News Briefs

Walmart is partnering with a business management platform to help small-to-medium-sized businesses and non-profits streamline daily tasks.

Walmart Business, which was introduced in January 2023 and offers a broad assortment of more than 100,000 items with categorization and navigation tailored to organizational shoppers, is teaming up with Clover, a business management platform for small-to-medium-sized businesses (SMBs) from Fiserv, a global provider of payments and financial services technology solutions

Clover business management solutions are designed to help SMBs streamline daily tasks, including sales reporting and cash flow management. The platform delivers fully integrated solutions built to meet the specific needs of industries including retailers and restaurants, and allows customers to pay via debit or credit card or mobile payment apps.

"We continue to expand how we serve organizational customers by listening to and learning from businesses and nonprofits about their unique needs and how we can best meet those needs," said Ashley Hubka, senior VP and GM of Walmart Business. "Offering Clover solutions is a testament to our goal of providing customers with the products, tools and services they want and need to effectively streamline their operations."

[READ MORE: EXCLUSIVE: How Walmart Business serves commercial, nonprofit customers]

Walmart also recently rolled out Walmart Business Print, which enables organizational customers to design and place an order and then choose items with no-to-low minimum quantities to be shipped directly to them or picked up in-store. 

"Fiserv shares Walmart’s commitment to working closely with small business owners to enable their success," said Kevin Race, senior VP and GM of direct and strategic partnerships at Fiserv. "This broadens our unparalleled distribution network and will provide more small business owners with access to Clover technology that can help them adapt and grow."

Dollar General is not playing games when it comes to holiday toy discounts.

The discount retailer has already begun its holiday sales promotional season with a "stacked savings" offer of a weekly $5 off $25, as well as additional digital coupons, loyalty cash back and other special incentives on its consumer app.

And from Halloween to Christmas, Dollar General will run “DG Deal Days,” with weekly promotions including buy one, get one 75% off and save 25% when you spend $75.

Holiday toy guide

Dollar General is offering nearly every toy under $20 and most for $10 or less during the holiday season. On Friday, Nov. 1, the retailer will debut its first printed holiday toy guide after launching the digitally immersive version earlier in October, offering customers a more enhanced online experience with video and shoppable links and options to ship to home. 

"Our holiday toy guide is a great opportunity for families to connect, make a list and circle a few extra things they have their eyes on," said Natalie McConnell, VP, division merchandise manager, Dollar General. "Our customers pre-plan their shopping trips and having a guide in hand helps ensure their child receives something they really want. We’re excited to offer incredible values on brands kids hope to unwrap this holiday season."

The retailer plans to also launch a digital holiday guide featuring beauty and personal care, pet, electronics, home and apparel gifts. 

[READ MORE: Dollar General launches omnichannel back-to-school promotion

Tropical Supermarket, a New Jersey-based grocer that sells Hispanic and Mexican foods, has continued to expand its presence in the state with the opening of a 15,800-sq.-ft. store in South Plainfield at the Clinton Corners center.

Tropical Supermarket’s other locations in New Jersey include stores in Perth Amboy, New Brunswick, Union City, and Franklin Township.

Levin Management Corporation (LMC), which handles leasing for the center, also reported that the Blue Habanero Mexican restaurant chain had just signed a lease to join the tenant list at Clinton Corners.

Hispanic residents make up 18% of the population of South Plainfield, which borders Piscataway and Edison on the I-295 corridor. Its median household income is $123,000.

“Grocery is a significant element for any shopping center, and Tropical Supermarket is a perfect match both for this neighborhood and Clinton Corners,” said LMC’s leasing representative for the property,Vanessa Kelty. “And with the continued impressive performance of fast-casual dining, we are excited to bring a Blue Habanero to the property.” 

LMC’s retail-focused leasing and management portfolio includes 125 properties totaling more than 16 million sq. ft.  in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states. 

The town of Bonita Springs, Fla., is busy with clean-up efforts following Hurricane Milton, and Midtown at Bonita Springs continues to line up tenants.

