News

Food Emporium raises hopes of New Jersey center
In 2013, when Plainsboro (New Jersey) Plaza lost its grocery anchor, prospects appeared bleak for the once-thriving center. A new town center concept erected across the street in this affluent locale bordering Princeton had siphoned off shoppers in a big way. According to a report in the Trenton Times, two-thirds of the Plaza emptied while Plainsboro Village Center was 96% leased.
Uniqlo renovating ‘milestone’ store
Uniqlo is in the final stages of an extensive makeover of its first-ever store in New York City. Located in Manhattan’s Soho neighborhood, the 10-year-old, 36,000-sq.-ft. store is being redone to the theme of "a new Tokyo in Soho." Scheduled to unveil its new look on Sept. 2, the store was the chain’s first global flagship. Hiroshi Taki, Uniqlo U.S.A. CEO, described it as “an important milestone in the company's plans to expand internationally.”

Is Restoration Hardware thinking of entering a new business?

Gary Friedman, CEO of Restoration Hardware, is not denying reports that the ultra-luxury home furnishings company may one day sell fully designed and outfitted homes.
Regency redevelops South Florida center

Regency Centers has demolished most of its Aventura Shopping Center in the South Florida town of the same name, and is underway with a near-total redevelopment. The Publix grocery anchor at the center south of Hollywood is the only structure that remains, though the 35,500-sq.-ft. space will be expanded to 49,000 sq. ft. with parking below the store.
Exec appointment at Timberland

VF Corporation announced the promotion of Jim Pisani to the position of global brand president, Timberland, effective immediately. Pisani most recently served as president of VF’s licensed sports group.
Supermarket chain down under upgrading checkout experience

Coles Supermarkets, one of Australia’s largest supermarket retailers, is deploying a new solution to improve customer checkout experiences and operational efficiency. The retailer is adding NCR’s RealPOS XR8 as its future POS terminals. Coles also plans to upgrade more than 4,000 POS units in the next financial year.
South African-based retail giant enters U.S. with $3.8 billion acquisition

A company relatively unknown outside its home base has entered the U.S. retail market in a deal to acquire Mattress Firm Holding Corp., the largest mattress retailer in the United States.
Wal-Mart buying Jet.com for $3 billion

Wal-Mart Stores announced it will acquire retail start-up — and would-be Amazon rival — Jet.com for approximately $3 billion in cash. Additionally, $300 million of Walmart shares will be paid over time as part of the transaction. The deal will go a long way to helping Walmart expand its e-commerce growth and customer reach, and also give it more firing power as it competes with Amazon. And Jet.com’s popularity with millennials will help the discounter attract a younger, higher-income customer.
French lifestyle brand to raise U.S. profile with renovated stores, new locations

The brand known the world over for its iconic crocodile logo has a new retail strategy. In a move to enhance its brand in the United States, Lacoste is renovating high-profile locations and opening more impactful, larger-format retail stores in the its key U.S. markets, which include New York, south Florida and southern California.
The pause that refreshes ... at Disney Springs

Another high-profile retail attraction has opened at Disney Springs, Walt Disney World Resort, Lake Buena Vista, Florida. The Coca-Cola store is designed to offer customers an immersive brand experience. Modeled after a 1920s Coca-Cola bottling plant, the store celebrates the history of the brand, starting on the exterior where the glass-accented entry pays tribute to the iconic Coke green glass bottle.
NewMark Merrill completes Colorado ‘lifestyle center’

The first phase of NewMark Merrill’s redevelopment of the Village at the Peaks in Longmont, Colorado — a 500,000-sq.-ft. lifestyle center — has been completed. The company purchased the 50% vacant Twin Peaks Mall in 2012 for $8.5 million and has since pumped $90 million into construction of the new project in a private partnership with the city of Longmont that included a $32 million public bond.
Report: Walmart testing new employee scheduling system

Walmart is testing a new scheduling system designed to improve peak-hour scheduling and gives its employees more certainty about their job schedules, the Associated Press reported. The system was rolled out to the chain’s 650 Neighborhood Market stores in July, and could eventually be deployed across Walmart’s entire U.S. store network, according to the report.