Retail

Miami — AT&T is looking to fill nearly 235 retail openings in South Florida before the end of October.

More than half of the openings are newly created jobs for retail sales consultants and retail sales managers from Key West to Vero Beach. More than 40 of the new positions will staff two new AT&T www.att.com stores slated to open in Miami this October.

Pittsburgh -- GNC Holdings Inc. on Monday opens its first freestanding store in China. The store, located in the Raffles City complex in Shanghai, is the first of about 25 standalone stores GNC plans to open in China during the next 12 months.

Woodland Hills, Calif. – Build-A-Bear Workshop is partnering with 505 Games to release an app for iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch called “Bear Valley.” The app, available for $4.99 at the Apple App Store or on iTunes, lets customers create a virtual teddy bear and take it through various online experiences.

Bear Valley game features include shopping, buying and decorating a condo, performing in an outdoor theater, playing with toys, participating in scavenger hunts and playing on a playground. The game was developed by WayForward.

Washington, D.C. — Combined Properties has named Andrew V. Marusak, IV, VP construction for the east coast. He will be responsible for the firm’s many projects in the Washington, D.C., metro market.

“He is an accomplished construction professional with broad experience overseeing large retail portfolios and building mixed-use developments,” said Kathy Roberson, CEO/president. “With $1 billion in our development pipeline, much of it in the DC market, his talents will serve the company well.”

Greensboro, N.C. -- Robert H. Ham, a provider of store fixtures and display items, announced that the company has changed its name and brand to Firefly Store Solutions.
 
While Firefly Store Solutions has adopted a new corporate logo, the company’s staff and service remains unchanged.

Warren, Mich. -- Art Van Furniture has opened its first Chicagoland store, in Oakland Park, Ill. The 47,000-sq.-ft. store is also the 53-year-old retailer’s first location out of its home state, Michigan, where it operates 36 stores.

Art Van Furniture will open five more Chicagoland retail stores in the coming months.

Warren, Mich. — Michigan-based Art Van Furniture opened its first out-of-state retail store in Orland Park, Ill., last week with a Motown-themed grand opening celebration.

The new 47,000-sq.-ft. location heralds the opening of five more Art Van stores in the Chicago region in coming months. Locations include Ford City-Chicago, Batavia, Elston Avenue-Chicago and Merrillville-Hobart, Indiana. The new stores will add 600 new jobs to the region.

New York -- Starwood Capital Group LLC, the investment firm headed by real estate developer Barry Sternlicht, has joined the bidding for Saks Inc., according to a report by the New York Post. Starwood Capital invests in retail, office and residential real estate.

The bid by Starwood is worth about $2.5 billion, or $17-$18 per share, according to the report. The amount is roughly equal to a previously existing bid from Canadian retail conglomerate Hudson’s Bay, which also owns the Lord & Taylor department store chain.