The store is being built at the northeast corner of Monte Vista Drive and Bundy Canyon Road, just east of Interstate 15. Plans call for a 185,682-square-foot retail center that is expected to bring expanded shopping options to local residents, including groceries, pharmacy services, household essentials and other everyday items.

The project has been in the works for years. Although the site received approval back in 2015, development did not move forward at the time and the project faced the possibility of losing its entitlements. Over the last year, city officials said efforts were made to work with the property owner and developer to help move the long-delayed project toward construction.

City leaders are describing the new store as one of the most significant private investments in Wildomar to date. In addition to adding retail services, the development is expected to generate hundreds of construction and permanent jobs while helping strengthen the city’s tax base.

Wildomar has seen steady growth since officially incorporating in 2008. Once a smaller community with limited retail and commercial development, the city has expanded considerably over the years. Recent Census estimates show the population has grown substantially since cityhood, while the local landscape has continued to add more businesses, medical services and commercial centers.

Officials say the Walmart project fits into broader efforts to support economic development and improve access to shopping opportunities within the city. Its location along the Monte Vista Drive and Bundy Canyon Road corridor is also seen as important, as the area serves as a key entry point into Wildomar and has been the focus of ongoing infrastructure and transportation improvements.

No official completion date for the new store has been announced.

If you want, I can also make this more “front page newspaper” style with a stronger headline and tighter local-news tone.

The post New Retail Center Planned Near Menifee Border to Boost Local Economy appeared first on The Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle.

“Organized retail theft hurts businesses, employees, and the public — and this criminal activity will not be tolerated in California,” said Attorney General Rob Bonta. “Today we take another step toward tackling this issue by announcing the arrests and felony charges against individuals alleged to be participants in an organized criminal scheme targeting retailers throughout our state. I want to thank the California Highway Patrol and our retail partners for their collaboration and help in this investigation. As our state’s chief law enforcement officer, I will continue to aggressively pursue and hold accountable those who participate in organized retail theft.”

“The CHP is proud of the partnership and collaboration our Organized Retail Crime Task Force has with our local law enforcement partners, the Department of Justice, and the retail industry in identifying, investigating, and prosecuting organized retail theft rings,” said CHP Commissioner Amanda Ray. “This case exemplifies law enforcement’s collective commitment to enhance public safety throughout the state of California. I applaud the efforts of our investigators who have worked tirelessly on this case which resulted in the arrests and recovery of the stolen merchandise.”

“Organized Retail Crime impacts all retailers from small businesses to national chains. ORC hurts consumers, endangers our employees, and impacts the neighborhoods where retailers operate,” said Rachel Michelin, President, California Retailers Association. “We appreciate the work of the ORC Taskforces and the Attorney General who shares our belief that prosecution and enforcement of these cases can deter this behavior. ORC is very real and impacts our most vulnerable communities. The work of the ORC Taskforce and the Attorney General, in partnership with retailers, is a positive example of how collaboration and communication can stem the tide of retail theft in California.”

As part of the scheme targeted during Monday’s search and arrest operation, the suspects allegedly stole and transported hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of goods, held the items, and shipped them internationally. These suspects are charged with conspiracy to commit a felony, organized retail theft, grand theft, possession of stolen property, and a special allegation alleging that the theft totaled more than $100,000. The additional three suspects arrested and charged on Tuesday are charged with possession of stolen merchandise. The suspects were charged in the Los Angeles County Superior Court.

California and states across the country have seen a pattern of organized retail crime. According to a 2020 national survey, U.S. retailers lose approximately $700,000 per every $1 billion in sales to organized retail crime. Attorney General Bonta and law enforcement partners throughout the state proactively collaborate to end organized retail crime. In December 2021, Attorney General Bonta announced the sentencing of a group involved in organized retail theft in the Bay Area. In December, Attorney General Bonta brought together retailers and law enforcement to address the challenge of organized retail theft and develop strategies for combating this criminal activity head-on.

It is important to note that a criminal complaint contains charges that are only allegations against a person. Every defendant is presumed innocent unless or until proven guilty.

Suspects charged with stealing from major retailers in Los Angeles, Alameda, Fresno, Kern, Orange, Riverside, Sacramento, San Bernardino, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Ventura counties.

Find your latest news here at the Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle

The post Attorney General Bonta Announces Felony Charges Against Members of Statewide Organized Retail Theft Ring appeared first on The Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle.

NEW YORK (AP) — When Rose Ingleton launched her own namesake skincare line two years ago, she couldn’t break into the big chains and was forced to use her own funds and get financial help from family and friends.

But things changed after the nationwide Black Lives Matter protests last year. Ingleton, a Manhattan-based Black dermatologist with more than 20 years of experience, reconnected with beauty chain Sephora and now her products can be found on the retailer’s website as well as at Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue.

