and TIAA-CREF have announced that each has provided $283.3 million for a total of $850 million to refinance Tysons Corner Center, the 1.9-million sq.-ft. super regional mall in Tysons Corner, Va., owned by the Macerich Company.

By Doug Brown

With the use of smartphones and other mobile devices continuing to grow, more and more merchants are looking for a way to capitalize on a communication device that many people never put down. And, as the leaders in this area are finding, mobile loyalty and payment incentive programs possess many benefits for chain stores.

Tie mobile and incentives together

Seattle -- The global retail real estate market rebounded in the first half of the year, with international and luxury brands expanding to new markets and high street properties growing in popularity, according to a new report from Colliers International. Fifth Avenue in Manhattan claimed the highest rent, at $3,052 per square foot, followed by Hong Kong’s Queen's Road Central ($2,086) and Canton Road, Tsim Sha Tsui ($1,993), London’s Old Bond Street ($1,520) and Manhattan’s Madison Avenue ($1,325).

Chicago -- Dollar stores are not just for lower- and middle-income shoppers. In fact, half (50%) of respondents from the highest-income households ($150k+) say that they are shopping at dollar stores the same amount this year compared to last year, with 10%  say they are doing so more than last year, according to new research from Mintel. Only 32% of respondents from the highest-income households claim not to shop at dollar stores.

Shoppers in the United States plan on spending an average of $646 on gifts this holiday season, representing an 11% increase over the $582 they planned to spend, on average, in 2012, according to Accenture’s annual holiday shopping survey. The forecast uptick is more optimistic than other holiday surveys released to date.