Retail

New York -- A Friday report by Reuters revealed that J.C. Penney CEO Ron Johnson was well aware that the retailer’s deal with Martha Stewart would step on Macy’s toes, but testified in court that the company decided to move forward anyway.

Attorneys for Macy’s in New York state court on Friday presented Johnson with an email he sent to a Penney board member saying that Stewart would have to break her agreement with Macy’s if Johnson was going to “pull off” a deal with her.

Columbus, Ohio -- Wal-Mart Stores Inc. said Monday it has worked with SolarCity to install solar panels on 12 Walmart stores and Sam's Clubs throughout Ohio.

The solar panel installations will add approximately 6,000,000 kWh of generation production – enough energy to power more than 820 homes – and are expected to supply approximately 5%-20% of each store's overall electricity use.

New York -- Dallas-based SRS Real Estate Partners said that Select Comfort Corp., which operates the Sleep Number Store, has leased several new locations in and around New York City.

In Danbury, Conn., the company leased 2,580 sq. ft. at the Shops at Marcus Dairy, an 80,000-sq.-ft. shopping center tenanted by Whole Foods, Eastern Mountain Sports and Panera Bread.

New York -- Lane Bryant announced the opening of its new 7,835-sq.-ft. flagship in New York City.

Located near Herald Square, the store has a feminine, contemporary look and features such amenities as fitting rooms with lighting that can be adjusted to office, daylight and evening settings. New imagery and design is prominent throughout the store, plus fixtures that allow for high-impact merchandise displays.

Lane Bryant, a wholly owned subsidiary of Ascena Retail Group, operates 805 stores.

Minneapolis -- Best Buy Co. said that its loss narrowed in the fourth quarter, helped by improved U.S. sales. In a separate release, the company said that the deadline passed without it having received an acquisition offer from its co-founder, Richard Schulze, who had been considering making a bid for the chain.

“The company received no such offer and will continue to focus on its transformation for the benefit of all of its stakeholders,” Best Buy said in a statement.

New York -- Publix Super Markets is interested in Harris Teeter Supermarkets, Bloomberg reported.

Royal Ahold, the Netherlands-based company that operates Stop & Shop, is also looking to making a bid for the North Carolina-based chain, according to various media reports.

Harris Teeter released a statement on Feb. 13 in which it said it hired JPMorgan to assist in holding talks with suitors after being approached by two buyout firms.

Dedham, Mass. -- iParty Corp., a leading party goods retailer with a strong presence in New England, has entered into an agreement to be acquired by Party City Holdings Inc., North America’s largest party supply retailer.

New York -- Marks & Spencer, one of the leading retailers in the United Kingdom, is set to unveil a new property lease policy under which all new M&S stores will have ‘green’ clauses as standard enabling landlords and tenants to better manage a building's environmental performance.