Retail

The Avenue has used Partners in Education programs to foster community relations since 1998. These programs provide marketing opportunities for each of the five Avenue properties in the Southeast.

Taking a cue from the TLC television show “What Not to Wear,” for example, The Avenue worked with high school fashion marketing students to award $1,000 makeover packages including wardrobe, hair, makeup and other prizes. More than 40 teachers applied for the makeover, which was sponsored by Van Michael Salon, LensCrafters, Chico’s, Talbots and Aerosoles.

Las Vegas -- 1960s-era The Boulevard Mall will receive a $25 million makeover in hopes of prompting an overall redevelopment of the Maryland Parkway corridor of Las Vegas.

The rehab, to be launched by owner Sansone Cos., which acquired the mall last December for $54.5 million, will be the property’s first major renovation in more than two decades. Sansone is looking at the renovation of the Boulevard as a catalyst in the overall redevelopment effort of the Maryland Parkway corridor.

Waban, Mass. -- Sam's Club and Amazon.com deliver the best customer experience in the retail industry, according to the 2014 Temkin Experience Ratings, an annual ranking of companies based on a study of 10,000 U.S. consumers. Sam's Club and Amazon.com continue their reign as the highest-rated retailers for the third straight year, each earning an "excellent" rating.

The growth of e-commerce contributed to an 8% increase in average daily FedEx Ground volume, but severe winter weather exacted a heavy toll on the company’s profitability.

New York -- The Deloitte Consumer Spending Index remained flat in February 2014, showing only a marginal change. The Index tracks consumer cash flow as an indicator of future consumer spending.

The Index, which comprises four components, tax burden, initial unemployment claims, real wages and real home prices, ticked down slightly to 3.9 from 4.0 last month. Highlights of the Index include:

Tax Burden: The tax rate stayed at 11.8%, consistent with recent months.

Cincinnati — Phillips Edison-ARC Grocery Center REIT II has acquired its first grocery-anchored shopping center — the 81,674-sq.-ft. Bethany Village in Alpharetta, Ga., an affluent suburb of Atlanta.

A 51,674-sq.-ft. Publix anchors the center. Publix is the number one grocer by market share in the Atlanta metropolitan statistical area. Other national tenants at Bethany Village include Marco’s Pizza, Subway and Workout Anytime.

A little more than a week since the Men's Wearhouse confirmed plans to acquire Jos. A. Bank, it is launching an omnichannel inventory program giving customers access to merchandise within its distribution center and its more than 900 retail locations from one spot.  

Dallas — SRS real Estate Partners has appointed Adam Baxter as first VP in the Birmingham office. He will focus on tenant and landlord representation in the Birmingham market.