Retail

New York -- Winick Realty Group said that Blink Fitness will open a 15,500-sq.-ft. facility at the base of Chelsea Park, a new residential building located at 260 West 26th St. in New York City.

Blink will have a ground-floor entrance at 308 Eighth Avenue, which will lead down to an expansive lower-level gym. The 12-story building is currently home to 204 luxury rental apartments ranging from studios to two-bedroom units.  

Honolulu -- Jones Lang LaSalle said that it has named Wendell Brooks III as senior VP of the firm’s retail brokerage business in Hawaii.

Brooks will work closely with Hawaii Retail Market Lead Kirk Horiuchi to assist landlord and retail clients. He will be joined by James “Kimo” Greenwell and Robert Kelley, who will focus on retail leasing and sales.  Additionally, Melissa Masicampo joins the firm as brokerage coordinator and Mark Ching joins as graphic designer and marketing specialist to support the growing retail team.

New York -- An OfficeMax shareholder sued the directors of the company on Thursday, seeking to block its acquisition by Office Depot Inc., Bloomberg reported. The investor called the proposed $1.2 billion all-stock deal "grossly inadequate".

"OfficeMax, if properly exposed to the market for corporate control, would bring a price materially in excess of the amount offered in the proposed transaction," the complaint filed by investor Eric Hollander said.

Washington, D.C. -- U.S. consumer spending averaged $86 a day in April 2013, according to new figures from Gallup. This number is essentially flat compared to $89 in March and $83 in February.
    
According to Gallup analysis, the lack of change in consumer spending in recent months may reflect the recent increase in payroll tax, as well as the early Easter holiday. Consumer spending remains well above levels recorded during the economic recession of 2008-2011.

Deerfield, Ill. -- Walgreens reported April 2013 sales of $5.98 billion, up almost 4% from $5.76 billion in the same month a year earlier.
   
Despite declines in front-end sales, comparable front-end sales and customer traffic, slightly larger basket sizes and an almost 10% increase in comparable prescription fills helped boost overall sales.

Same-store sales increased 1.2% from April 2012.

San Diego, Calif. -- Parametric Sound Corp. announced that Build-A-Bear Workshop  will include the company's directed-sound product, HyperSound, in an additional 20-25 newly designed stores that it plans to open across North America this year. The stores have received rave reviews since the retailer unveiled its new interactive design in six locations in the fall of 2012.

HyperSound immerses listeners in a robust 3D audio experience from just two speakers

New York -- The world’s largest retailers have been scaling back their global expansion activities, particularly in Asia, and turning their attention inward by integrating operations and strengthening their store, Internet and mobile sales channels, according to a new report by Accenture.