Mass Merchant

McLean, Va. – German discount grocer Lidl continues to lay the foundation for its store debut in the United States.

The company which is establishing a U.S. corporate headquarters, in Arlington County, Virginia, announced it will also open a regional headquarters and distribution center facility in Alamance County, North Carolina. The moves are part of Lidl’s early preparations to expand into the U.S. http://www.chainstoreage.com/article/german-grocer-lidl-prepares-us-expansion-open-headquarters-virginia

Academy Sports is marking a company milestone this week when it opens a store in Tupelo, Miss.

"I want to thank all of our corporate, store, and distribution center associates for their tremendous efforts in supporting us as we achieve this milestone in our strategic five-year growth plan," said Rodney Faldyn, president and CEO of Academy Sports + Outdoors. "We have no intention of stopping our growth at 200 as we're committed to bringing our stores to active communities throughout the Midwest, South, and Southeast U.S."

New Rochelle, N.Y. – Welco Realty Inc. has leased 21,500-sq.-ft. of retailer space to Michaels Stores Inc. at The Mill Creek Mall at Harmon Meadow in Secaucus, N.J. Jerry Welkis, a principal of Welco Realty, represented the landlord, Hartz Mountain Industries.
 
The tenant was represented by Jamie Sackeim of The Dartmouth Company.  Other tenants in the center are PetSmart and Marshall’s/Home Goods. Adjacent tenants include Bob’s Furniture, Sports Authority, T.J.Maxx, Toys / Babies R Us, and Kohl’s.
 

Target Corp. is set to open its largest CityTarget store ever, and the first on the East Coast, at the end of July.

The Boston Globe reports the store, near Fenway Park in Boston, is the largest of the eight CityTargets the Minneapolis-based retail giant has opened since 2012.

CityTargets range in size from 80,000 square feet in Portland, Oregon to 125,000 square feet in downtown Chicago.

Most retailers are reducing their footprints, but not Nebraska Furniture Mart (NFM). In fact, the retailer is doing just the opposite and has opened the nation’s largest home furnishings store. Located in the new 433-acre mixed-use development, Grandscape in The Colony, Texas, the two-level NFM has a whopping 560,000 sq. ft. of selling space. Including an on-site warehouse, the space totals more than 1.8 million sq. ft.

The store sells 100,000 products, ranging from very high-end items to value offerings, with another 500,000 items in stock in the warehouse.

Leadership of the Kroger Co.’s retail operations is in limbo following the retirement of COO Mike Ellis, with no immediate successor named.

The Kroger Co. announced that Ellis has retired after 40 years with the company.

New York -- The off-price segment is on fire, but newcomers to the sector should watch out, warns a report by Moody’s Investors Service.

The U.S. off-price apparel and home products segment continues to grow rapidly as consumers who developed a taste for cheaply priced luxury goods during the recession keep up their hunt for bargains, Moody's Investors Service said in a new report.

Looking for a piece of the growing off-price pie, Kohl's has officially opened its Off Aisle concept in New Jersey.

Kohl’s is testing the off-price waters by opening a discount store in Cherry Hill, N.J., this summer called "Off Aisle by Kohl's."