Retail

Cincinnati -- Phillips Edison Grocery Center REIT II, Inc. expanded its portfolio in California, Wisconsin and Florida, with the acquisition of six grocery-anchored shopping centers. They include:

Moreno Marketplace in Moreno Valley, California

Tuesday’s election continued a trend we have witnessed over the past few years — Republicans dominated statewide contests while Democrats locked down Mayoral seats in key major metropolitan markets.

One year ago, Republicans won by historic margins at the state level, installing 31 Republican governors and winning control of 67 of the 98 state legislative chambers. On Tuesday, Republicans not only defended those advances, but added to that margin by winning decisively in Kentucky.

L Brands Inc. kept its hot streak alive in October by posting yet another impressive increase in same-store sales.

The specialty retailer reported a 5% increase in same-store sales for the four weeks ended Oct. 31. Net sales also increased to $735.6 million, compared to net sales of $700 million for the four weeks ended Nov. 1, 2014.

Pat Riley, the three-time NBA Coach of the Year honoree, will tip off Chain Store Age’s 52nd annual SPECS conference with a not-to-be-missed keynote address on Monday, March 14, 2016, at the Hilton Anatole in Dallas. And on Tuesday, keynoters — and political pundits — Tucker Carlson and Paul Begala will break down the 2016 presidential race.

Dunkin’ Donuts is expanding big time in Georgia.

The chain announced that 46 new restaurants will be developed throughout Georgia over the next several years, with six franchise groups.

The company also said remains on track for the development of 410 to 440 net new Dunkin' Donuts restaurants in the U.S. in 2015.

Currently, there are more than 150 Dunkin' Donuts restaurants located throughout Georgia.

Mobile commerce is getting a lot of attention, but may not play much of a role in the 2015 holiday shopping season.

According to a new survey of more than 1,500 U.S. consumers from Accenture, only 2% of holiday shoppers are planning to do the majority of their holiday shopping on mobile devices, with most (43%) citing privacy and security issues as a major reason.

L.L.Bean has gone outside the company for the first time ever to pick a chief executive, according to the Associated Press.

The outdoors retailer has selected the chief merchandising and marketing officer of a Chinese e-commerce business as its new CEO.

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Neiman Marcus is taking the capabilities of its digital lookbooks to a whole new level.

Neiman Marcus has deployed the Zmags Creator rich media marketing platform to design and publish shoppable lookbooks on its e-commerce site. The retailer’s more than 150 annual lookbooks serve as the primary way to highlight designer merchandise on its site.