Mass Merchant

Jacksonville, Fla. -- Regency Centers said Wednesday it has appointed Joanna Rotonde to lead the company’s acquisitions and dispositions activities in the northeastern U.S.

Rotonde will focus on the expansion markets of Boston, Philadelphia and metro New York, and is charged with identifying, evaluating and structuring profitable property acquisition and disposition opportunities within Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania.  

Rotonde previously served as assistant VP for Urstadt Biddle Properties.

James Cordero, senior director of Walmart’s Smart Network, is among four new appointees to the advisory board of the Digital Signage Expo.

Chattanooga, Tenn. -- Mall owner CBL & Associates Properties said Thursday that, in 2013, it will complete multi-million dollar renovations at three major malls: Friendly Center in Greensboro, N.C.; Greenbrier Mall in Chesapeake, Va.; and The Mall of Acadiana in Lafayette, La.

New York -- The latest data from Nielsen shows the number of U.S. convenience stores continues to expand and last year set a new record with 149,220 units.

That figures is up 1,094 units from the prior year so the increase amounts to only a 0.7% gain, according to the 2013 National Association of Convenience Stores/Nielsen Convenience Industry Store Count. Even so, the growth is noteworthy at a time when overall expansion of selling space in the broader retailer industry has remained stagnant even though the recession officially ended in 2009.

Purchase, N.Y. -- National Realty & Development Corp. said Tuesday that Lane Bryant will open two new locations within its portfolio, Hadley Center in South Plainfield, N.J., and Northampton Crossings in Easton, Pa.

The plus-size retailer will open a 5,000-sq.-ft. store in each location. Both are slated to open in the spring.

Hadley Center is a 542,000-sq.-ft. power center anchored by Target, Kohl’s Department Store, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Regal Cinemas and Marshalls Megastore.

MINNEAPOLIS — Target is giving "Twi-hards" an exclusive way to experience the final installment of the "Twilight" series with its offering of a three-disc deluxe edition DVD and exclusive two-disc deluxe edition Blu-Ray. Available only at Target stores on March 2 and for preorder at Target.com now, the exclusive Target version features more than 50 minutes of never-seen-before bonus content giving Twilight fans a new way to experience the saga.

Berlin, Vt. -- Berlin Mall LLC announced it has cleared the last two permitting hurdles to begin an 18,700-sq.-ft. expansion of The Berlin Mall, located in Berlin, Vt. The expansion is part of a planned increase in the size of its Walmart anchor store, which will also expand into existing, adjoining retail space at the mall
     
Construction is slated to start spring 2013.
 

BrandMasters is the name of a new experiential marketing agency created by Crossmark, one of the companies that executes in store activities at Walmart under the Shopper Events banner.