Mass Merchant

Rochester, N.Y. -- Wegman’s Food Markets, said Thursday it has broken ground on a 123,070-sq.-ft. grocery supermarket in The Village at Valley Forge in King of Prussia, Pa.

A lease has also been signed for Next Door Bar & Grill, a restaurant concept owned by Wegman’s Food Markets for 12,000 sq. ft. on an adjacent parcel in the mixed-use development.

Washington, D.C. -- The National Retail Federation said Thursday that it is disappointed in the final debit card swipe-fee regulations set by the Federal Reserve.

Under the new rule, the current debit card swipe-fee rate of 1%-2% of each transaction will be replaced with a flat fee of not more than 21 cents per transaction for the nation’s largest banks -- substantially higher than the flat fee of up to 12 cents the Fed originally proposed in December 2010.

Teen apparel retailer rue21 is celebrating the opening of its 700th store, in New Braunfels, Texas. The chain is on track to open 110 locations this year. Commented president and CEO Bob Fisch: “We remain one of the fastest growing retailers in the nation. I would like to thank our real estate, construction and field teams and recognize their hard work, which allows us to celebrate another significant milestone for rue21."
 

Warrendale, Pa. -- Rue21 said Thursday it has opened its 700th store, located in New Braunfels, Texas.

The store is Rue21's 80th in the state. Year-to-date, the retailer has opened 63 stores and said it is on target to open 110 new stores and convert 35 existing stores to its larger etc! format in fiscal 2011.

Long-term growth strategy includes opening in strip centers, regional malls and outlet centers, and the New Braunfels location is Rue21's 360th strip center location.

New York City -- Centro Properties Group announced the recent lease execution for two Ulta stores; an 11,000-sq.-ft. store will be joining Lakes Crossing, located in Muskegon, Mich., and a 10,895-sq.-ft. store will open at Florence Square, directly across from Florence Mall in Florence, Ky.

New York City-based Centro Properties Group owns both shopping centers.
 

Orlando, Fla. -- Boston-based The Wilder Cos. said that Bealls will open a new department store at Loop West, located in the southern portion of the Orlando, Fla., market.

Loop West, along with adjacent center The Loop, make up an 840,000-sq.-ft. shopping complex housing 14 specialty anchors and 55 shops, services and eateries. Anchors include Kohl’s, J.C. Penney, TJ Maxx, Bed Bath & Beyond, DSW Shoes, Regal Cinema and more.

BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Walmart announced that it will offer customers savings of 10 cents a gallon on all fuel, gas and diesel at participating Murphy USA and Walmart gas stations.  The reduction is part of a 90-day Rollback program.

Columbus, Ohio-based Steiner + Associates announced that the city of Hampton, Va. has been awarded the 2011 Donald E. Hunter Excellence in Economic Development Planning Award by the American Planning Association for the Peninsula Town Center. Located in Hampton, Va., the Peninsula Town Center represents the successful redevelopment of an enclosed mall into a vibrant town center, providing approximately 2,400 new jobs and significantly increasing the taxable sales base in the city. The site has been effectively transformed from the Coliseum Mall into a regional destination.

New York City -- Wal-Mart Stores spent $2.42 million on lobbying in the first quarter on issues ranging from organized crime to food safety, as well as nutritional labeling, according to a recent disclosure report, the Associated Press said.

Bentonville, Ark. -- Wal-Mart Stores is cutting gas prices by 10-cents a gallon for three months to help consumers worried about their spending amid a sputtering economy and busy summer travel season. The chain said that customers visiting participating Murphy USA and Walmart gas stations in 18 states through Sept. 30 will receive a discount on all fuel, gas and diesel purchases when they use a reloadable Walmart gift card, Walmart MoneyCard or a Walmart credit card.