Mass Merchant

Mark Horgan has been named executive vice president and chief investment officer at Brixmor Property Group and been give a wide range of responsibilities as the newest member of a revamped senior leadership team.

Walmart is escalating competition with Amazon’s Prime service. The discounter’s online subscription ShippingPass program, which is still in pilot, will begin offering delivery in two days rather than three, Bloomberg reported.

Online retailer—and would-be rival to Amazon— Jet.com is continuing to spread its wings. The retailer is testing a home delivery service for fresh groceries in certain markets in the metro areas of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C. According to an email sent to some customers, produce delivery will take one to two days, with no fee for orders of $35 or more.

Even luxury department stores got no love from shoppers in the first quarter. Following a pattern set by Macy’s and Kohl’s, Nordstrom reported dismal results for the first quarter, including a steep drop in profit, with the only positive sign being the company’s off-price division. The retailer lowered its full-year outlook.

Call it a spring retail funk. The day after Macy’s posted disappointing results for its first quarter, Kohl’s Corp. upped the ante, reporting an 87% drop in net income amid heavy one-time costs. Kohl’s net income for the three months that ended April 30, was $17 million, down 87% from the $127 million Kohl's earned in the year-ago period. Excluding impairments, store closings and one-time costs, net income was $58 million, down 55%.

ICSC’s annual RECon convention has long been a rite of spring for many real estate professionals. For three decades, RECon has brought dealmakers and decision-makers to Las Vegas, and today the event regularly attracts more than 30,000 attendees.

Target Corp. has lined up Greek yogurt giant Chobani to open an café in its upcoming store in Manhattan’s Tribeca neighborhood. The 45,000-sq.-ft. store, opening this October, will feature a Chobani Café. The cafe will have a natural theme, offering items made with Chobani’s signature Greek yogurt and hand-selected, artisanal ingredients. Also on the menu: sandwiches, soups, coffee and desserts, all made with only natural ingredients.

The nation’s two largest office-supply chains have pulled the plug on their $6.3 billion merger.