Mass Merchant

FORT WORTH, Texas — RadioShack released a statement in which it contends its balance sheet remains strong, with total liquidity of $820 million at the end of the first quarter.

The retailer released the statement a day after reports said it was considering hiring a financial adviser as a result of debt maturities, bloated inventories and slumping sales.

New York -- The growing appeal of smaller format stores and the increasing number of international moves by emerging market retailers are two of the key trends revealed in the Accenture Globalization Index, Quarter One 2013.

A Walmart employee in Canada was fired this week after confronting a customer who left a dog in a truck, according to a television report out of Ontario.

New York -- Uniqlo is expanding its U.S. footprint. The Japanese apparel retailer, a division of Fast Company, will open 10 more U.S. stores this fall, in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and California.
 
The new locations, all in shopping centers, will bring the brand’s presence in the United States to a total of 17 sites.

The 10 new Uniqlo locations include:

NEW YORK — Japanese apparel retailer Uniqlo, a division of Fast Company, is expanding its U.S. footprint with the opening of 10 stores this fall in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and California.

The new locations, all in shopping centers, will bring the brand’s presence in the United States to a total of 17 sites.

Evansville, Ind. -- Value-priced footwear retailer Shoe Carnival will grand-open 12 stores in 11 different cities in July, bringing its store count to 367 stores in 32 states and Puerto Rico.

“We are excited to be growing rapidly across the country,” said Todd Beurman, senior VP marketing. New stores will open in: Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Charlotte, N.C.; Chicago; Lansing, Mich.; St. Louis; Greenville, N.C.; Cincinnati; Atlanta; Phoenix; Louisville, Ky.; and Grand Rapids, Mich.
 

Wenatchee, Wash. -- Sportsman’s warehouse has signed a lease for a 49,000-sq.-ft. former Sears location at the Wenatchee Valley Mall in Wenatchee, Wash., according to Vintage Real Estate, which brokered the deal.

The new Sportsman’s will open in the spring of 2014. Sears will open a 10,813-sq.-ft. new format store in the mall.

Cranford, N.J. -- Winick Realty Group N.J. has announced the formation of an investment sales division in the company’s Cranford, N.J., office. The new division will focus on a wide range of properties from ne-leased investment-grade properties to shopping centers throughout New Jersey.

“The investment sales market is red-hot right now, with a substantial amount of business that reaches pre-recession levels,” said Tyler Bennett, senior VP and founding partner of Winick Realty N.J.