Content about Wisconsin

York, Pa. -- The Bon-Ton Stores announced it will close its Younkers store in the Rapids Mall in Wisconsin Rapids, Wis.

The company will not renew the lease, which terminates July 31, 2013. The closing will impact approximately 45 associates at this location.

The Bon-Ton acquired the leasehold interests in the Wisconsin Rapids store as part of the Northern Department Store Group acquisition in 2006. The department store retailer said it does not expect costs associated with the closing of the location to be material.  

New York -- Five women in Wisconsin have filed suit against Wal-Mart Stores, claiming the retailer denied them and other female employees equal pay and equal opportunities, the Journal Sentinel reported. The suit, which also seeks class-action status, claims Wal-Mart discriminated against female employees in the chain's Region 14, which includes stores in Wisconsin, Michigan, Indiana and Illinois.

Menomonee Falls, Wis. -- Kohl’s Corp. announced a $2 million donation to Discovery World in Milwaukee, over three years to continue support for Kohl’s Design It!, an educational program allowing kids to use advanced technology to turn design into reality. The donation comes from the Kohl’s Cares cause merchandise program which sells special merchandise, including plush toys and books, and donates 100% of the net profit to benefit children’s health and education initiatives nationwide.

New York -- Winick Realty Group said that Hale & Hearty has signed a lease for its latest location at 177 Madison Avenue, between East 33rd and East 34th Streets.
 
The tenant will occupy 2,500 sq. ft. on the ground floor and 2,500 sq. ft. in the basement.
 
Hale & Hearty Soups currently has 28 locations throughout Manhattan, Brooklyn and Long Island.

Milwaukee -- Mid-America Real Estate-Wisconsin announced the promotion of VPs Tony Colvin and Adam Dreier to principals.

Colvin joined Mid-America Real Estate as a broker associate in January 2001 and, too date, has brokered over 1.2 million sq. ft. of retail space for a total transaction value of over $186 million.  Dreier has been with Mid-America Real Estate since February 2002 as a broker associate.  To date, he has brokered over 1 million sq. ft. of retail space, for a total transaction value of over $212 million.

Milwaukee -- Opus Development Corp. announced the scheduled openings of T.J Maxx, Ulta Salon and Cosmetics, Rue 21 and Charming Charlie’s by Oct. 28 at the company’s Shoppes at Fox River development in Waukesha, Wis.

Opus broke ground on the first development in Phase II of the Shoppes at Fox River in April 2012. The development includes more than 47,000 sq. ft. of retail space on six acres of land adjacent to the existing Phase I buildings, which opened in 2009 and include Target and Pick ‘n Save.

PepsiCo is rolling out its Pepsi Interactive Vending machine pilot program -- allowing consumers to buy, gift and play games with PepsiCo beverages – at five General Growth Properties’ malls.

Columbiana Centre (Columbia, S.C.), Clackamas Town Center (Happy Valley, Ore.), Oglethorpe Mall (Savannah, Ga.), Oakwood Mall (Eau Claire, Wis.) and Park City Center (Lancaster, Pa.) will feature the interactive vending equipment with full touch-screen technology.

West Bend, Wis. -- Brixmor Property Group announced Hobby Lobby recently expanded from 46,546 sq. ft. to 57,346 sq. ft. at Paradise Pavilion, located in West Bend, Wis.

Brixmor, based in New York City, is the owner of Paradise Pavilion.

Chestnut Hill, Mass. -- WS Capital Partners, the institutional investment arm of WS Development, announced that it has completed the acquisition of Hilldale Shopping Center, a 474,000-sq.-ft. retail center located in Madison, Wis.

Anchored by Macy’s, Metcalfe’s Market, Sundance Cinemas and Target, Hilldale Shopping Center serves the entire Madison metropolitan area, including the nearby University of Wisconsin-Madison.

New York -- Kohl's Corp. and the state of Wisconsin announced an agreement that will keep the retailer’s headquarters in Menomonee Falls, which is located about 20 miles northwest of Milwaukee. Kohl’s will receive up to $62.5 million in tax credits from the state over 12 years. The final amount of the tax credits is dependent on the number of employees the chain adds at its facility and the amount of money Kohl’s invests in developing its campus.

Milwaukee -- The Milwaukee office of Opus Development Corp. said that Hallmark Gold Crown will occupy the final space of its Shoppes at Fox River Phase I retail development in Waukesha, Wis.

The addition of Hallmark makes the 273,000-sq.-ft. Phase I 100% occupied, including a 132,000-sq.-ft. Target and a 60,000-sq.-ft. LEED-Silver certified Pick ‘n Save grocery store.

Milwaukee -- The Milwaukee office of Opus Development Corp. announced that T.J Maxx, Ulta Salon, Rue 21 and Charming Charlie’s will be the first tenants in the second phase of its Shoppes at Fox River retail development in Waukesha, Wis.