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IN BRIEF

Sears mulls garden-store spin-off

Sears Holding Corp., the merged entity of Sears, Roebuck and Co. and Kmart Holding Corp., could sell off its 82-unit Orchard Supply Hardware, a chain of hardware and garden stores in California. Sears and Kmart merged amid speculation that some of their businesses could be sold afterward. Each Orchard store spans between 35,000 and 40,000 square feet. “While we continue to believe in Orchard’s business model and growth strategy, we are pursuing alternatives to provide Orchard Supply Hardware with the capital to grow its store base while at the same time providing appropriate value to Sears Holdings,” said Vice Chairman and CEO Alan J. Lacy in a press release.

Bombay Co. redesigns stores

The Bombay Co., Fort Worth, Texas, says it plans to revamp its 500 stores in the U.S. and Canada for a more consistent look. A new floor plan will divide each unit into a collection of 8-foot-by-12-foot rooms, each with a differently themed merchandise mix. The chain will also scale back its merchandise selection. Bombay also says it will open more freestanding stores and more units in lifestyle centers. The furniture retailer, which sells replicas of 18th- and 19th-century American styles, says it will open as many as 50 stores this year, half of them outside regional malls.

Levi Strauss to expand to 16

Levi Strauss & Co. says it plans to open two street-front stores in the fall, one in Beverly Hills, Calif., and the other in Washington, D.C. This would bring the number of its U.S. stores to 16. The new stores will feature the San Francisco-based company’s red-tab and premium jeans collections, which start at $40 and $150, respectively.

RadioShack to expand in Canada

RadioShack Corp. says it will open about 30 RadioShack stores in Canada by year-end and plans to form a subsidiary to oversee the expansion. The announcement follows a court decision in RadioShack’s favor voiding a licensing agreement the Fort Worth, Texas-based consumer electronics chain had with InterTan Canada, which operated about 900 stores under the RadioShack name in that country. Rival Circuit City bought InterTan and is prohibited from using the RadioShack name beyond June. Most of the new stores are to open in the Toronto area.

Marco’s Pizza on a roll

Toledo, Ohio-based Marco’s Franchising says it plans to open about 46 Marco’s Pizza restaurants in the Indianapolis area over the next three or four years. The strategy includes the conversion of nine Pizza Magia restaurants to the Marco’s brand this spring.

Las Vegas to eat, drink hip-hop

H3Enterprises, a New York City-based owner of hip-hop-themed restaurants and merchandise, signed a franchise agreement with Las Vegas-based restaurant operator RLW to open about 30 HipHopSodaShops units in the Las Vegas area over the next three years. HipHopSodaShops is an H3-owned chain of fast-food restaurants.

Seaman’s name lives on at Levitz

Furniture retailer Levitz Home Furnishings, Woodbury, N.Y., says it will convert 25 of 40 Seaman’s units to the Levitz brand and close the remaining 15. Levitz, which merged with Seaman’s in 2001, says it will sell some furniture in its own stores under the Seaman’s brand. When the reshuffling is done, Levitz will operate 115 stores in the Northeast and on the West Coast. Seaman’s is also based in Woodbury.

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