Mass Merchant

The resignation of two top executives at Walmart China earlier this week initially seemed a rather stunning development given China’s importance to Walmart’s future and the fact that the company just held an analysts meeting in Shenzhen in late March. However, Walmart is now looking to capitalize on compelling growth prospects in the world’s second largest economy without the services of CFO Roland Lawrence and COO Rob Cissell. Walmart announced their simultaneous departure, but did not identify replacements.

Chicago — A report released by Chicago-based Jones Lang LaSalle found that the retail sector is edging toward recovery driven by growth in job market, gains in corporate profits and improvements in credit markets.

According to Jones Lang LaSalle’s North America Mid-Year Retail Outlook, the environment is still not without risk as rising fuel costs and a continued weak housing market, coupled with an increasingly volatile global geopolitical climate, continue to slow retail recovery as consumers remain tentatively cautious. 

GOODLETTSVILLE, Tenn. — Dollar General announced its plans to expand its operations to California in 2012.

The California announcement comes on the heels of the company’s planned expansions into three new states in 2011 — Connecticut, Nevada and New Hampshire. California would be Dollar General’s 39th state.

The company said it plans to serve shoppers in rural, suburban and metropolitan markets.

Yonkers, N.Y.  — Forest City Enterprises announced that National Amusements’ Cinema de Lux has opened at its Westchester’s Ridge Hill mixed-use development in Yonkers, N.Y.

With 12 state-of-the-art auditoriums and wall-to-wall screens, Cinema de Lux also features the area’s first full-service restaurant, Studio 3. The opening comes just a few months before the first buyers prepare to move into their new homes at Monarch at Ridge Hill, the luxury condominium on Ridge Hill Boulevard. 

COLUMBUS, Ohio — For the first time, Big Lots is expanding its retail operations outside of the United States with the announcement that it has agreed to purchase all of the outstanding stock of Liquidation World Inc., an Ontario based retailer which operates 92 closeout stores in Canada. 

Cincinnati — Macy’s Inc. said it will open two new stores near Chicago and Milwaukee, including its first-ever location in an outlet mall.

WASHINGTON — Target announced that it will provide new libraries for 42 schools in the United States as part of the 2011 Target School Library Makeover program.

Final attendance numbers aren’t available yet, and while RECon 2011 may not have been the really, really big show it was in 2007, the International Council of Shopping Centers’ annual Las Vegas convention was clearly a big event.

Pre-recession, the show attracted in excess of 50,000 retailers, retail service providers and shopping center executives to view the latest and greatest projects coming out of the ground. This year’s May 23 to 25 iteration didn’t pull 50k, but best guesses put attendance at over 30,000.