Retail

Lowe’s has launched a dedicated fleet of natural gas-powered trucks at its regional distribution center in Mount Vernon, Texas. Lowe's dedicated fleet at Mount Vernon is among the first serving a major retail distribution center in North America to run solely on natural gas.

With the transition from a diesel-fueled fleet to trucks powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG), Lowe's expects to reduce greenhouse gas emissions nearly 20% and control fuel costs as it transports up to 68 truckloads each day to stores in Texas, La. and Okla.

New York -- Rent the Runway, the popular online retailer specializing in rentals of designer dresses and accessories, has entered into its first brick-and-mortar partnership, opening a 1,400-sq.-ft. showroom in the Henri Bendel Fifth Avenue flagship store in Manhattan.

Family is all about loyalty, and as a family-owned business, 301-store, Charlotte, N.C.-based Belk, Inc. makes an effort to maintain and reward loyalty from its customers. So when Belk reached its 125th anniversary this year, the retailer decided to launch a campaign that would reward loyal shoppers while also boosting its presence in channels such as mobile and social.

Prized customer engagement

Uniqlo has opened a pop-up store in the 14th Street-Union Square subway station in Manhattan, and is incentivizing holiday shoppers by offering them a $5 Metro Card in a limited-edition sleeve with any purchase. The pop-shop will be open through the holidays.

“This shop fits perfectly with our strong belief in the fundamental power of clothing to improve people’s lives, and our hope is that it will provide people with comfort and warmth during the winter season,” said Larry Meyer, COO of Uniqlo USA.
 

Washington, D.C. - Consumers will take a conservative approach to spending this holiday season. According to NRF’s holiday consumer spending survey conducted by Prosper Insights & Analytics, the average holiday shopper will spend $737.95 on gifts, décor, greeting cards and more, 2% less than the $752.24 they actually spent last year.  Despite this reduction in individual holiday budgets, NRF is forecasting holiday sales will increase 3.9% to $602.1 billion.

Centreville, Va. — Sleepy’s The Mattress Professionals has opened a 6,700-sq.-ft. store in Centreville Square II on Lee Highway in Centreville, Va.

A.J. Dwoskin represented the landlord in the lease negotiations. Centreville Square II is a 200,366-sq.-ft. neighborhood center. Current tenants include Party Depot, Five Guys, Wells Fargo, Hair Cuttery and The UPS Store.

The NPD Group has released the results of its holiday spending survey, the 12th annual survey of consumers’ holiday spending intentions. According to the report, the majority of consumers intend to spend the same as or more than last year, with fewer saying they plan to spend less.

This year’s results found that 12% of U.S. consumers who were surveyed plan to spend more, while 67% said they plan to spend about the same and 21% said they plan to spend less.

Chattanooga, Tenn. — CBL & Associates Properties, Inc. has closed on an $80 million non-recourse loan secured by The Outlet Shoppes at Atlanta, a 75/25 joint venture with Horizon Group Properties. The 10-year loan bears a 4.9% fixed interest rate. Proceeds from the loan were used to repay a $53.2 million recourse construction loan. CBL www.cblproperties.com used its share of the remaining funds to reduce outstanding balances on the company’s unsecured credit facilities.