Sales & Marketing

Trion Properties, which is in the business of acquiring and turning around distressed properties, has sold its Valencia Town Center Plaza outside of Los Angeles for $9.8 million.   The 21,186-sq.-ft. Santa Clarita center was less than 50% leased when Trion acquired it for $6.8 million in 2013, according to Managing Partner Max Sharkansky, and now is near full occupancy. He said the center “presented an opportunity for us to increase net operating income through aggressive leasing and cosmetic upgrades.  

Did Walmart's $3.3 billion acquisition of e-tail startup Jet — the largest buyout in American e-commerce history — help it this holiday season?     A new report from Ugam finds Walmart's first holiday season following its acquisition of Jet.com last summer saw fewer out-of-stocks, but that the chain still has room for improvement on pricing and assortment.  

Though General Growth Properties has long been most commonly known as GGP in the retail industry, the big mall owner has now made it official.   Effective Jan. 27, the big mall owner with 126 properties in 40 states, officially changes its name to GGP. Founded in 1954 to develop grocery-anchored strip centers, GGP evolved into one of the largest providers of A-level mall space.  

When retailers and architects design store layouts, beyond designing for aesthetics they attempt to control the path that shoppers take through the store. Ideally, shoppers follow the most convenient path to find the products they seek, one that is lucrative for the retailer and that gives shoppers the opportunity to notice the maximum number of products during their time in store.  

Supervalu has appointed Anne Dament to senior VP of retail, merchandising and marketing, effective immediately.   Dament is a 25-year retail veteran who began her career at Supervalu. She most recently served as senior VP, president of merchandising for Target Corp., where she oversaw food merchandising for its grocery business, including perishables, non-perishables, food service and private-label brands.  

Yankee Candle is all about catering to its customers. A new point-of-sale will help associates further drive this experience.  

Nine West Holdings has entered into an agreement to purchase a 30-years plus women’s apparel company.     Nine West said it has used the net proceeds from the December 2016 sale of its Easy Spirit wholesale business to purchase the Kasper Group. The terms of the transaction were not disclosed.        The Kasper Group's apparel is sold under its flagship Kasper and other well-known brand names.    

As we move into the new year, it’s time to look ahead and predict what’s in store for the retail industry as it races to stay relevant in the Age of Amazon.    Here are five predictions to keep an eye on in 2017: