News

Macomb Mall Shops sold
Mid-America Real Estate Corp. announced it had brokered the sale of the Macomb Mall Shops in Roseville, Michigan, for $3.6 million. Lormax Stern Development Company of Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, was the seller. The purchaser was an unnamed private developer. The 8,074-sq.-ft. center, located at the northwest corner of Gratiot Avenue and Masonic Boulevard in Roseville, houses AT&T, Chipotle, and Potbelly’s.
Pennsylvania center gets innovative traffic control system
The new Hamilton Crossings shopping center in Lower Macungie Township, Pennsylvania, will benefit from an innovative new traffic control system that manages signal timing based on continuously monitored traffic volumes. The system allows traffic approaching the center from a major artery to the mall “largely unstopped” by lights, township engineer Alan Fornwalt told Allentown’s Morning Call.

Wal-Mart closes Jet.com deal

It’s official: Wal-Mart is ready to service a new online customer base. Wal-Mart’s acquisition of Jet.com was finalized yesterday, a move that extends the chain’s already vast digital presence.
Express beats customer expectations through outsourced services

Omnichannel has pushed the envelope on customer expectations, and retailers need to deliver — literally. Express is not only meeting customer expectations, it is exceeding them by outsourcing its fulfillment and freight operations to Radial. The omnichannel technology and operations provider’s Richwood, Kent.-based fulfillment center features space specifically built out to support Express’ back-end omnichannel needs.
Report: EMV adoption remains sluggish

Chip-based payment terminals seem to be everywhere. But that does not mean they are being used the way they intended. However, almost a year after the imposed Europay, MasterCard, Visa (EMV) mandate deadline, barely one-third of retailers actually accept chip-based payments, according to an infographic from The Strawhecker Group (TSG).
Shoptalk to launch in Europe

Shoptalk Commerce, the organizer of U.S. retail and e-commerce event Shoptalk, announced the launch of Shoptalk Europe, to be held at The Bella Center in Copenhagen on October 9-11, 2017, following Shoptalk’s U.S. event, which will take place at the Aria in Las Vegas on March 19-22, 2017.
Ascena Q4 profit misses

Ascena Retail Group Inc., which operates apparel stores under the Ann Taylor, Loft, Lane Bryant and other banners, on Monday reported fiscal fourth-quarter earnings worse than Wall Street expected and also gave weaker-than-expected guidance for fiscal 2017. The parent company of Lane Bryant, Ann, Justice and other apparel banners reported net income of $13.8 million, after reporting a loss in the same period a year earlier.
MarineMax in exec promotions

MarineMax, the nation’s largest recreational boat and yacht retailer, has promoted longtime associate Brett McGill to COO, effective October 1, 2016. McGill has served as executive VP operations at MarineMax since October 1, 2015 after serving as VP of West operations since May 2012. He began his career with MarineMax at its formation in 1998 and served in several roles with the company in positions that included director of information services and eventually VP of information technology, service and arts, before
Retailers face labor shortages

The nation’s improving job market has a down side for the retail industry, particularly as the crucial holiday season arrives. With the U.S. employment rate declining and minimum wages rising, it’s getting more challenging and more expensive for retailers to attract the best workers, reported CNBC.
Walmart vet joins online retailer

Photo: Vidya Jwala Overstock.com has nabbed a Walmart VP. The online retailer named Vidya Jwala as senior VP of demand fulfillment, responsible for overseeing the e-commerce leader’s sourcing, merchandising, supply chain and customer-care businesses. Jwala joins Overstock from Walmart, where, as VP of merchandising and operations, he focused on merchandising planning, category management, pricing and costing.
Not good for business: Retailers show outerwear amid 90 degree temps

Consumers’ new ‘buy now, wear now’ mentality it putting them at odds with retailers, many of whom are already pushing outerwear and other cold weather gear.
Mattress Firm and Steinhoff — done deal

A South African-based company is now the owner of the largest mattress retailer in the United States. Steinhoff International Holdings NV announced it completed its acquisition of Mattress Firm Holding Corp. As a result of the completion of the transaction, which was first announced in August, Mattress Firm’s common stock will no longer be traded on the NASDAQ stock market.