Retail

Warren, Mich. — Art Van Furniture has announced the opening of a 46,000-sq.-ft. store in Fort Wayne, Ind., across the street from the Glen brook Mall in January.

With 50 stores across Michigan, Ohio, and Illinois, Art Van Furniture is the Midwest’s largest furniture retailer.

Niwot, Colo. -- Former Wal-Mart executive Greg Sullivan has been appointed general manager of Crocs' Americas region, which includes all of North America, Central America and South America. In this role, Sullivan will be responsible for managing the region's day-to-day operations, including overseeing sales, marketing, finance and human resources functions, as well as the region's wholesale, Internet and direct-to-consumer channels.

Walmart will be opening more small stores next year and beyond as the company pursues a vision of omnichannel retailing that it contends no other company is capable of executing.

Walmart U.S. president and CEO Bill Simon on Tuesday morning shared a message of physical and digital convergence involving an acceleration of smaller format stores and continued advancement of the retailer’s digital capabilities. He suggested multiple times during his presentation that the company has reached an inflection point in terms of building a next generation retail enterprise.

Jacksonville, Fla. -- Stein Mart is expanding its presence this fall with four new stores and two relocated stores. The new stores are located in El Paso, Texas; Buford (Atlanta), Ga.; Elk Grove (Sacramento), Calif.; and Watchung, N.J.

New York -- Chico's FAS is expanding outside of the United States, opening a White House Black Market store at Yorkdale Shopping Centre, Toronto on Oct. 24. The women's apparel retailer will open its second Canadian location at Square One, Mississauga on Oct. 29, followed by Upper Canada Mall, Newmarket on November 12.

Yorkdale Shopping Centre and Square One are owned by Oxford Properties Group and Alberta Investment Management Corporation (AIMCo).Upper Canada Mall is owned by Oxford Properties Group and Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB).

San Francsico -- iPad POS technology provider Revel Systems will offer PayPal’s mobile payment capabilities as an integrated service within the Revel POS solution.

PayPal’s mobile app, available for iOS and Android, is now directly connected with Revel Systems, allowing users to order ahead at any establishment using Revel’s iPad POS solution. Specific features of the new integration include mobile discovery of nearby businesses accepting PayPal, advance ordering, and PCI-compliant payment security.

North Plainfield, N.J. — Retail leasing activity remained strong through the spring and summer months of 2013, according to Levin Management, which reports more than 295,000 sq. ft. of renewals and transactions from Easter through Labor Day. The company’s portfolio includes 90 properties totaling 12.5 million sq. ft. of space in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia and North Carolina.

According to an internal memo from Family Dollar president and COO Mike Bloom, Jason Reiser has been elevated to the role of SVP/lead merchandising officer at the company.