Lowe's to Open D.C. Store

It's been a while since I have seen news of a new Lowe's store, so I wanted to bring special attention to this one.  

Washington Business Journal Article

Villanova Staples Closing 1/4

Patch.com Article

Walmart to Add Over 200 Gas Stations

Walmart reached an agreement with Murphy Oil Corporation to add gas stations to over 200 Supercenters. The gas stations will be added over the next three years.  

Dividend.com Article

Progress on Philly's Main Line LA Fitness

LA Fitness is working though the obstacles at Federal Realty's Wynnewood Shopping Center...

Main Line Media News Article

First Target Small Format Stores Successful

The first stores ranging from 60,000 to 100,000 in Chicago, Los Angeles, and Seattle are proving successful. 

ICSC Article

Staples: Closing Some & Buyout Interest

Staples closing 45 stores in Europe and 15 in the Unted States.  Private equity firms have also expressed interest in purchasing the company. 

Business Week Article

JC Penney: 2 New Stores

Both with PREIT...One in Willow Grove at the Willow Grove Park Mall (125,000 SF, Willow Grove, PA) and one in North Hanover Mall (83,000 SF, Hanover, PA).  Willow Grove is a new location.  Hanover is a relocation and expansion of an existing store on the site.  

Daily Finance Article

One View of the Future Box World

Will the 'please everyone' box still be needed in the future?  In this particular article, the author states that "smaller stores focused on specific consumers and their needs" will be the wave of the future.  

Marketing Daily Article

Big Boxes Shrinking

See how a handful of boxes are shrinking.  This article talks about specific retailers, their strategies, and what they are trying to achieve.  Ace, Best Buy, Cabela's, JCPenney, Office Depot, Target, and Walmart are discussed.


Time Moneyland Article

Staples Today

This article is a very good accounting of Staples today and how they stack up to the competition.  Topics covered include the following:


 * Revenue generation from different segments of business
 * Average store revenue for Staples and its competitors
 * Store design
 * Direction of future business
 * Staples branded products


Seeking Alpha Article

Toys R Us: 21 New or Remodeled Stores

By the end of 2012, Toys R Us will have opened 8 new locations and remodeled 13 stores to the side-by-side Toys R Us/Babies R Us format as reported in Chain Store Age.  These additions will bring the side-by-side total to 204 by the end of the year.


Chain Store Age Article

Shore Mall Searches for a Future

Egg Harbor Township,  NJ - 200,000 SF of the circa 1968 mall will be demolished and advertised as vacant commercial land.  The Shore Mall has been left in the wake of a changing economy and ever evolving competition. 


Press of Atlantic City Article

2012 Top 100 Retailers

Great list from Stores' web site.  Check it out.  


Stores.org Article

Keep a Watchful Eye on JCPenney

President Michael Francis, formerly of Target, left after only eight months in the wake of the failed effort to update pricing,  product offerings, and store formats.


Reuters Article

Wal-Mart Express Stores - So Far So Good

The first Wal-Mart Express stores are profitable within first year of operation.  The 12,000-15,000 square foot stores carry everything a shopper might need at the spur of the moment.  More stores to come...


Business Week Article
Reuters Article

Thomas H. Lee Buys Into Party City

Thomas H. Lee Partners, LP bought a majority stake in Party City.  One week earlier, they also bought Fogo de Chao Churrascaria LLC, a steakhouse operator.   

Business Week Article

Are the Boxes Dying?

This article from Time provides a good overview of what has happened to the boxes, especially Best Buy, in recent past.  It provides some insight into the direction of store sizes and what the landscape could look like in the future.  It's worth reading.

Time Business Article

Bed Bath & Beyond Buys Cost Plus

As reported on 5/9/12 by the Wall Street Journal, Bed Bath & Beyond acquired Cost Plus.  


Wall Street Journal Article


Cost Plus World Market Web Site

New Store Announcements (February, March, & April)

It's been a while since I posted this list, but we have been tracking the store openings in the background.  Business has been crazy busy lately, but Melissa from my office has helped keep it accurate and up to date.  Many thanks to her.  


It's strange how things work out.  I have historically posted this list every month or two.  However, this list covers at least three months and really provides a good reflection of recent national activity.  It's a new world that we live in, but this list goes beyond being informational, it motivational.

