Mass Merchant

New York City -- The Private Label Manufacturing Association reported Tuesday that store brands have capped a decade of strong growth by posting sales increases across all three of the major retail channels in 2010 and pushing dollar market share to new all-time highs in supermarkets, drug stores and total outlets.

New York City -- BRE Retail Holdings, an affiliate of Blackstone Real Estate Partners VI L.P. announced Tuesday that it has acquired the U.S. assets and platform of Centro Properties Group and its managed funds for approximately $9 billion.

The sale includes 585 community and neighborhood shopping centers and related retail assets aggregating 92.1 million sq. ft. in 39 states.

New York City -- Retailers lost $37.14 billion to theft last year, or 1.58% of retail sales, up from 1.44% in 2009, according to preliminary results of the National Retail Security Survey. The annual survey is conducted by the University of Florida for the National Retail Federation, with funding from ADT Commercial.

As in previous years, employee theft accounted for the largest (approximately 44%) portion of the losses. Shoplifting and organized retail crime was second, with 33%. Administrative errors, vendor fraud and unknown causes make up the rest.

Elizabeth, N.J. -- Glimcher Realty Trust, owner of Jersey Gardens outlet mall in Elizabeth, N.J., said that it has begun the installation for one of the largest single-roof top solar systems in North America.

The 4.8 megawatt solar array will generate enough power to offset 11% of the electrical consumption of the mall.

Jersey Gardens, with 1.3 million sq. ft. of leasable space, features tenants such as Gap Outlet, H&M, Lord & Taylor Outlet, Neiman Marcus Last Call, Nike Factory Store and Saks Fifth Avenue Off 5th.

New York City -- Massmart, now majority owned by Wal-Mart Stores, said on Sunday it aims to create 15,000 jobs in the next five years. The company also said it plans to expand its procurement of food and consumer goods by an additional $8.74 billion during the same period.

“Massmart intends to leverage Wal-Mart's global expertise in working directly with local farmers to encourage the cultivation of safe, high-quality fresh produce," Massmart CEO Grant Pattison said in the statement.

The most recent iteration of a pricing study conducted by Credit Suisse shows Target was 4.7% more expensive on a basket of items in Chicago and Dallas compared with 4% the prior month. 

San Mateo, Calif. -- DemandTec announced that Dollar General Corp. has selected DemandTec's Markdown Optimization, Everyday Price Optimization and Everyday Price Management software services to strategically manage and optimize pricing across its more than 9,500 stores nationwide.

During a question-and-answer style interview in Monday’s USA Today, Target chairman, president and CEO Gregg Steinhafel shared his thoughts on a wide range of topics including Walmart, inflation, designers and competition.