Retail

Irvine, Calif. — LA Fitness has announced that it will open its fourth location in San Antonio. Construction of the 45,000-sq.-ft club will begin in the spring of 2014. LA Fitness has over 45 locations throughout Texas, concentrated in the Dallas/Fort Worth and Houston areas.

When complete, the new LA Fitness will create approximately 50 new full-time and part-time jobs.

Mashnatucket, Conn. -- Foxwoods Resort Casino is reportedly building a 300,000-sq.-ft. retail center that will house outlet shops. According to the Associated Press, Foxwoods is partnering with Tanger Factory Outlet Centers Inc. to create a Tanger Outlets complex that will feature more than 80 retailers, including American Eagle Outfitters, Ann Taylor, Banana Republic, Calvin Klein and Nike.

Brentwood, Tenn. — Tractor Supply Company has announced the opening of its first store in Nevada — in Carson City. The move is part of the company’s expansion strategy into the western region of the country. Tractor supply plans to open 100 to 105 stores in 2013.

The company currently operates more than 1,223 stores in 47 states and plans to grow to 2,100 stores.

Mobile retail apps are nothing new, but retailers are constantly adding new features and functions that maximize their reach and value. Here’s a brief look at five cool mobile retail apps that have all been launched or piloted in the past few months:

Amazon.com Mobile Associates API

Duck Tape brand duct tape is getting ready for Halloween with a product offering that will allow Halloween enthusiasts to jazz up Halloween décor, costumes and crafts and participate in the brand's Stick or Treat Jack-O-Lantern contest.

For the contest, participants can decorate their own real or artificial pumpkin using the palette of Duck Tape colors and designs for a chance to win a $1,000 cash grand prize. Participants can create a classically spooky Jack-O-Lantern or a Halloween-inspired monster.

New York -- David Kenny, chairman and CEO of Weather Company, parent company of The Weather Channel, has joined the Best Buy board of directors.

Kenny, who joined The Weather Company in January 2012, previously served as president of Akamai, a cloud platform.

Single Touch Systems, a technology based mobile media solutions provider, has announced that its mobile messaging volume, which is a key business metric that drives revenues, has been growing at an increasingly accelerated pace.

Single Touch generates a portion of its operating business revenues by sending SMS text messages including reminder messages to customers of some of the largest retailers in the U.S. and U.K. Each message sent generates incremental revenues for Single Touch.

Lake Charles, La. – Club Tabby, a tween girls retail party store concept, has partnered with California-based franchise development group Franchise Beacon to open a location in Willow Grove, Pa.

Franchisee Nicole Collado said she plans to open two more Club Tabby stores in the next five years.

“I fell in love with the concept,” Collado said.

Club Tabby hosts parties, does makeovers, and offer retail products that focus on making girls feel pampered and special.