Aldi – St. Joseph, MO – opening late April or May 1

Bed Bath & Beyond – Huntsville, AL – 30,000 SF

Bed Bath & Beyond - White Lake, MI – under construction

Burlington Coat Factory – Cherry Hill, NJ – 115,000 SF - opening March 23, 2012

buy buy Baby – Chicago, IL – 27,000 SF

buy buy Baby – Encinitas, CA

buy buy Baby – Altamonte Springs, FL (opening in the Spring)

Cabela’s – Charleston, West Virginia - 80,000 SF

Cabela’s – Columbus, OH – 80,000 SF – 175 full & part time employees – opening 2013

Cabela’s – Grandville, MI – 88,000 SF – spring of 2013

Cabela’s – Louisville, KY – 88,000 SF – 200 full & part time employees – spring of 2013

Cabela’s – Saskatoon Canada – 50,000 SF, 150 employees (opening in the spring)

Cabela’s – Tulalip, WA – Opening April 19, 2012

Cabela’s – Wichita, KS – 80,000 SF – opening March 14^th

Cabela’s – Winnipeg Canada – 72,000 SF – construction to begin in spring & open in spring of 2013

Christmas Tree Shops – Altamonte Springs, FL (opening in the Spring)

Dick’s Sporting Goods – Aberdeen, NC – 34,649 SF

Dick’s Sporting Goods – Commack, NY (opening in 2012)

Dick’s Sporting Goods – Crofton, MD

Dick’s Sporting Goods – Fort Lauderdale, FL – opened March 7, 2012

Dick’s Sporting Goods – Jacksonville, FL – 45,000 SF

Dick’s Sporting Goods – Mount Pleasant, MI – 45,000 SF

Dick’s Sporting Goods – San Luis Obispo, CA – 36,000 SF - opened March 16, 2012

Dick’s Sporting Goods – St. Joseph, MO – 50,000 SF - opening late April or May 1

Ethan Allen – Destin, FL – 12 employees

Famous Footwear – Porterville, CA (opening in March)

Forever 21 – Santa Cruz, CA – 20,000 SF (opening in August, 2012)

hhgregg – Racine, WI – 25,000 SF – opening late summer or early fall

hhgregg – Highland, IN – 25,000 SF – 50 employees – opened April 19, 2012

Hobby Lobby – Algonquin, IL – 55,000 SF (opening in March)

Hobby Lobby – Cincinnati, OH – 55,000 SF

Hobby Lobby – Laguna Niguel, CA – 77,500 SF - opening May 11, 2012

Hobby Lobby – Millville, NJ

Hobby Lobby – Northport, AL

Hobby Lobby – Orange City, FL

Hobby Lobby – Spokane, WA – 35 to 40 employees

Hobby Lobby – Victorville, CA – 35 to 50 employees - opening in April, 2012

HomeGoods – Milford, CT – 68 employees

HomeGoods – Dayton, OH (opening March 11^th)

HomeGoods – Northeast Richland, VA – 25,000 SF – 60 full & part time employees

IKEA – Winnipeg Canada – 395,000 SF (building, to open by the end of the year)

JoAnn Fabrics - White Lake, MI – under construction

Kohl’s – Berlin, CT – 58,417 SF

Kohl’s – Lenox, MA

Kohl’s – Livonia, MI – 64,000 SF – 130 employees – opened March 9, 2012

Kohl’s – Olean, NY – 130 employees

Kohl’s – Olean, NY – 130 new employees

Kohl’s - Pottsville, PA – opened March 4, 2012

Kohl’s – Rolla, MO – 130 employees - opened March 4, 2012

Kohl’s – Woodstock, IL – 130 part-time employees

Kohl’s – Yulee, FL – 56,000 SF - 130 employees – opened March 7, 2012

Kohl’s – Yulee, FL (opening in the Spring)

LA Fitness – Levittown, NY

LA Fitness – Tampa Bay, FL – 57,025 SF - 30 employees – opening November, 2012

La-Z-Boy – West Sacramento, CA – 12,800 SF – opening March 1^st

Marshall’s – Fort Worth, TX – 25,000 SF – opening early 2013

Marshalls – Cincinnati, OH – 28,600 SF

Marshalls – Jacksonville, FL – 25,000 SF

Marshalls – Porterville, CA – 80 employees (opening in March)

