Target, Inc.

The newest version of NCR SelfServ Checkout, the self-checkout solution from Duluth, Ga.-based NCR Corp., is among the 2009 winners of the International Design Excellence Awards (IDEA) competition.

First, the good news: More than half of the nation’s leading supermarkets are making progress with increased sustainability in their seafood operations, according to results of Greenpeace’s latest seafood sustainability scorecard, “Carting Away the Oceans.”

As investors and owners strive to value retail centers, they can draw on a correlation between college education levels, vacancies and gross leaseable area to predict performance.

Hannaford Supermarkets and Meijer, Inc. were two of the 63 large businesses that the National Business Group on Health (NBGH) honored as “2009 Best Employers for Healthy Lifestyles,” for their commitment to healthier workplaces.

Global consumer spending appears to be on the rebound, driven by sales gains in China, India, the U.S. and Canada in April, another indication that the global economy may be stabilizing as consumer attitudes and confidence turn up.

In a bid to bag more business and increase customer count, Target Corp. is will add new store-within-a-store grocery and fresh foods mini markets in about 100 of the discounter’s new and remodeled stores during the course of this year.

While big-box retailers BJ’s and Costco had a tough time in April as net and comparable-store sales tumbled during a time of economic recession and plummeting gasoline sales, Target managed to stem its recent sales declines and Wal-Mart actually saw higher sales during the month, driven by increased traffic and a strong showing in seasonal and discretionary items.

With several development projects across the country stalled or delayed until the economy turns a corner, a Pennsylvania retail development dubbed Exeter Commons is bucking the trend, with 94 percent of its space pre-leased as a late-summer opening approaches.