Mass Merchant

San Francisco – Gap Inc. reported increased net and same-store sales during the third quarter of fiscal 2013 in a partial financial release. Gap’s third quarter net sales grew 3% and same-store sales grew 1% compared to the prior year.

In addition, Gap’s same-store sales grew 4% in October 2013. The retailer will release full third quarter earnings results on Nov. 21, 2013.

Richfield, Minn. – Best Buy is the latest major retail chain to prepare for an early start to Black Friday. More than 1,000 Best Buy stores in 47 states will open their doors at 6 p.m. Thanksgiving night and stay open till 10 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 29.

Dallas — CBRE Capital Markets arranged financing for the acquisition of a portfolio of 16 shopping centers totaling approximately 417,000 sq. ft. Located across the country, each of the 16 strip centers is adjacent to a Wal-Mart Supercenter shadow anchor. CBRE worked on behalf of the borrower, a partnership between Dallas-based Fountain Capital and Cheney & Mathes Properties, to obtain a 10-year, $41.6 million fixed-rate, non-recourse loan through the Goldman Sachs Mortgage Co.

San Bruno, Calif. -- Walmart announced today the two grand prize winners of its Get on the Shelf contest, Elvis Presley Home Bedding Collection and SKRIBS Customizable Wristbands. As grand prize winners, both products will be sold on Walmart.com and receive additional online marketing support. They will also be introduced to the Walmart Stores’ Merchandising team for store shelf consideration.

The newest tactic to disparage Walmart by an organization called the Organization United for Respect at Walmart (OUR Walmart) involves race, politics and a convoluted connection to the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Eight-year Walmart employee and OUR Walmart member Charmaine Givens-Thomas has posted a petition on the organization’s website invoking the name of the slain civil rights leader. She is seeking 100,000 signatures and a meeting with president Barack Obama to address the injustices to which she contends Walmart subjects its workers.

Leveraging inventory while driving consumption is the topic of a presentation scheduled for next week in Northwest Arkansas by Walmart’s senior director of consumables replenishment Kendall Trainor.

Trainor is the featured speaker at a breakfast meeting organized by Doing Business in Bentonville. From 7-9 a.m. Wednesday, November 13, Trainor will share insights on Walmart’s top five inventory priorities for the coming fiscal year.

Austin, Texas – Smartphones are starting to edge out other popular forms of consumer technology as holiday gifts. According to a new survey from RetailMeNot and The Omnibus Company, within the next five years, less than one-in-five winter holiday gift givers plan to buy someone a portable music player (19%), desktop computer (19%), GPS device (13%) or regular cell phone (9%) for the holidays.

Columbus, Ohio – Lane Bryant is opening four stores at different shopping centers on Nov. 8. These locations include a refreshed store at Eastwood Towne Center and a new store at The Marketplace at Delta Township in Lansing, Mich., as well as new stores at the Clackamas Promenade in Clackamas, Ore., and the Epps Bridge Center in Athens, Ga.

Lane Bryant operates more than 800 full-line and outlet stores in 48 states nationwide.