Michaels – Brooklyn, OH

Michaels – Mansfield, CT – 14,528 SF

Michaels – Northborough, MA

Michaels – St. Tammany, LA – 28,290 SF - opening March 18, 2012

Michaels – Vernon Hills, IL

Modell’s – Brooklyn, NY – 15,900 SF - opened March 8, 2012

Modell’s – Fresh Meadows, NY – 13,000 SF – opened March 8, 2012

Modell’s – Wayne, NJ – 16,700 SF – opened March 8, 2012

Office Depot – Lima, OH – 9,000 SF- 14 employees

Petco - Bennington, VT – 8,000 SF

Petco – Dalton, GA – 13,000 SF

Petco - Hendersonville, NC – 12,000 SF, 20 employees

Petco – Queensbury, NY – 18,300 SF - opened February 20, 2012

Petsmart – Chicago, IL – 18,000 SF

PetSmart – Eugene, OR – 13,000 SF - opening Fall, 2012

PetSmart – Orange, CT – 1,212 SF – opening Fall, 2012

PetSmart - Porterville, CA – 25 employees

PetSmart – San Jose, CA – opened February 4, 2012

PetSmart – St. Joseph, MO – 12,300 SF

REI – Jacksonville, FL – 23,400 SF - 50 employees - opening Spring, 2013

REI – San Antonio, TX – 27,500 SF - 50 employees - opening Fall, 2012

Ross Dress for Less – Bolingbrook, IL (opening in March)

Ross Dress for Less – Calumet City, IL – opening March 3^rd

Ross Dress for Less – Chesterfield, MO – opened March 3, 2012

Ross Dress for Less – Danville, IL – construction will start soon

Ross Dress for Less – Fairview Heights, MO

Ross Dress for Less – Fort Worth, TX – 25,000 SF – opening early 2013

Ross Dress for Less – Los Angeles, CA – 39,000 SF, 50 new employees (coming 2013)

Ross Dress for Less – Niles, IL –26,950 SF – 35-50 employees - opening late Fall,

Ross Dress for Less – Palm Springs, CA – 31,000 SF – opened March 3, 2012

Ross Dress for Less – Salina, KS – 22,000 SF

Ross Dress for Less – Waikiki, HI – 40,000 SF

Rue21 - Porterville, CA

Sam’s Club – Hendersonville, TN – 137,000 SF – 200 employees - opens March 21, 2012

Sam’s Club – Lubbock, TX – 136,000 SF - 250 employees

Shoe Carnival – Bozeman, MT (summer opening)

Sports Authority – Kaneohe, Oahu – 26,657 SF – opening before the 2012 holidays

Sports Authority – Scottsdale, AZ – 34,300 SF – opened March 16, 2012

Target – Capitola, CA – 135,000 SF - 200 employees (opening in July, 2012)

Target – Inver Grove Heights, MN (opening in July, 2012)

Target – Knoxville, TN – 135,000 SF – 200 employees - opening in July, 2012

Teavana – Orlando, FL

TJ Maxx – Aiea, HI – 24,850 SF – opening May 17, 2012

TJ Maxx – Greeley, CO – 25,000 SF – 60 full & part time employees – opening 3/18/12

TJ Maxx – Oahu, HI – 35,000 SF

TJ Maxx – Oahu, HI – 35,000 SF – opening May 3, 2012

TJ Maxx – Pearl City, HI – 25,000 SF – opening May 10, 2012

TJ Maxx – Sherman Oaks, CA – 24,000 SF – 60 full & part time employees - opening March 25, 2012

TJ Maxx – Washington, D.C. – 28,450 SF – 60 full & part time employees - opened April

TJ Maxx – Yulee, FL (opening in the Spring)

Toys R Us – Charlottetown, PE Canada – 34,634 SF

Tractor Supply - Buellton, CA – 20.000 SF – proposed SC

Tractor Supply – Easton, MD – 40,000 SF – opening late March – 12 to 17 full & part time employees

Tractor Supply – Hamlin, PA – 12 to 17 full & part time employees - under construction, to be completed in early May

Tractor Supply – Jacksonville, FL – 18,800 SF – 12 to 17 full & part time employees – late July opening

Tractor Supply Co. – Lavalette, WV – 29,054 SF – 11 full- & part-time employees

Tractor Supply Co. – Petaluma, CA – 34,633 SF

Trader Joe’s – Foxborough, MA – 16,000 SF

Tuesday Morning – Encinitas, CA – opened March 6, 2012

Ulta – Bozeman, MT (summer opening)

Wal-Mart Supercenter – Pohatcong, NJ – 350 employees

Sears Holdings Sells 11 Stores to General Growth

11 stores in Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah and Washington are being sold to General Growth which will raise between $400 and $500 million.


