Supermarket/Grocery

New York -- Network with peers from leading retail and restaurant companies at SPECS, the industry’s premier store development and facilities event.

Produced by Chain Store Age, the 49th annual SPECS conference will be held March 17-20, at the Hilton Anatole Hotel, Dallas. 

Click here to register. 

New York -- Costco Wholesale Corp., Limited Brands and TJX Cos. on Thursday reported better-than-expected sales for February, as growing employment and a surging stock market apparently offset the impact of higher taxes. (Some analysts cautioned, however, that the monthly figures have become less influential as an economic indicator as the number of retailers reporting on a monthly basis has dropped considerable. As of this month, Target and Kohl’s are no longer reporting monthly sales.)

Ewing, N.J. -- North Plainfield, N.J.-based Levin Management Corp. said Wednesday that Dollar Tree will open a store at Capitol Plaza, located in Ewing, N.J. The 13,810-sq.-ft. store is slated to open in the spring.
 
As well, a newly expanded Center for Allied Health & Nursing Education will celebrate its grand reopening at Capitol Plaza in March. The nursing school will be renamed Jersey College School of Nursing; it tripled its space to 30,000 sq. ft. in the shopping center, which is leased and managed by Levin.
 

Cincinnati -- The Kroger Co. on Thursday reported a better-than-expected profit for its fourth quarter profit amid a surge in sales.

For the period ending Feb. 2, Kroger earned $461.5 million, compared to the year ago period when the company reported a loss of $306.9 million as pension costs dragged down results.

Revenue rose 12.8% to $24.2 billion. Same-store sales increased 3% for the quarter, excluding fuel. After adjusting for the extra week in the fourth quarter, total sales increased by 3.7% over the fourth quarter of fiscal 2011.

Hackensack, N.J. -- Crossroads Cos. said that frozen yogurt franchise RCD Frozen Treats will open a 1,750-sq.-ft. store at Riverfront Plaza, located in Hackensack, N.J.

RCD Treats is a franchise of Go Greenly.

Riverfront Plaza is a 130,000-sq.-ft. neighborhood shopping center anchored by ShopRite. Other national retailers and service providers at the center include Chase Bank, GNC, H&R Block, KFC, Radio Shack, Subway, Supercuts, Taco Bell and Verizon Wireless.

When an 180,000-sq.-ft. Walmart Supercenter opens at Hunter Crossroads this fall, it will mark the first major retail opening in the shopping center, which is part of a larger 160-acre planned mixed-use project.

Developed by Hunter Crossroads LP, the center is being leased by Transwestern, based in Dallas.

Construction on the new Walmart is more than halfway completed; expected opening date is September 2013 and the store will feature Walmart’s smaller, more efficient prototype in lieu of its more traditional 220,000-sq.-ft. layout.

Indianapolis -- Kite Realty Group said that Buffalo Wild Wings will open on a 0.92 acre outparcel at Glendale Town Center, located in Indianapolis.

In other Kite Realty news, Maurices has leased 4,751 sq. ft. at Red Bank Commons, located in Evansville, Ind., and Hair Studio Artists leased 1,241 sq. ft. at Delray Marketplace, in Delray Beach, Fla.  

Boulder, Col. -- Nordstrom is the nation’s favorite fashion retail chain, according to an annual consumer study conducted by customer intelligence solutions provider Market Force Information. The upscale department store edged out Kohl’s, which had ranked first in the three previous studies. This year, Kohl’s moved to the No. 2 spot overall, followed by Macy’s, Dillard’s and J.C. Penney.