Mass Merchant

By Dan Goldman, Kurt Salmon

Just like bell-bottoms and leg warmers, mom-and-pop retailers are back. Not long ago, it seemed like they would be permanently relegated to some dusty attic space, a relic fighting for relevancy.

Big-box stores put them there. Between 1992 and 2014, the share of U.S. retail stores owned by companies with fewer than 500 employees fell 13%.i That’s because big boxes promised lower prices and a wider assortment, points brought home by large mass market advertising campaigns.

John A. Bryant, chairman, president and CEO of Kellogg Co., has been elected to the Macy’s Inc. board of directors.

Seattle – Amazon.com is launching Amazon Home Services, a new marketplace for on-demand professional services that puts it in competition with online service platforms such as Craigslist. In less than 60 seconds, customers can browse, purchase and schedule hundreds of professional services directly on Amazon.com.

New data from two leading retail industry trade groups show that, once again, the demise of the nation’s malls is greatly exaggerated.

Rents, occupancy and net operating income among the nation’s shopping centers reached record levels last year, according to a review of 2014 data by the International council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) and the National Council of Real Estate Investment Fiduciaries (NCREIF).

Fort Worth, Texas – RadioShack is reportedly asking a bankruptcy court to approve a roughly $160 million bod from Standard General LP that would keep 1,743 stores of the retailer’s roughly 4,000 stores open. According to the Wall Street Journal, the Standard General bid also the backing of the official committee of RadioShack’s unsecured creditors.

New York -- From extreme-value discounters to c-store operators, retailers across the board are expanding their brick-and-mortar portfolios in 2015. Here’s a review:

• Dollar General will open 730 new stores and remodel 875 existing locations.

• DSW Inc. will open 35 stores, including locations in at least 12 new markets.

• Express is ramping up its new outlet format with 30 locations.

Cincinnati – John A. Bryant, chairman, president and CEO of Kellogg Co., has been elected to the Macy’s Inc. board of directors. Bryant, 49, became chairman of the board of Kellogg Co. in July 2014 after serving since January 2011 as president and CEO.

He has been a member of Kellogg’s board of directors since 2010. Prior to becoming CEO, Bryant held a variety of key senior leadership roles, including chief financial officer, president of Kellogg North America, president of Kellogg International and COO.

Mahwah, N.J. - Brian Lynch, a 35-year fashion and retail industry veteran, has been named president and CEO of Ascena Retail Group’s Justice brand, which is targeted at tween girls. Lynch most recently served as president of Ann Taylor brand. Previously, he held executive positions with Ann Inc.; Gap Inc.; Learningsmit Inc.; and The Walt Disney Co.

Lynch replaces Michael Rayden, who retired in January. Rayden had announced his retirement in October, and Ascena subsequently launched a search for his replacement.