All updates from the month of March 2006 are listed below.

Natick Lord & Taylor survives closings
Written by Justin on March 15, 2006 at 11:16PM

• Federated has chosen to shutter 5 of the 54 remaining Lord & Taylor stores as a result of poor performance, but the Natick outlet will remain for now. Locally, only Lord & Taylor's Northshore Mall location will close, and one shuttered location in Philadelphia will be converted into a Macy's. Federated is planning to have agreements to sell both the Lord & Taylor chain and bridal group divisions, both of which were operated by May pre-merger, by the end of the year.
• The MWDN reports on these closings at http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/businessNews/view.bg?articleid=124148.

PetSmart coming to Shoppers World
Written by Justin on March 15, 2006 at 11:24PM

• PetSmart has announced that they will open a new store this fall at Shoppers World. The store will open in the space that was formerly home to OfficeMax, which closed late last year. But along with the regular store, the new PetSmart will also include a "PetsHotel"; which acts as an upscale kennel service with TV programming for pets, areas to receive calls from owners, and private rooms. Locally, the store will compete with Petco and Pet World at Sherwood Plaza, and Especially For Pets locations in Sudbury and Wayland.
  
• Renovations for the new store will begin in May, with a store opening expected for mid-November 2006. The MWDN reports on the announcement at http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/businessNews/view.bg?articleid=124219.
  

Natick Mall gets new GM
Written by Justin on March 15, 2006 at 11:35PM

• GM David Faulkner was recently replaced with a former area resident. Frank Lazorchak was the first general manager of the Copley Place mall in Boston, and has also worked on several mixed-use shopping centers around the Northeast. Meanwhile, Faulkner is headed to Arkansas to work on the Pinnacle Hills Promenade, an new lifestyle center, in Rogers.
• The MWDN has a full story at http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/businessNews/view.bg?articleid=123512
  

Cloverleaf Apartments gain approval
Written by Justin on March 15, 2006 at 11:46PM

• The Natick Mall condos aren't all that's being built in the Golden Triangle. Natick has finally given approval to the "Cloverleaf Apartments" project. The 10-floor building will consist of 183 units, 25% of which will qualify as affordable housing. Following much argument between the two sides in the past, it appears that the project is finally coming together. While the Cloverleaf group had attempted to sue the town of Natick in the past over legal fees, that suit has now been dropped.
• More information can be found through the Natick Bulletin & Tab at http://www.townonline.com/natick/localRegional/view.bg?articleid=442471.
  

Natick Mall condos gain final approval
Written by Justin on March 15, 2006 at 11:41PM

• On March 2nd, the Natick Mall received final approval for construction of 215 new condominiums to be built alongside the Natick Mall expansion. While retail-wise, the condominiums mean little, they represent the final component of the Natick Mall's expansion project, slated to cost $600 million dollars. They are expected to open in tandem with the new mall in late 2007.
  
• The MetroWest Daily News has a story at http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/localRegional/view.bg?articleid=123421.