Mass Merchant

Is there an archetypal Las Vegas shopping center? How about Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas?

“A Las Vegas shopping center should feature a range of shopping, entertainment and dining options that appeal to the wide audience the city attracts,” said David Edelstein, co-owner of Miracle Mile Shops.

“The stores should stay open late and bars and restaurants even later,” he continued. “Always keep an eye on trends and what shoppers are responding to.”

Target’s second quarter just ended and if the dourest of back-to-school spending forecasts proves correct the company’s expectations for same-store sale growth in the range of 2% to 3% could prove optimistic and its third quarter outlook could come under pressure.

The Woodlands, Texas – Conn’s Inc. is opening a Conn’s HomePlus store in Phoenix. The location marks the specialty chain’s second store in the Phoenix metro market and third store in Arizona.

Conn’s operates 72 retail locations, with 58 in Texas, six in Louisiana, three in each Arizona and Oklahoma, and two in New Mexico.

Chicago — Sleepy’s has signed into two Chicagoland shopping centers as part of the mattress chain’s expansion in the mid-west.

According to Mid-America Asset Management Inc. www.midamericagrp.com, which handles leasing for both centers, Sleepy’s has taken 6,075 sq. ft. at Cicero Annex in Chicago and 6,507 sq. ft. at Willow Creek Center in Glenview. The Chicago location plans to open this summer; the Glenview store opened recently.

Target’s EVP of stores, Tina Schiel, and senior group manager of store planning, Nancy Devine, dug through the retailer’s photo archive and weighed in on the company’s evolving design philosophy.

Back-to-school season is underway in Canada and for Target, which opened its first stores in Canada earlier this year, the stakes could not be higher.

Fremont, Calif. -- Allen I. Questrom, who has held CEO and other senior executive positions at several major retailers in the past 40 years, has joined the board of directors of The Men’s Wearhouse. With the addition of Questrom, currently a member of the boards of directors of Sotheby's and the Glazer family of companies, Men’s Wearhouse has nine directors, seven of whom are independent.

City of Commerce, Calif. — Celebrating the grand opening of its newest Houston store — 11,490 sq. ft. — 99Cents Only Stores will sell Westinghouse 40-in. flat-screen TVs for just 99 cents to the first nine customers in line.

There will be additional prizes for the next 198 customers in line.