Ritz Camera & Image LLC has revamped its camera stores for the digital age and recently reopened its Irvine store at The Market Place.
It is the 16th store that Beltsville, Md.-based Ritz Camera has reopened, following the 2009 bankruptcy of its predecessor, Ritz Camera Centers Inc.
Along with selling cameras and related gear, the stores have been updated to include a photo bar where customers can edit, enlarge and print their digital photos to be used in photo books or frames.
Ritz stores also sell Verizon Wireless phones and services.
The camera chain, owned by the Ritz family, closed nearly half of its stores in 2009.
That year, investor group RCI Acquisition LLC, led by David Ritz, acquired 300 stores when it bought the bankrupt chain and then formed successor Ritz Camera & Image.
Ritz Camera has one other store in the county at Fashion Island. It once had five stores here.
The company shares a name with Irvine-based Ritz Interactive Inc., an online seller of cameras and other items. The two companies are separately run.
David Ritz is chairman of Ritz Interactive and chief executive of Ritz Camera.
Whole Foods
Austin, Texas-based Whole Foods Market Inc.’s new store at Bella Terra mall in Huntington Beach is the organic grocery chain’s 300th.
The 30,000-square-foot store sells products from about 50 local vendors, including those that serve the Vietnamese enclave of Little Saigon, which covers parts of Huntington Beach, Westminster, Garden Grove and Santa Ana.
“We are proud to be a part of Huntington Beach, which is synonymous with Surf City USA and home to one of the most vibrant Vietnamese communities in the country,” said Pat Cox, team leader of the Huntington Beach store.
The store employs 175 people.
Holiday Sales
National holiday shopping surveys predict a modest increase in sales this year.
In general, the holiday season kicks off on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, and runs through early January. Different forecasts measure varied periods of time.
The forecasts also predict a bigger effort by retailers this year to drive sales via Twitter, Facebook and mobile advertising.
New York-based Deloitte LLP is forecasting a 2% rise in holiday sales from a year earlier to $852 billion.
Deloitte measures sales for November through January and uses figures provided by the Department of Commerce. It excludes automotive, gas and restaurant sales.
Deloitte also is predicting a 15% boost in non-store sales, such as online and catalog sales.
The weak housing market and high unemployment will continue to affect spending, according to Deloitte.
The Washington, D.C.-based National Retail Federation is predicting a 2.3% increase in sales this year to $447 billion.
“While that growth remains slightly lower than the 10-year average holiday sales increase of 2.5%, it would be a marked improvement from both last year’s 0.4 % uptick and the dismal 3.9% holiday sales decline retailers experienced in 2008,” the federation said.
The federation counts retail sales for November and December and excludes automotive and gas sales.
The New York-based International Council of Shopping Centers is predicting an increase of 3% to 3.5% in sales for November through December. The council also is predicting an increase in holiday hiring.
Tommy Bahama Bags
Seattle-based Tommy Bahama and Portland, Maine-based Sea Bags Inc. plan to sell co-branded beach bags made from recycled sails exclusively at Tommy Bahama’s new Laguna Beach store, which opens Nov. 6.
The Laguna Beach store also includes a Tommy Bahama restaurant.
Tommy Bahama is part of Atlanta’s Oxford Industries Inc.
Auto Tenants
The former Lamborghini Orange County building in Santa Ana has a couple of new tenants: Monarchy Motors and Outlaw Offroad LLC.
Lamborghini OC abruptly closed in 2008. The luxury sports car dealer’s owner later pled guilty to fraud charges.
Lamborghini Newport Beach is OC’s new Lamborghini dealer.
Monarchy Motors customizes high-end vehicles such as Bentleys, Mercedes-Benzes and Rolls Royces.
Outlaw Offroad handles truck accessorizing.
Monarchy Motors, which has been open for about a month, displayed its customized vehicles at this month’s Orange County Auto Show. Owner Roland Trudell brought along a spruced-up Rolls-Royce, owned by a California casino owner.
Trudell put 27-inch wheels on the Rolls.
Monarch Motors also plans to display at the November LA Auto Show.
