Supermarket/Grocery

Conviction records must be weighed with caution under new EEOC guidelines

The use of criminal background checks by employers is being closely watched.

Many areas of the Affordable Care Act remain unsettled

Retail companies should expect this year and 2014 to be a wild roller coaster ride of health insurance changes for retailers. That assessment came from Neil Trautwein, VP, employee benefits, National Retail Federation, who said that retailers need to take prudent actions to comply with the requirements of the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

Is it just me, or does it seem like the past two months or so have seen an unusually high level of turnover at the top? It's gotten so that you need a scorecard to keep up with all the comings and goings, as chief executives are forced out, jump ship, retire or move on.

This year's changing of the guard is bittersweet because it includes the retirement of two veteran retailers, Steve Burd of Safeway and Maxine Clark of Build-A-Bear Workshop.

Nokomis, Fla. -- The Sembler Co. announced that it is redeveloping the Nokomis Village Shopping Center, anchored by Publix and located in Nokomis, Sarasota County, Fla.
 
Publix will close on March 30, while other tenants including Anthony’s ladies apparel, Village Pharmacy, Ophelia’s Pasta restaurant, and Saltwater Café remain open during the construction of a new Publix store.

New York -- Retail spending in the United States rose a better-than-expected 1.1% in February, the highest increase since September, according to figures released Wednesday by the Commerce Department.

Sales, excluding gasoline, building materials and autos, rose 0.4%. Industry experts said that consumer spending is holding up even in the face of the higher payroll tax.

Knoxville, Tenn. -- CHM announced that it has broken ground on Knoxville’s first urban, vertical retail complex, University Commons.

The Publix- and Walmart-anchored shopping and dining center will cover 12+ acres, with 211,000 sq. ft. of retail space and parking. Besides the two anchors, an additional 40,000 sq. ft. will be dedicated to smaller retailers and service providers once the project is completed.

Prattville, Ala. -- Brentwood, Tenn.-based GBT Realty said that it is bringing Starbucks Coffee, Aspen Dental and Firehouse Subs to Cobbs Ford Village, a new, in-line shopping center located in Prattville, Ala., in the Montgomery MSA. 


Cobbs Ford Village is approximately 2.52 acres and will house several additional tenants that are now in the beginning stages of signing leases. Groundbreaking for the center will be this April, with an estimated opening date of spring 2014.

New York -- The Fresh Market announced the resignation of Randy Kelley as SVP real estate and development. Kelley, who is leaving the grocer, to pursue a new business opportunity, will remain with the company through early spring.