Sales & Marketing

Madison, Ala., city officials didn't want just any development for its last available commercial tract, a 28-acre property along a major thoroughfare. They wanted to bring in retailers currently unavailable in the area.

They approached Target and Brentwood, Tenn.-based GBT Realty Corp., a developer known for its Target-anchored developments.

"Madison told us they wanted Target," explained George B. Tomlin, president and CEO of GBT Realty. "If you help us, they said, we'll participate financially in the development of the property."

Real estate solution and service providers aid retail real estate strategies

Real estate is a complex issue no matter what industry you’re in. For retailers, who typically operate on slim margins and are generally the first industry to feel the effects of variations in consumer spending, navigating the tricky waters of real estate can be especially challenging.

Development chief details chain growth

Chain Store Age asked Paul Carolan, chief development officer for Dallas-based Le Duff America, about the bakery-café company's aggressive growth plan in the United States.

The North American subsidiary of Paris-based Groupe Le Duff SA, Le Duff America now manages four brands in the United States: Bruegger's Bagels, la Madeleine Country French Café, Brioche Dorée and Mimi's Café, which was acquired in March.

Entertainment retail isn't what it used to be. Today, it really is entertaining.

Take Delray Marketplace in Delray Beach, Fla., a 258,000-sq.-ft. Main Street development filled with entertainment offerings, restaurants and retailers that give you something fun to do and something fun to buy.

"Our goal was to create an entertainment, dining and shopping experience," said Jason Samreny, VP leasing with Indianapolis-based Kite Realty Group Trust, the project's developer.

Jim von Maur

President, Von Maur

HEADQUARTERS Davenport, Iowa

TYPE OF BUSINESS Department store retailer

NUMBER OF STORES 35 in 11 states (27 Von Maur stores, eight Dry Goods stores)

Seventeen years ago, in the January 1996 issue of Chain Store Age, Jack Arth, who at the time was president of Von Maur, explained how the circa 1928 department store retailer set out to differentiate itself from competitors such as the then hugely influential Federated and May chains.

ARLINGTON, Va. — The U.S. Senate approved the long-debated Internet sales tax proposal, known as the Marketplace Fairness Act, by a bipartisan vote of 69 to 27. The Obama administration has already endorsed the bill, but before it can become law it must be approved by the House, where Republicans are split on the bill.

FRAMINGHAM, Mass. — Staples has appointed Faisal Masud as its new EVP of global e-commerce. In the newly created role, Masud will be responsible for leading online and digital growth. He will report to Demos Parneros, president of North American stores and online for Staples.

New York -- Target isn’t letting any grass grow under its feet when it comes to the suddenly hot category of home goods and home furnishings. The discounter has installed a giant, two-story dollhouse — some 21 ft. high and occupying some 1,500 sq. ft. of space — smack in the middle of Vanderbuilt Hall in New York City’s Grand Central Station. The temporary installation is designed to promote Target’s new Threshold brand and is completely furnished and accessorized with furniture, decor, and housewares from the collection.