Mass Merchant

MINNEAPOLIS — Target merchandising executive Casey Carl was given added responsibilities for the retailer’s online businesses, following a series of snafus related to an August relaunch that resulted in the departure of former online president Steve Eastman.

Carl will serve as president of multichannel with responsibility for Target’s digital platforms including mobile, social and Target.com, while retaining his prior responsibilities as SVP merchandising for entertainment, toys, sporting goods and electronics.

The new year will see a changing of the guard in the chief executive’s office of several big retailers. Here are four to watch:

Costco
The torch has been passed at Costco Wholesale Corp., with president and COO Craig Jelinek stepping into the very big shoes of the company’s longtime chief executive and co-founder Jim Sinegal (effective January 1, 2012).

Philadelphia -- Metro Commercial Real Estate said that Athleta has opened its first store in the Philadelphia area at 1722 Walnut Street in the heart of Center City. 

The 4,000-sq.-ft. store, which is a division of Gap Inc., opened on Nov. 9. Kaiserman Cos. is the landlord of 1722 Walnut Street, a strip of high-end retail along Philadelphia’s Rittenhouse Row.
 

Cherry Hill, N.J. -- Philadelphia-based Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust said that plus-size fashion retailer Fashion to Figure has opened a 2,719-sq-ft. store at Cherry Hill Mall, in Cherry Hill, N.J.

The new store is located on the Upper Level near J.C. Penney.

Waterford, Conn. -- Brixmor Property Group said that Motherhood Maternity has opened a 1,500-sq.-ft. store at Waterford Commons, located in Waterford, Conn.

Brixmor, based in New York City, owns Waterford Commons.

Woodbridge, N.J. -- Fameco Real Estate announced that Platypus Custom Home Furnishings has signed a 5,005-sq.-ft. lease at the Streets of Chester, in Chester, N.J. 

The Streets of Chester is a 104,682-sq.-ft. lifestyle center tenanted by Chico’s, White House Black Market, Coldwater Creek and the Gap.

This newest location is Platypus’s fifth.
 

West Hartford, Conn. -- Jacksonville, Fla.-based Regency Centers said that Chipotle Mexican Grill will open a new restaurant at Corbin’s Center, located in West Hartford, Conn.

The 3,500-sq.-ft. restaurant is slated to open October 2012.

Corbin’s Center, at 186,163 sq. ft., is anchored by Trader Joe’s alongside national retailers such as Best Buy, Old Navy and Toys “R” Us.

Minneapolis -- Target Corp. has promoted Casey Carl to the new position of president of multichannel, and to senior VP, merchandising, effective immediately.

Carl, 36, who joined Target in 1997, and most recently served as senior VP hardlines and as a co-lead on Target’s multichannel steering committee.

In his new role, he will oversee Target's mobile, social and Target.com and continue to lead the company's entertainment, toys, sporting goods and electronics business.

NEW YORK — Most consumers have their wallets ready for Thanksgiving weekend and are armed with plans to spend an average of $224, according to Deloitte's pre-Thanksgiving shopping survey.

The holiday season is about to get underway with what is expected to be the single greatest spending orgy in the history of commerce with more than $20 billion spent on Black Friday compared with $19.3 billion last year, according to MasterCard Advisors SpendingPulse.