Retail

Old Bridge, N.J. - R.J. Brunelli & Co. LLC has been appointed exclusive tenant representative in Monmouth, Ocean and Middlesex counties in New Jersey by a major, multi-unit Dunkin’ Donuts franchisee for that area. The franchisee plans to open five locations per year in the three-county region.

New York – Consumers might be a little nicer to Mom this year than last year. IBISWorld expects total Mother’s Day spending to reach $20.8 billion, representing an increase of 2% from 2014 spending, and an annualized increase of 6.5% since 2010.

Average household spending on Mother’s Day is also set to grow, with the standard family shelling out an estimated $169.21, representing a 4% increase from the 2014 average.

By Sherrie Mersdorf, director of marketing, NewBrand

Washington, D.C. – The National Retail Federation (NRF) and Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) have filed a friend-of-the-court brief with the U.S. Court of Appeals saying the National Labor Relations Board’s decision to recognize a “micro-union” of workers in a single department at a Macy’s store in Massachusetts was incorrect. According to the trade organizations, allowing workers in a single department instead of the whole store to organize violates longstanding precedents on union organizing.

By Steve Backman and Jeff Übl

In Bismarck, North Dakota, where a regional boom associated with the nearby Bakken Formation has made the state second only to Texas in terms of U.S. oil production, commercial development is on the rise. The missing piece of the puzzle for the city, however, has been the conspicuous absence of a defining downtown mixed-use destination: the kind of a social, civic, financial, and experiential cornerstone that gives residents and visitors somewhere to live, work, play and stay.

Plano, Texas – Rent-A-Center Inc. reported stable profit during the first quarter of fiscal 2015. The retailer’s net income totaled $27.3 million, up 1% from $27.26 million in the same quarter a year earlier.

Consolidated total revenues climbed 6% to $877.64 million, from $828.47 million. Same-store sales rose 8%.

Coppell, Texas – Higher selling, general and administrative (SG&A expenses) helped drive down net income at The Container Store Inc. during the fourth quarter of fiscal 2014, and the retailer expects open nine new stores and relocate one store during fiscal 2015. The Container Store reported net income of $13 million, down 29% from $18.3 million in the same quarter the prior year.

Net sales totaled $224.26 million, up 3% from $216.82 million. Same-store sales dropped 0.8%.

Matthews, N.C. - Family Dollar Stores Inc. has announced the passing of Mark R. Bernstein, a member of the company's board of directors, on April 27. Bernstein was among Family Dollar’s longest tenured board members, having joined the board in 1980.

Bernstein most recently served as lead director from 2004 to January 2013.