Mass Merchant

Chicago -- Oakbrook Terrace, Ill.-based Mid-America Asset Management said that Charming Charlie will open an 8,650-sq.-ft. store at Geneva Commons, in Geneva, Ill., a western suburb of Chicago.

The new store is slated to open summer 2011 in the 437,650-sq.-ft. lifestyle center, joining a recently opened Sephora, which debuted a 3,909-sq.-ft. store in the center.

Geneva Commons is anchored by Dick’s Sporting Goods, Barnes & Noble, Crate & Barrel, Pottery Barn, H & M, Anthropologie and more.
 

Walmart executive were said to be among a group of major retailers who met with Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel on Wednesday to discuss the elimination of the city’s “food deserts,” essentially areas where roughly 450,000 residents don’t have convenient access to fresh food.

According to an AP report, representatives from Walmart, Walgreen, Aldi and three other chains who were not identified met with Emanuel who reportedly showed a detailed map of the city’s food deserts and made an appeal for projects in specific areas.

Walmart is moving forward with what could be characterized as a roll out of its Neighborhood Market format nearly 13 years after the first unit opened in the fall of 1998. Just don’t call it a Neighborhood Market.

SCARSDALE, N.Y. — Natural food retailer Mrs. Green's Natural Market confirmed its acquisition of seven Superfresh grocery locations in Maryland and one Superfresh location in Washington, D.C., from the Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Co.

New York City -- Macy's and some 4,000 of its New York-area workers said Thursday they have reached a tentative contract agreement after a night of negotiations.

The agreement, if ratified, will avert what could have been the department store chain's first strike in nearly 40 years.

"Following an all-night negotiating session, Macy's is pleased to have reached a tentative agreement with Local 1-S of the RWDSU on a new five-year agreement," Jim Sluzewski, Macy's spokesman, said.

Magnolia, Texas -- Jacksonville, Fla.- based Regency Centers said it has leased restaurant space in Magnolia, Texas, at Westwood Village to Five Guys Burgers and Fries.

Five Guys leased 3,127 sq. ft., bringing the center to 97% leased. The restaurant is now open for business.

Westwood Village is a 310,000-sq.-ft. community center anchored by Target, Ross Dress For Less, and T.J. Maxx.

Phoenix -- Los Angeles-based Karlin Real Estate said it has acquired through foreclosure two Phoenix-area shopping centers totaling nearly 220,000 sq. ft.

The move follows the firm's purchase of a non-performing loan portfolio with an aggregate unpaid principal of approximately $65.5 million.

The Boulevard at Surprise Pointe is a 201,223-sq.-ft. lifestyle center in Surprise, Ariz., anchored by a Walgreens and UltraStar Cinemas.

This sounds like a pretty cool deal. Walmart’s wholly-owned video-on-demand subsidiary Vudu and Sony Pictures Home Entertainment in an exclusive arrangement this week offered a new type of digital move card for the science fiction film, Battle: Los Angeles.

The cards cost $14.96 and went on sale the same day as the Blu-ray and DVDs. The big difference between buying the physical Blu-ray disc or DVD is customers who purchase the card simply enter a code to access the film directly from a computer or more than 300 different Vudu-enabled consumer electronics devices.