Content about Belk

Charlotte, N.C. -- Belk has named Dorlisa Flur to the newly created position of EVP omni-channel, reporting to John Belk, president and chief operating officer.

Flur joins Belk after eight years at Family Dollar Stores, most recently as vice chair, strategy and chief administrative officer. Prior roles included chief merchandising officer and the EVP strategy and marketing. Prior to Family Dollar Stores, Flur spent her professional career at management consulting firm McKinsey and Company.

New York City -- Saks Inc. announced Tuesday it will shutter its Saks Fifth Avenue store in the Dallas Galleria on June 15. The retailer has operated a store in Dallas since 1982, and the summer closing will leave some 120 associates with the choice of transfer or severance.

Simultaneous with the Saks departure announcement was news from department store chain Belk that it will fill the vacated Galleria space with a $20-million, 170,000-sq.-ft. flagship store that starts construction in July and is slated to open spring 2014. 

Centerville, Ga. -- Jones Lang LaSalle announced that Gemini Real Estate Advisors has awarded the firm the leasing and management of Houston County Galleria, a 483,893-sq.-ft. regional shopping center located in Centerville, Ga., and anchored by Belk, J.C. Penney and Sears.

Jana Reeves will continue on as the center’s general manager, said Jones Lang LaSalle.
 

Regional retailers are typically defined by geography, but Charlotte, N.C.-based Belk is a bit different than most. Distinguished by its signature Southern hospitality, the nation’s largest privately held department store chain has a dominant presence throughout the South and a footprint as far west as Oklahoma and north through Maryland. But its reach extends even farther, as Canadians and Californians alike shop its e-commerce site. 

While there still is not enough new shopping center construction to warrant a “Fastest-Growing Developers” ranking system — as Chain Store Age provided for 20 consecutive years, from 1989 to 2008 — progress continues to be made.

New York City -- Belk plans to remodel almost 30 stores this year as the department store company focuses on upgrading its existing space, the Charlotteobserver.com reported.

Last year, Belk spent about $70 million on store remodels and renovations. In 2012, the chain plans to increase that slightly, to $75 million, and then spend up to $130 million a year in 2013 and 2014, according to the report.

Charlotte, N.C. -- Analytic data solution-provider Terradata said Thursday that Belk has selected multiple Teradata Data Warehouse Appliances and the Teradata Retail Logical Data Model to build a new integrated database-driven analytics environment.

Charlotte, N.C. -- Department store retailer Belk said Tuesday it has named Mark Chandler as executive VP operations, reporting to Johnny Belk, president and COO.

Chandler was previously senior VP supply chain for Price Chopper Supermarkets.
 

Stirling Properties, the developer of River Chase Shopping Center in the south Louisiana community of Covington, announced that Sam’s Club is coming to the center, planning a fall 2012 opening for the new 136,000-sq.-ft. warehouse club.

The largest open-air retail center in St. Tammany Parish, the 640,000-sq.-ft. River Chase is currently anchored by Target, Belk, J.C. Penney. Best Buy, Marshalls, Ross Dress for Less and a 14-screen Hollywood Theater.

Redwood Shores, Calif. -- Belk department store said Tuesday that it has selected Oracle Retail Merchandising System to enable a seamless, non-channel view of the brand both in-store and online.

“We are enabling next generation best practices that will center on optimizing the customer experience at both the store and ecommerce level,” said Mike Laurenti, CIO and executive VP, Belk.

Gadsden, Ala. -- Philadelphia-based Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust said Wednesday that Maurices will move to a new, larger location at Gadsden Mall, in Gadsden, Ala., in May.

The 5,000-sq. ft. expanded store will be positioned near Belk.

The expansion of Maurice’s follows on the heels of the recent opening of KOBE Japanese Steakhouse & Sushi Bar.

HEADQUARTERS Charlotte, N.C. 

TYPE OF BUSINESS Department store operator

NUMBER OF STORES 305 stores in 16 Southern states


The nation’s largest privately owned department store company is stepping up — and updating — its profile. Belk, founded in 1888, is investing an estimated $70 million during the next year and a half to support a rebranding push that puts a more modern and contemporary spin on its Southern heritage.