Preliminary results show that retailers had a less than stellar holiday season and seasonal growth figures are likely to come in under initial expectations. The International Council of Shopping Centers reported that sales at U.S. chain stores increased by 2.8 percent over last year in the last week in December, a highly anticipated indicator because shoppers return to the malls to cash in their holiday gift cards and take advantage of post-holiday sales. “For December, we continue to expect sales to increase by about 2.5 percent,” said Michael Niemira, ICSC’s chief economist. The ICSC had earlier lowered its holiday sales forecast to 2.5 percent from an initial projection of 3 percent same-store sales growth.

Government Relations Committee Meeting 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Chamber Conference Room 10038 Old Depot Plaza Road, Chatsworth (818) 341-2428 chatsworthchamber.com

1105 Media Inc., the Chatsworth-based publisher and trade-event producer has made two acquisitions. The company acquired the assets of Fawcette Technical Publications Inc., publisher of Visual Studio Magazine and producer of international conferences for an undisclosed sum. FTP will be folded into 1105 Media’s Redmond Media Group, which includes Redmond Magazine and other publications, Web sites and conferences. 1105 also acquired The CPM Group, a producer of contingency planning and management conferences and information products. CPM, based in Lambertville, N.J., will become part of the Security Products division of 1105. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Bloomfield, Colo.-based Level 3 Communications Inc. has shelled out $135 million for the content delivery network services business of SAVVIS Inc., the company announced. The deal for the Thousand Oaks-based content delivery network is expected to close before March. The CDN business employs 50 people and has more 100 customers. The business unit assists in improvement of performance, reliability, scalability and reach of customers’ online content. “The acquisition will enable Level 3 to better address the increasing opportunity presented by rich media applications such as video, Web 2.0 applications, multiplayer online gaming and software as a service over the Internet,” said company President and Chief Operating Office Kevin O’Hara, in a statement. The purchase price includes certain assets, including network elements, customer contracts, and intellectual property used in the content delivery network business.

The owners of a Sherman Oaks medical practice have purchased a San Diego hospital. Plymouth Health, a physician-owned practice formed by Drs. Pejman Salimpour and Pedram Salimpur, will pay an undisclosed sum for the 306-bed Alvarado Hospital Medical Center. The seller was Dallas-based Tenet Healthcare Corp., which announced the sale this spring as part of an agreement to pay more than $20 million to settle allegations that the hospital was paying kickbacks to doctors in exchange for patient referrals. Plymouth Health also owns Encino-based CareNex Health Services. Tenet also owns Encino-Tarzana Regional Medical Center.

Camarillo Chamber of Commerce Networking Lunch The Crab House 350 N. Lantana St., Camarillo (805) 484-4383, ext. 4 camarillochamber.org

A new study has found nearly two in five bosses lie and more than a fourth gossip with co-workers about those they supervise. Read about it on MSN Money.

A Camarillo-based company has been awarded construction management responsibilities for Habitat for Humanity’s Jimmy Carter Work Project. The assignment includes three projects totaling 35 new homes in the greater L.A. area. S.L. Leonard & Associates will provide consulting services in addition to management services. The company is also working on the construction of a new Camarillo Library, the University of Judaism Library and Chapel expansion, POST Modern Museum in Las Vegas and other projects.

In the Bay Area, a number of companies have entered the fray to wage battle with a local institution: Google. Click here to read about it in The New York Times.

Newhall Land & Farming is getting a new majority owner. A joint venture between Lennar Corp. and LNR Property Corp., is selling a 62 percent stake in its LandSource Communities Development LLC unit, whose primary investment is with Newhall. The deal, for about $1.3 billion in cash and property, will be split evenly between Lennar and LNR. The buyer, MW Housing Partners, will have just 50 percent voting control of the venture, Lennar said. Lennar and LNR will also retain rights of first offer to purchase property owned by LandSource. Lennar, a home builder, and LNR, a commercial real estate company, will also continue to be responsible for day-to-day operations management. A joint venture of the two companies acquired Newhall Land in 2004 for about $1 billion. MW Housing Partners is co-managed by MacFarlane Partners and includes the California Public Employees Retirement System, CalPers. The deal, subject to regulatory and other approvals, is expected to close in February.