Store Systems

New York City -- Price Chopper has  opened a 52,000-sq.-ft. store in Binghamton, N.Y., that was designed and engineered to achieve LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Silver certification.

Broomfield, Col. -- Level 3 Communications announced that Stein Mart will implement Level 3's Smart WAN Solution to support critical business applications used by the company's 262 department stores throughout the United States.

Stein Mart will use the solution to more efficiently and reliably access frequently used business applications, such as revenue reporting, data analytics, and inventory tracking, by connecting its store and data facilities over a single network.

BOSTON — A survey sponsored by in-store commerce provider AisleBuyer found that nearly 40% of smartphone-carrying shoppers have abandoned their in-store purchases because of long lines, while 21% will abandon their purchases if there are no registers open.

Wheaton, Ill. -- Oakbrook Terrace, Ill.-based Mid-America Asset Management announced that the expansive renovation of Rice Lake Square, in Wheaton, Ill., has been completed.

The 251,313-sq.-ft. shopping center, renovated over a five-month period, received new roof uplighting and tower elements, two new pedestrian plazas, several parking spaces, improvements to traffic flow and landscaping, and new signage that was placed last December.

New York City -- The Home Depot is expanding its use of PayPal, the online payment service of eBay, from the 51 stores in the pilot program to all of the home improvement retailer’s stores, Dow Jones Newswire reported.

Don Kingsborough, PayPal VP for retail and prepaid products, said PayPal should be available at all of Home Depot's approximate 2,000 U.S. locations by the end of next month, according to the report.

MOORESVILLE, N.C. — Lowe's rebranding efforts and focus on delivering a better customer experience seem to be paying off as the company ended the year with strong fourth-quarter sales and earnings.

The company reported net earnings of $322 million for the fourth quarter, a 13% increase over the same period a year ago. Diluted earnings per share increased 23.8% to 26 cents from 21 cents in the fourth quarter of 2010. 

585 Boardriders, a new retail concept from Quiksilver Inc., is designed as the ultimate destination for surfers and those who aspire to the surf-inspired lifestyle. Housing clothes and accessories from the company’s various brands, including Roxy and DC, the 10,000-sq.-ft. store also stocks an extensive selection of boards and wetsuits.

Fourth-quarter same-store sales at JCPenney declined 1.8%, and the company lost $87 million, but those details are being overlooked for the time being as execution of the transformation strategy envisioned by CEO Ron Johnson began less than a month ago.