Mass Merchant

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.

Weak second-quarter financial results from Office Depot offered the latest evidence of the strategic rationale underpinning the company’s pending merger with longtime rival OfficeMax.

Office Depot said sales in the second quarter ended June 29 declined 4% to roughly $2.4 billion and it posted a net loss of $64 million, or 23 cents a share, equal to a loss reported in the second quarter the prior year.

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Sports Authority has named Stephen Binkley as the company’s new CMO. He replaces EVP, chief merchant and CMO Greg Waters, who has decided to resign his position to pursue personal interests after 24 years at the company. 

During his tenure at Sports Authority, Waters held several leadership roles, including EVP, marketing and merchandising, COO and SVP of store operations.

Seeking to boost back-to-school sales, 24 GGP malls will host Teen Vogue’s Back-to-School Saturday™ on Aug. 10.

For the second year in a row, Teen Vogue magazine has declared a national shopping holiday for Back-To-School.

This year, 100 malls and numerous national retailers — H&M, Topshop and American Eagle, for instance —have decided to see what the marketing concept can do for them.

Retailers will offer back-to-school deals and discounts, and the malls will host events.

Chicago -- Fashion Outlets of Chicago, a 530,000-sq.-ft. retail destination located just minutes from O'Hare International Airport and 15 miles from downtown Chicago, will open its doors for the first time on Aug. 1.

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. — Kmart is offering Shop Your Way members a chance to save at the pump while checking off their school supply and grocery shopping lists at select stores. 

The retailer cited the AAA Daily Fuel Gauge Report, which states that the average national price of a regular gallon of gas is $3.62, compared to the national average of $3.48 a year ago. And Kmart wants to make sure the recent spike in gas prices which has coincided with the back-to-school shopping season doesn’t negatively impact foot traffic to stores. 

Seattle -- Nordstrom said it plans to open a Nordstrom Rack at 505 Fulton Street in Brooklyn, N.Y. The approximately 41,000-sq.-ft. store is scheduled to open in spring 2014.  The developer for the project is United American Land LLC.

The store will feature a unique design that will blend the architecture of the site — the landmark Offerman building — with the contemporary style of an adjacent, newly built structure. The single-level store will occupy the second floor retail space.

SAN DIEGO, Calif. — The Shareholders Foundation has announced that an investor who currently holds Maidenform shares filed a lawsuit to halt the proposed takeover of Leap Wireless International by HanesBrands for $23.50 per share.

Investors who purchased shares of Maidenform Brands prior to July 24, 2013 and still hold them are being asked to contact the Shareholders Foundation at [email protected] or 858-779-1554.