Bloomberg Business Week Article

42 Best Buys Closing

Here's the list of stores from Best Buy's web site....


Best Buy Web Site List

Best Buy Closing Stores

Best Buy plans to close 50 of its stores (Approx. 3.6%), eliminate 400 corporate jobs, and reduce costs by $800 million.  


Business Week Article

Modell's Going for 5 More NYC Stores

They are going toe to toe with the competition....See The Real Deal article.

Cabela's Trying Smaller Space

Cabela's is best known for their massive super stores.  Now, they are trying 40,000 SF Outpost stores in markets with less than 250,000 people.  They plan to open 5 in 2012 and 3 in 2013.  


Market Watch Article

Top Brands of 2012

Interbrand has released its top brands of 2012.  5 out of the top 10 are anchors. The link below will allow you to download the full report.  Check it out...


Interbrand Report

Golfsmith: 10 New Locations

Golfsmith Planned New Store Locations In 2012:

• Cleveland, OH
• Washington DC metro area -- 3 stores
• Chattanooga, TN
• Nashville, TN
• Atlanta, GA
• Baltimore, MD
• Christiana, DE
• San Antonio, TX

Yahoo Finance Article


Thanks to Dan Adamson or ROI Commercial in Las Vegas for providing the article.  ROI is an active member of the Anchor Tenant Council in the Retail Brokers Network.     

Costco Looking Strong

I liked this article from Zacks Investment Research on Costco and their performance in 2011.


Costco Exits 2011 with Strength

New Store Announcements (December & January)

Books A Million – Mays Landing , NJ

Buybuy Baby – Jacksonville, FL – 25,000 SF

Cabela’s - Snohomish County, WA

Costco – Augusta, GA

Costco – Sarasota, FL

Dick’s Sporting Goods - Bluffton, SC - 30,000 SF

Dick’s Sporting Goods - Portage MI

HHGregg – Greenfield, WI

Hobby Lobby – Algonquin, IL – 55,000 SF (to open in March/April)

Hobby Lobby - Anderson, IN - 55,600 SF

Hobby Lobby – Andrson, IN, 55,600 SF

HomeGoods - Southlake, TX - 30,000 SF

LA Fitness – Dallas, TX, 50,000 SF

Lowe’s – Kill Devil Hills, NC

Office Depot – Hoboken, NJ – 5,000 SF, 21 employees

Office Depot – Merrillville, IN – 19 employees

Office Depot – Wichita Falls, TX

Party City – Port Orange, NJ

Petsmart – Jackson, MI

REI – Cary, NC, 27,200 SF

REI – Cincinnati, OH, 22,000 SF

REI - Dallas, TX

REI – Medford, OH, 23,500 SF

Shoe Carnival - Dallas-Fort Worth, TX - 11,000 SF

TJ Maxx – Brooklyn, NY – 23,000 SF

TJ Maxx – Oshkosh, WI – 24,000 SF (opening early Spring)

TJ Maxx – South Lake Tahoe, UT

Tractor Supply Company – Marianna, FL – 26,000 SF

Tractor Supply Company - Rocky Mount, Franklin County, VA - 19,097 SF

Trader Joe’s - Dallas and Plano, TX

Trader Joe’s – Foxboro, MA

Walmart Express – Ayden, NC

      Walmart Express – Yancyville, NC

Macy's 'Trading Cards'

A friend of mine in the business once referred to a retailer's opening and closing of stores as 'trading cards'.  In order to survive in any climate, retailers seem to always be 'trading cards' in an ongoing attempt to achieve that perfect combination of stores.  It's when retailers stop trading cards that we should be concerned.  


The following article speaks to Macy's trading cards with some Macy's and Bloomingdale's stores.  
ICSC.org Article