“There was this sudden awareness,” Ingleton said. “I am now at the top food chain. I’m now getting ready to approach deeper pocket investors.”

As corporations continue to face a racial reckoning, the beauty industry is trying to address the criticism that it centers too many of its products around whiteness by pushing more items onto store shelves that better represent the diverse women they serve.

Retailers from Sephora to Walmart and Target have focused on increasing their offerings of Black-owned brands across all categories as a key strategy to combat racial bias. They’re also developing entrepreneurship programs and trying to create a pipeline of new talent.

More than 20 companies including Sephora and most recently Ulta Beauty have signed onto a nationwide campaign called 15 Percent Pledge, which aims to have companies from all industries commit to at least 15% of their products on their shelves to Black-owned businesses — in line with the U.S. Black population.

Plenty more have not yet signed it, but some are forging their own path. Target, for instance, said it currently has 50 Black-owned and Black-founded beauty brands, with plans to continue increasing that number as part of its broader commitment to add more than 500 Black-owned brands by the end of 2025.

Retailers can’t afford to ignore this lucrative segment.

Last year, Hispanic consumers spent 6.1% more on beauty and other items compared with 2019, while Blacks spent 5.4% more, according to NielsenIQ. That pace exceeded the 3.5% increase for the total U.S. population.

And while NPD Group Inc. found that Black-owned brands represent just 4% of sales in prestige makeup, they performed 1.5 to 4 times better in May, June and July 2020 — during the peak months of the Black Lives Matter movement — than the rest of the market, reversing their declines and reflecting a consumer appetite to support such businesses.

Still, overall progress has been slow. Ulta wants to double the number of Black-owned brands to 26 by year-end, but that will only get the penetration to 5%, says its chief merchandising officer Monica Arnaudo. Ulta and Sephora say they want to make sure the brands are financially successful.

Black entrepreneurs also argue they continue to be pigeon-holed by retailers and investors who think their products are only for women of color. And beauty brands catering to women of color continue in some cases to be locked up in stores — even after a number of stores including Walmart, CVS Health and Walgreens pledged last year they would end that practice.

Taydra Mitchell Jackson is the marketing director of The Lip Bar, a Black-owned brand based in Detroit, Michigan that’s now in more than 1,200 stores including Target and Walmart. She says retailers have to be careful not to think of adding merchandise from Black owners as just a token gesture.

“Merchandising is critical, but messaging and how I feel when I walk in the store are just as important,” Jackson said.

She noted some social media influencers complaining about Lip Bar items being locked up at Walmart, “creating a feeling of being inferior.” The brand is following up with the company.

Walmart responded that it does “not tolerate discrimination of any kind at Walmart. We serve millions of customers weekly, crossing all demographics, and are focused on meeting their needs while providing the best shopping experience at each store.”

The problems facing Black-owned brands are not new.

Beauty brands for Black women have been around for years, but they’ve struggled to get shelf space in stores, says Tiffany Gill, an associate professor of history at Rutgers University who wrote a book called “Beauty Shop Politics: African American Women’s Activism in the Beauty Industry.”

“The fantasy of beauty has often been constructed around a celebration of white bodies,” Gill said. “And to even have makeup for darker skinned women or to put them in campaigns in visible ways means to completely undermine the whole foundation of the industry.”

Even when brands did create makeup for darker skin shades, those products would be sold online instead of stores.

“As a black consumer, you often do not have the opportunity to have the in-store retail experience,” Gill said.

Things began to change in 2017, when pop superstar Rihanna launched her Fenty Beauty makeup line. In two years, it became one of the top 10 selling beauty brands, alongside decades-old brands such as Mary Kay and L’Oreal-owned Urban Decay, says market research firm Euromonitor. Other companies took notice, adding more shades for darker skin or promising to give more shelf space to Black-owned brands in stores.

Still, it wasn’t until last summer’s Black Lives Matter protests that Black-owned brands started to see more interest from investors and retailers.

As of mid-2020, a study by a resource called digitalundivided identified 183 Black and Hispanic women founders who had secured at least $1 million in investor backing for their businesses, more than double the number in 2018, says Lauren Maillian, CEO of digitalundivided, which has a data base of more than 800 Black and Hispanic-women-founded companies.

But it also found that these women received less than half of 1% of venture capital investment. That’s even as their failure rate in its data base is 27% — lower than the 40% national fail rate for startups founded in 2017.

Black entrepreneur Monique Rodriguez, who co-founded natural hair care company Mielle Organics, saw her sales increase at a faster rate last year over previous years. And this year, she secured a big investment from Boston-based private equity firm Berkshire Partners.

“I don’t think it will fade,” she said of the efforts to diversify beauty. ”It is here to stay, but we have to put forth an effort that our voices continue to be heard. “

Find your latest news here at the Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle

The post Retailers shine a spotlight on Black-owned beauty brands appeared first on The Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle.