Content about Retailing

May 20, 2013
Mall shoppers thrive on experience

Shopping malls continue to be popular with consumers because they offer hands-on shopping experience, according to results of a new survey from Glimcher Retail Monitor.

May 13, 2013
Colliers: Shopping centers national vacancy rate down in Q1

The national vacancy rate for shopping centers dropped slightly from 10.09% to 10.06% in the first quarter of 2013, according to a study by global real estate services company Colliers International.

May 9, 2013
Mixed-bag for retailers in April; TJX, Gap and The Buckle shine

TJX Cos., Gap Inc., The Buckle and Zumiez all reported better-than-expected same-store sales for April, even as concerns about the job market bit into other retailers’ results.

May 9, 2013
Survey: Consumers prefer customized in-store experiences over online

Checkout remains the number one in-store pain point for 73% of U.S. consumers, according to a survey by Synqera, a global technology startup that uses big data to bring personalized digital experiences to the physical retail store.

May 7, 2013
A Place for Everything

Irvine Co.'s The Market Place is too big for one city. It sprawls across two. Split in two by Jamboree Road, the southern half of the 120-store, 165-acre center resides in Irvine, Calif. The northern half is in Tustin.

The huge regional destination center combines open-air lifestyle retail with big-box retail. Nationally known value- and quality-driven store names offer apparel, books, electronics, fitness, groceries, home furnishings and decor, movie theaters, restaurants, various services, sporting goods, toys, and on and on.

May 7, 2013
Focus on: Mobility

After a successful pilot, Best Buy Canada is expanding its use of fully integrated, enterprise mobile point (mPOS) solutions on its selling floor. The new, tablet-based technology has improved customer service, including reducing checkout times, and staff productivity.

May 7, 2013
Getting Physical: Online Retailers Move Offline

Go offline, young man: That appears to be the mantra of e-commerce merchants these days.

As competition in the world of online retailing heats up — with Amazon's ever-burgeoning dominance posing the biggest threat — more pure-players are taking the brick-and-mortar plunge. It's a reminder, many experts say, of the strong appeal of the in-store experience — even when stacked up against the convenience of online shopping.

May 7, 2013
Hointer Is High-Tech, High-Feel

Robotics and smartphone app power Amazon vet's retail start-up

A Seattle-based retail start-up with an in-store backend robotic system and a smartphone app that rivals the convenience of an online shopping cart is generating big buzz these days. Founded and headed up by Nadia Shouraboura, former head of supply chain and fulfillment technologies for Amazon.com, Hointer combines the best of online and brick-and-mortar retailing to take the hassle out of shopping.

May 7, 2013
Next Steps For Retail Real Estate

Now, as the recession finally begins to lift, brick-and-mortar retailers are studying their real estate concepts and pondering what comes next.

Some will pare store counts, partially in response to online competition. Some will cut store square footage. Others are expanding store numbers and square footage. Some are expanding fulfillment center square footage. Some are not changing. Careful about that.

What are you doing? Is it what you should be doing?

What are retail real estate advisers and technology providers recommending?

May 6, 2013
A Fashion First

When The Mall at Bay Plaza opens to the public in 2014, adjacent to the highly successful outdoor Bay Plaza Shopping Center, it will be heralded as the first enclosed fashion mall in the New York City area in nearly 40 years.

April 25, 2013
IBM: 20% online growth in Q1

First quarter online shopping in 2013 grew more than 20% over the same period last year, and more than five times in-store sales growth, helping drive up department store and home goods purchases, according to the IBM Online Retail Index.

April 24, 2013
Retail Therapy? Not Anymore … With Technology, Shopping is More Stressful Than Ever

By Brian Gillespie, Continuum

April 18, 2013
Study: 76% of women prefer in-store shopping over smartphone

Research findings released by mobile-retail marketer Swirl found that a full 76% of women prefer shopping in stores over shopping via their smartphones.

April 15, 2013
Accenture Survey: Consumers want seamless experience across all channels

Retailers that deliver on their customers’ expectations and provide them with a seamless shopping experience – whether they are shopping in a store, online or through a mobile device – will win their loyalty and gain a competitive advantage that drives sales, according to new research by Accenture.

April 2, 2013
The Power of the Pop-Up: Is It Here to Stay?

Here’s an interesting take on pop-up stores by Felicity Pogson, associate design director, interiors, Dalziel & Pow, London:

March 28, 2013
Reinventing Retail: Hointer, Seattle

Imagine a store with a back staff of robots, where items appear, almost magically, in the fitting room. A store where customers pay for their purchases in their dressing rooms, without interacting with a single salesperson. You can stop imagining … check out Hointer, an apparel (mostly men’s jeans) shop in Seattle.

March 26, 2013
7-Eleven leases 17 stores in Cleveland area

7-Eleven will rebrand convenience stores in Ohio’s Cuyahoga and Lorain counties as part of a 19-store lease from Allentown, Pa.-based Lehigh Gas Partners LP.

March 26, 2013
Using In-Store Analytics to Combat Showrooming

By Tim Callan, RetailNext

March 26, 2013
Westlake Ace Hardware, Bolivar, Missouri

Westlake Ace Hardware is showing off a new, fresh design at its location in Bolivar, Missouri.

March 25, 2013
Family Dollar names merchandise operations exec

Family Dollar Stores said it has named Scott T. Zucker to the newly created position of SVP merchandise operations, charged with driving the strategy and execution of merchandise initiatives, category management, merchandise planning and replenishment.

March 22, 2013
Cornering the Market

The recent announcement that retail giant Walmart plans to open more than 100 of the brand’s Neighborhood Market stores in 2013, and as many as 500 Neighborhood Market locations over the next few years, has industry analysts and observers talking. They have my attention, as well.

March 22, 2013
New York & Company posts Q4 profit

New York & Company reported net income for the fourth quarter of $10.5 million, compared with a net loss in the prior year fourth quarter of $10.9 million.

March 15, 2013
Aeropostale posts Q4 loss; will open 60 kids stores in 2013

Aeropostale Inc. reported an unexpected loss for its fourth quarter, hurt by declining same-store sales and store asset impairment charges.

March 15, 2013
Top 10 Myths About Multichannel Retailing

The physical store remains the centerpiece of the purchase journey, according to a study by PwC. The report, "Demystifying the Online Shopper," addresses myths about multichannel retailing and offers some ideas to help retailers keep up with their customers. Here's a recap:

March 11, 2013
Dick’s to open 40 stores in 2013 and debut Field & Stream format

Dick's Sporting Goods Inc. forecast a full-year profit for the current fiscal year that was less than expected, and also revealed it will debut a new retail concept in fiscal 2013 under the Field & Stream banner.

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