Retail

Total home improvement dollars increased by 7% when comparing the 12 months ended July 2012 with the previous 12 months, according to consumer research from The NPD Group.

The units of home improvement items sold grew less than 2%, according to the Port Washington, N.Y.-based research firm.

Much of the unit growth in the home improvement industry was driven by hand tools, the second largest segment based on unit sales after storage and organization. Hand tools saw an 8% increase in units between August 2011 and July 2012.

Tempe, Ariz. -- Indianapolis-based Simon Property Group said that Arizona Mills will continue to expand its retail mix this October with the opening of Crazy 8.

Crazy 8, a concept from The Gymboree Corp., will be located across from J.C. Penney. Other retail offerings include Last Call by Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue Off 5th, H&M, Forever 21, Kenneth Cole Company Store, American Eagle Outfitters, G by Guess, 2b Bebe and more.

Whole Foods seems to have figured out that a mall setting shouldn’t be a real estate deterrent. In fact, it might be a real asset.

The grocer has been stretching its site-selection wings over the last couple of years, but has positively taken flight with its latest opening – a 32,000-sq.-ft. store at the Fashion Island regional shopping center in Orange County, Calif.

Publix is making its North Carolina debut with the planned opening of a new store in the greater Charlotte area.

The company has signed a lease for a store at Providence Road West and Johnston Road in Ballantyne. The store will be part of a new division based in Charlotte.

While Ballantyne marks Publix’s long awaited entry into North Carolina, the company is looking ahead to continued growth within the state and in its current operating areas of Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama and Tennessee.

Santa Clara, Calif. -- Burberry, Tag Heuer and Wolford will join Westfield Valley Fair’s collection of luxury retailers, marking the debut of the South Bay shopping center’s first phase of significant expansion.

The new stores will join Cartier, Mont Blanc, Louis Vuitton and Tiffany & Co. on the east side of Westfield Valley Fair.

New York -- Prudential Douglas Elliman's Retail Group said it has arranged a long-term lease for LUMAS Galleries at 1100 Madison Avenue, between 82nd and 83rd Streets.

The German-based art dealer’s only current U.S. location is on West Broadway in SoHo.

LUMAS Galleries is moving into the former City Market Café space, which is surrounded by neighboring businesses such as Jonathan Adler, Peter Elliot, Lululemon, Coach, Alexis Bittar, Theory and Tumi.

Walmart and HumanaVitality have developed a unique way to incent people to eat healthier while promoting increased customer traffic at Walmart stores.

The companies on Wednesday morning launched a first-of-its-kind program called Vitality HealthyFood whereby Walmart offers a 5% discount on produce items to HumanaVitality members. The discount is loaded on a card in the form of a credit within five business days that can be redeemed on a subsequent trip to Walmart.

Austin, Texas -- SecureNet Payment Systems, a leader in payment processing technology, announced it has opened a new technology and innovation center in Austin, Texas, and revealed plans for a client operations center in Silicon Valley, Calif., later this year. SecureNet is expanding its footprint to house its growing staff, attract top talent and continue its close collaboration with clients in providing the most innovative single source/multi-channel solutions in the payments industry.