Supply Chain & Merchandising

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. — Kmart announced that as part of its back-to-school campaign it would offer college students and their parents the ability to reserve purchases by making four payments throughout the summer and allowing students to pick up items at a Kmart store near their campus.

The promotion is part of the retailer's "Epic Year, Epic You!" campaign seeks to meet customers' evolving BTS needs.

Melville, N.Y. -- DJM Realty, a Gordon Brothers Group company, said Monday it has been retained to exclusively manage the disposition of all remaining Borders Group and Waldenbooks real estate in the United States. The news came after Borders announced it had abandoned hope that the company could be saved from liquidation.

New York -- Borders Group inched closer to liquidation after a 5 p.m. Sunday deadline passed and no bidders emerged to keep the bankrupt chain in business. 

Late last week, investor Najafi Cos. decided to drop out of an effort to keep Borders' remaining 400 stores open.

SUNBURY, Pa. — Northeast food retailer Weis Markets reported second-quarter sales of $676.7 million, an increase of 3.5% from sales of $653.7 million for the same period last year. Comparable-store sales were up 5.1% for the quarter. 

According to the company, the sales growth was due to openings in three key markets, successful sales building programs, operational improvements at store level and improved administrative expense management.

Denton, Md. -- Walmart will break ground on a new supercenter in Denton, Maryland, the week of September 19. The 152,888-sq.-ft.  store will also feature a Subway.

Walmart currently operates 35 stores and 12 Sam's Clubs in the state of Maryland.

Nine of the 21 new store openings Target has planned for this year are scheduled to open on July 24. Among the openings is a new unit in Hilo, Hawaii, the company’s fourth store in Hawaii, two units in San Luis Obispo and Oxnard, Calif. and two units in the Pennsylvania cities of Hanover and Pittsburgh. The Phoenix suburb of Chandler gets a new Target as do Moore, Okla., Kenner, La. And Swansea, Mass.

The openings planned for October are said to included units in San Clemente and Dublin, Ca., Gastonia and Morrisville, N.C., Blue Ash, Ohio and Warwick Township, Pa.

Shares of Target are mis-valued at current levels around $50 and could eventually double if the company delivers on plans achieve $100 billion in sales and earnings per share of $8 by 2016 or 2017.

That’s according to Bernstein Research analyst Colin McGranahan who noted in a recent research report that he spent time at Target’s Minneapolis headquarter where he met with chairman, president and CEO, Gregg Steinhafel, CFO Doug Scovanner and EVP merchandising Kathee Tesija.

Aguora Hills, Calif. -- Jacksonville, Fla.-based Regency Centers said it has leased space in Aguora Hills, Calif. to GNC, which will open a new store at Twin Oaks Shopping Center.

GNC has leased 1,050 sq. ft., bringing the center to 97% leased.  The tenant is slated to open for business in fall 2011.  

Aguora Hills, a 98,399-sq.-ft. shopping center, is anchored by Ralphs, alongside RadioShack, Rite Aid, Wells Fargo Bank and Starbucks.