The under-construction mixed-use development being built by The Zuckerman Group a quarter of a mile east of I-75 on Bonita Beach Road has announced the signing of leases with eight brands that include Chipotle Mexican Grill, Panera Bread, Club Pilates, Noire the Nail Bar, and Bonita Beach Wine & Spirits

Other future occupants at Midtown include:

• The Hangry Bison, whose bison burgers have been honored with Foodie Awards by the Orlando Sentinel for Orlando’s Best Burger;
• Jeff’s Bagel Run, crowned one of America’s Best Bagels at NYC Bagelfest in 2023, and
• Good Vets, a full-service veterinary clinic that provides urgent care, surgical services for cats and dogs in a luxurious environment.

“Retailers are bullish on the market because they see an opportunity to fill a gap in the available choices,” said Scott Sherman, principal of Torose Equities, the retail partners for Midtown at Bonita Springs. “We are seeing strong interest from local, regional, and national retailers.”

The 68-acre project will contain 315,000 sq. ft of retail, 400 residential units, 165 hotel rooms and is scheduled to open in 2026.

Macy’s Inc. has reportedly selected two nameplate stores in Massachusetts to be part of a larger strategic trimming of its store footprint.

According to the Patriot Ledger, Macy’s has sold its 150,000-sq.-ft. box store and 15.2-acre parcel of land to the owners of the Kingston Collection shopping center in Kingston, Mass. where the store is located. As a result, the store will close in early 2025.

"As part of our new strategy to return Macy’s, Inc. to profitable growth and enhance the customer experience, Macy’s has sold its Macy’s Kingston Collection store in Kingston, Mass.," a Macy’s spokesperson told the Patriot Ledger.

Macy’s is also said to be planning to close nameplate stores in the southeastern Massachusetts community of Hanover. The retailer currently operates 16 locations in Massachusetts.

Read more coverage from the Patriot Ledger here.  

In February 2024, the department store giant said it is “focusing resources” by closing approximately 150 underproductive Macy’s locations, including some 50 by the end of 2024, and prioritizing investment in approximately 350 “go-forward” nameplate locations and the continued expansion of small-format stores. 

In October 2023, Macy’s said it would open up to 30 small-format, off-mall stores through fall 2025, starting in fall 2024.

[READ MORE: Macy’s to close 150 nameplate stores; expand off-mall and luxury formats]

As part of its strategy, dubbed "A Bold New Chapter," the company plans to focus more on luxury goods by opening about 15 Bloomingdale’s stores and at least 30 Bluemercury stores during the next three years. It also expects to remodel about 30 Bluemercury locations during that time. Bloomingdale's and Bluemercury have both outperformed Macy's. 

Smoothie King is expanding its footprint in the Centennial State.

The world’s largest smoothie chain is continuing its expansion in Colorado with two new store openings and six new store commitments within the state. The expansion comes on the heels of the company opening five new locations in Colorado in 2023. 

The two new franchise-owned stores opened earlier this fall in Longmont, while the second just opened in Glendale. Smoothie King’s footprint in Colorado previously included 14 stores, and with the addition of these two new stores and six future openings, the smoothie brand will expand its presence in the state by nearly 60%. The six future stores will open within the next three years, all within the following cities in the Denver metro area: Lafayette, Highlands Ranch, Wheat Ridge, Lakewood, Englewood and Parker. 

[READ MORE: Smoothie King opens 18 stores, gets 34 commitments in Q2]

"We are thrilled to expand our footprint not only in the Denver area, a key market for Smoothie King, but more broadly throughout Colorado, a state where we still have plenty of growth opportunity for new and existing franchisees," said Chris Bremer, chief development officer at Smoothie King. "We’re proud to show up in so many of Colorado’s communities, that like Smoothie King, are passionate about living healthy and active lifestyles.”

Smoothie King's growth in Colorado follows plans for new stores in other large markets including Las Vegas and Grand Rapids, Mich. Earlier this year, the chain said it was aiming for 100 new store openings in 2024.

Founded in 1973, Dallas-based Smoothie King operates more than 1,300 units worldwide.