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Manhattan winery eyes Carson’s space

From Crain’s Chicago Business | Manhattan’s City Winery is looking at space in the former Carson Pirie Scott building on State Street.

Sears to split space with Forever 21 in Calif. mall

Sears Holdings Corp. said it signed a long-term lease with fast-fashion apparel chain Forever 21 to occupy about 43,000 square feet of a Sears department store in an upscale mall, located in Costa Mesa, Calif.

The deal, the first of its kind, for Hoffman Estates-based Sears, gives the struggling retailer a template to make more productive use of its mall stores, many of which anchor premium shopping centers but lag the retail industry in sales per square foot. Get the full story »

Third Wal-Mart clears hurdle

Wal-Mart cleared another hurdle Friday in its bid to open stores throughout Chicago, winning approval from the City Council Finance Committee to build a location in the South Side’s Chatham neighborhood. If the plan for a store at the intersection of 83rd Street and Stewart Avenue passes the full City Council Wednesday, it will mark the second Wal-Mart given the green light to open within city limits in less than a month, after six years that saw none approved.

3 discount clothing stores coming to Cook County

Three discount clothing stores are coming to Cook County, with the first one planned for a July 30th opening.

New Jersey-based Forman Mills Clothing Factory Warehouse will open in the Landings Shopping Center on 16855 Torrence Avenue, Lansing.  A second store is scheduled to open within the next two months in the city’s North Austin neighborhood. The company is still negotiating the location of the third store, and says the three stores will create a total of 600 jobs.

Wal-Mart trying RFID smart tags

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. plans to roll out sophisticated electronic ID tags to track individual pairs of jeans and underwear, the first step in a system that advocates say better controls inventory but some critics say raises privacy concerns.

Starting in the next two weeks, the retailer will place removable “smart tags” on individual garments that can be read by a hand-held scanner. Wal-Mart workers will be able to quickly learn, for instance, which size of Wrangler jeans is missing, with the aim of ensuring shelves are optimally stocked and inventory tightly watched. If successful, the radio-frequency ID tags will be rolled out on other products at Wal-Mart’s more than 3,750 U.S. stores. Get the full story »

Daley asks for approval of 3rd Wal-Mart

Approval for Chicago’s third Wal-Mart will follow hard on the heels of the second if Mayor Richard Daley has his way.

Daley held a news conference today to call on the City Council Finance Committee to approve a long-discussed Wal-Mart store at the corner of 83rd Street and Stewart Avenue in the Chatham neighborhood.

The proposal is on the committee’s Friday agenda. Get the full story »

Starbucks profit matches expectations

The Seattle-based chain, which has just completed a restructuring, raised its fiscal 2010 earnings target to $1.22 to $1.23 per share, from $1.19 to $1.22 per share previously. Analysts on average were looking for a profit of $1.23 for the fiscal year ending September 2010. Get the full story »

With Target built, officials laud Wilson Yard project

Mayor Richard Daley speaks during the grand opening of the Wilson Yard Target on Tuesday, July 20, 2010. (William DeShazer/Chicago Tribune)

By Becky Schlikerman | Mayor Richard Daley and other supporters of a beleaguered Uptown development marked a major milestone today by celebrating the completion of a Target store that anchors the Wilson Yard project.

The new store finalizes a decade-long battle to redevelop the site of a burned-down CTA bus barn. The store will open on Sunday.

“This has been a very long time coming,” Ald. Helen Shiller (46th) said. “There were times it seemed this wasn’t going to happen.” Get the full story »

Roundy’s first Chicagoland store opening

Roundy’s Supermarkets Inc., the Milwaukee-based high-end supermarket chain, is opening its first Chicagoland location today. Mariano’s Fresh Market, on Northwest Highway in downtown Arlington Heights, will focus on fresh food and high-end offerings, including homemade gelato and an on-site sushi chef. The store will also have an imported Italian oven for pizzas and offer wines and cheeses. Get the full story »

Target to host first Christmas-in-July sale online

Target Corp. is jumping on the Christmas-in-July bandwagon.

The Minneapolis-based discount store chain said it will host its first-ever Back in Black Friday sale online only on Friday, offering an average markdown of 40 percent on more than 500 items in apparel, electronics, toys, housewares, movies, music and books.

Target joins rivals Toys R Us, Sears and Kmart as mass merchants make a grab for a share of consumers’ shrinking budgets by giving them reasons to shop for the holidays early. Get the full story »

Walgreens raises its quarterly dividend

Walgreen Co. on Wednesday raised its quarterly dividend 27 percent to 17.5 cents a share, topping its compound annual dividend growth rate of 24 percent in the past six years. Last year, the drugstore chain raised its dividend 22 percent and set a long-term dividend payout target of 30 percent to 35 percent of net earnings. Get the full story »

Autos, gas pull down June retail sales

Sales at U.S. retailers fell for a second month in June, pulled down by weak receipts at automotive dealers and gasoline stations, according to a government report on Wednesday that added to evidence the economic recovery was proceeding at a moderate pace. Get the full story »

Ford Fiesta deliveries delayed up to 2 weeks

From Automotive News | Damage from Hurricane Alex is delaying delivery of the much-anticipated Ford Fiesta to U.S. dealerships by up to two weeks.  Ford doesn’t expect much fallout, however, because of heavy orders for the subcompact.

Kmart goes after gamers with reviews on shelves

Kmart is launching a new program where online reviews of video games will be displayed on store shelves, an initiative aimed at building ties between the chain’s online and in-store gaming fans.

Kmart, owned by Sears Holding Corp., announced the feature on its KmartGamer blog and in a live chat with gaming enthusiasts via Twitter. Get the full story »

More children’s jewelry recalled for cadmium

One of 19 styles of children's jewelry recalled. (CPSC)

Tween Brands Inc., owned by Dress Barn Inc., recalled some Chinese-made children’s metal jewelry on Tuesday, due to high levels of cadmium in them.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said the company decided to pull out about 137,000 metal necklaces, bracelets and earrings priced between $7 and $16 and sold at Justice, Limited Too and an online store.

Cadmium is toxic if ingested by children.

Get the full story »