After battling with determined opponents for almost a decade, Wal-Mart and the City of Porterville have been given the green light to build a planned superstore. Earlier this fall the opponents settled with the defendants. Sources say the company will not open the big store that sells both groceries and general merchandise until the 4th quarter of 2018.

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Spencer’s Gifts to open in Visalia Mall
Spencer’s Gifts will open at the Visalia Mall this year, adding to stores in Fresno and Hanford.
Spencer Spirit Holdings, Inc., is a lifestyle retail company that operates two unique, national brands, Spencer’s and Spirit Halloween, throughout the United States, Canada and online.
Spencer’s calls itself a mall destination for entertainment, excitement and fun. “For over 65 years we have been offering unique product for the lifestyle of our core 18-24 year old guests, who are high energy, technologically savvy, edgy, demanding, independent and always inspired by humor and irreverence,” according to the retailer. Spencer’s operates more than 650 stores.

Developer acquires former Visalia Longs Drugs
Los Angeles developer Dave Paynter has acquired the former Longs Drugs building behind the Sequoia Mall off Caldwell Avenue in Visalia.
“I don’t have an immediate plan for the property, but it made sense to own it as part of what I want to do at the Sequoia Mall.” Paynter owns several shopping centers in Visalia that are mostly fully developed, but has yet to reveal plans to remake the Sequoia Mall. He bought the 28,320-square-foot former drug store building from CVS.

Hanford JC Penney will add Sephora Beauty
The Hanford JC Penney will add a new Sephora beauty store inside the department store this year. JC Penney already has almost 600 Sephora stores around the country, including Visalia and Fresno, and now the well known brand will be opening in Hanford, said JC Penney General Manager Tom Lyon. “We expect them to start construction inside the store in February and be open by Mothers Day.”
Lyon said the new addition “ is very good news for the Hanford store” since the high-end makeup company has “such a popular line of beauty products — items we don’t have now.”
Lyon says the new line “is a way for us to capture new business including attracting more millennials here.” Sephora will add its own employees to staff the store that will carry the signature look of the chain. Sephora inside JC Penney stores feature the Beauty Studio, Sephora’s exclusive destination for free one-on-one beauty sessions with experts.
Lyon says the Hanford JC Penney “had a vey good Christmas.” Asked if the Hanford store might be in line for an upgraded appliance section as is being done in other locations, Lyon said, “it’s not for sure yet but there is a very good chance we will get that addition as well.”