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A Cushman & Wakefield executive told SCT that several European retailers are closely watching how H&M’s U.S. rollout unfolds as they mull similar crossovers. … Since opening the first Pottery Barn Kids store in South Coast Plaza, Costa Mesa, Calif., in September, Williams-Sonoma has quickly opened 10 other locations and announced 13 other planned openings. … A West Hollywood store, Maxfield Enterprises, will pay a $175,000 fine to settle charges that it sold shahtoosh shawls made from the Tibetan antelope, violating the Endangered Species Act. … In an attempt to make inroads in the lucrative coffee market, McDonald’s is testing a new McCafe concept in Chicago that will offer high-end coffee drinks and desserts in a 30-seat cafe made to look like a French bistro. … After being swamped by customer complaints, Taco Bell repealed 10- and 15-cent energy surcharges that were being added to customer bills at its California locations. Taco Bell introduced the surcharge to offset its increased energy bills stemming from the California power crisis, but the chain received so many calls on its 1-800 customer-service line that it decided the charge was not worth the trouble. ... A San Francisco citizens’ advisory committee is protesting the Port of San Francisco’s vote accepting The Mills Corp.’s bid to build a recreation and retail facility. The Northeast Waterfront Advisory Group said the selection of Mills to develop three vacant piers on the Embarcadero wasted years of the group’s planning and public funds, and the group asked the Port to revisit the decision in a public forum. The Port says this is unlikely to happen. … Wal-Mart Stores agreed to pay a $1 million fine to settle government charges that it illegally discharged storm water runoff from 17 store construction sites. It also agreed to establish a $4.5 million environmental management plan. However, Wal-Mart said none of the sediment from the sites reached any waterways and that it had committed only a ”paperwork” violation and had not caused environmental damages. … Louis Vuitton Mo‘t Hennessy has instituted a policy at some of its European stores of rationing purchases. The luxury goods seller, which often has a one-hour line outside its Paris flagship, is suffering from a supply shortage until it can open some new plants and said it would rather ”have five clients leaving with one Vuitton bag than only one client leaving with five Vuitton bags.” … Weingarten Realty Investors, one of the largest neighborhood shopping owners in Texas, said none of its properties were damaged during Tropical Storm Allison, which caused flooding in Louisiana and Texas in June. Ñ Dave Bodamer

— Dave Bodamer