Sales & Marketing

Sarasota, Fla. – Bloomfield Hills, Mich.-based Taubman Centers and Sarasota, Fla.-based Benderson Development Co. announced the ground breaking on a $315-million, 880,000-sq.-ft. shopping center in Sarasota, Fla.

The Mall at University Town Center will be a two-level enclosed mall anchored by Saks Fifth Avenue, Dillard’s and Macy’s, and featuring more than 100 specialty stores and restaurants.

The Mall at University Town Center is scheduled to open in Oct. 2014.

Dallas -- A survey released Tuesday by Chase Paymentech, a subsidiary of JPMorgan Chase & Co., found that online companies are expecting the 2012 holiday shopping season to be better than last year.

According to the Chase Paymentech eHoliday Shopping Monitor, 59% of e-commerce companies surveyed expect better sales volume this season than in 2011, while almost half (47%) expect it to be better than pre-recession levels in 2007.

Minneapolis -- Target Corp. said Tuesday it will sell its $5.9 billion credit card portfolio to TD Bank Group.

The business will be sold for an amount equal to the gross value of the outstanding receivables at the time of closing, said Target; the portfolio currently has a gross value of about $5.9 billion.

TD Bank also agreed to a seven-year deal to underwrite, fund and own the retailer’s future credit card and Visa receivables in the U.S.

By Jeff Weidauer, [email protected]

Talk to anyone who has been in the retail business for a while, and they will tell you that the world has changed, and continues to do so. Technology is changing daily how shoppers think about the trip, how retailers track sales and shopper behavior, and the way CPG manufacturers approach category management. Metrics abound, and the seemingly simple business of retail now depends on complex algorithms and data analysis to grow and profit.

Bloomfield Hills, Mich. -- Taubman Centers announced it has hired Colleen O’Neill as the general manager of Taubman Prestige Outlets Chesterfield, effective Nov. 5. She will be responsible for overseeing center operations as well as retailer and community relations, marketing and sponsorship.

O’Neill was the former marketing director of Saks Fifth Avenue at Plaza Frontenac in St. Louis. The announcement of her hiring follows Taubman’s decision to move up the opening date of the high-end outlet shopping center to August 2, 2013.

Plymouth Meeting, Pa. -- Philadelphia-based Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust said that American Eagle Outfitters plans to open a 5,732-sq.-ft. store at its Plymouth Meeting Mall property in spring 2013.

In addition, Mercy Health System, a consumer health and wellness satellite aligned with Mercy Suburban Hospital, recently opened, expanding the mall’s variety of services into the health sector.

Plymouth Meeting Mall is anchored by Macy’s, Boscov’s and Whole Foods Market and Café.

Dallas -- Dave & Buster's Inc. said Monday it has named Kevin Bachus as its senior VP entertainment and game strategy, effective immediately.

Bachus is co-creator of the Xbox videogame console system. He joins Dave & Buster's from social network Bebo, where he was chief product officer.
 
In the newly created Dave & Buster’s role, Bachus will be responsible for driving the evolution from on-premise-based entertainment to multi-platform gaming, including mobile and online.
 

ATLANTA — QuantiSense, a provider of retail analytics and decision orchestration solutions, has partnered with Teradata. As a result of this partnership and certified integration, retailers will benefit from the rapid and focused implementation of the QuantiSense Decision Orchestration PlatformTM which fits seamlessly into Teradata’s scalable, enterprise-wide retail solution.