News Briefs

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Buckle and American Eagle Outfitters have joined the tenant list at Gainesville’s oldest and most notable destination.

Both brands debuted this month at Butler Town Center, part of the 1.5 million-sq.-ft. Butler Shopping Center District owned and operated by the Butler family, which has an 80-plus-year retail history in the city that is home to the University of Florida.

American Eagle and Buckle — both known for their on-trend apparel and accessories — cut the ribbon on their stores in the last few weeks.

“Buckle and American Eagle are both strong lifestyle brands that resonate with a wide range of shoppers,” said Deborah Butler, president of Butler Enterprises. “Together they offer apparel for men, women, and children in one convenient location, making them a natural fit for Butler Town Center and further strengthening our fashion lineup.”

American Eagle’s location in the Butler Town Center portion of the retail complex sits across from its sister brand Aerie. Both chains are part of AEO Inc., which also owns Todd Snyder and Offline.

The Butler Shopping Center District — which is made up of Butler Plaza, Butler North, and Butler Town Center — draws 20 million visitors annually, according to the company.

A plus-size women’s apparel and intimates retailer is tailoring online customer experiences in real time.

Lane Bryant is deploying Metrical online personalization technology in an effort to deliver personalized content and targeted incentives only when they create incremental value, avoiding unnecessary discounting. Utilizing the Metrical solution, the retailer can adjust messaging, guidance and offers based on each shopper's behavior and intent. 

This includes personalized content designed to help customers rediscover products, make fit and styling decisions, and navigate digital shopping, with targeted and personalized promotions offered when an incentive is determined to be likely to change an outcome.

"Personalization should make shopping easier and more meaningful, not noisier. Metrical's approach lets us meet customers where they are — sometimes with helpful guidance, sometimes with an offer — but always with intent," said Miche Dwenger, VP of e-commerce at Lane Bryant.

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According to Lane Bryant, its objective is not to show more promotions, but fewer, better ones in an initiative to eliminate unnecessary discounting while improving relevance and protecting margin. The retailer can activate approved personalization across key touchpoints such as homepage, category pages, product detail pages, and cart without undertaking any engineering work or site changes. 

In addition, Lane Bryant can continuously measure incremental impact and better understand which personalized experiences truly influenced outcomes.

"The Lane Bryant team knows its customer and its brand." said Zabe Agha, founder and CEO of Metrical. "Our role is to help them go beyond boiler-plate personalization and provide real, impactful dynamic content—showing the right experience to the right shopper, while avoiding unnecessary incentives and preserving long-term value."

Roots Corp. said it has begun a strategic review to identify opportunities to maximize value for all shareholders.

The Canadian clothing retailer said its board will analyze and evaluate a range of alternatives, including, but not limited to, a sale of the company. In a statement, Roots cautioned that there is no assurance the review will result in any specific transaction, underscoring uncertainty for investors and other stakeholders about the outcome and timing of any potential deal.

Roots has over over 100 corporate retail stores in Canada, two stores in the United States and more than 100 partner-operated stores in Asia. 

[READ MORE: Roots names new chief commercial officer]

The company has engaged J.P. Morgan Securities Canada Inc. as its financial advisor and Torys LLP as its legal advisor for the Strategic Review.

Aldi is set to touch down in its 40th state as it continues its ambitious expansion plans.

The fast-growing discount grocer will open its first store in Maine on March 26 in Portland, the state’s largest city. Local residents will now have access to Aldi’s selection of private label organic meats, produce, seafood, snacks and more in the retailer’s small format store.

In January, Aldi announced plans to open more than 180 new stores across 31 states this year, pushing it closer to its goal of 3,200 stores by the end of 2028. Markets slated for expansion include Colorado, Las Vegas, Phoenix and the Southeast region.

Aldi also said it would open three new distribution centers within the next three years. By 2028, the chain will have invested $9 billion over five years to expand its store footprint, strengthen its supply chain and upgrade its online shopping experience.

"We are thrilled to be expanding into the state of Maine as a part of our expansion in the Northeast,” said Chris Daniels, regional VP for Aldi. “At our new Portland Aldi store, shoppers will notice a smaller, easy-to-shop store layout filled with a carefully selected range of products to provide them with exactly what they need. As more people look for better ways to stretch their dollar further, we’re excited to bring quality groceries at the lowest possible prices to Portland.”

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Headquartered in Batavia, Ill., Aldi U.S. operates approximately 2,600 stores nationwide. 

Wayfair Inc. continues to expand in brick-and-mortar.

The online home furnishings giant will open its second large-format Wayfair store on March 31, at The District at Howell Mill in Atlanta. The approximate 150,000-sq.-ft. store is described as a one-stop shop for all things home, with furniture, home decor, outdoor living, housewares, appliances and home improvement products for every style and budget. It also features an all-day cafe. 

Wayfair opened its first large-format store in in May 2024 at Edens Plaza in Wilmette, Ill. In addition to the Atlanta outpost, the company is on track to open large-format stores at The Shops at Northfield in Denver, in late 2026, and at Ridge Hill in Yonkers, N.Y., in early 2027. 

Wayfair also plans to test a smaller-store format. In November, the company announced it would open a 70,000-sq.-ft. prototype in Columbus, Ohio, in late 2026.

Wayfair said it will use the Columbus store to evaluate how a smaller footprint can drive customer engagement and efficiency while maintaining inspiration and convenience. Many products will be available for immediate take-home, with larger items such as sofas, dining sets and outdoor furniture available for home delivery.

Wayfair’s brands include Wayfair, AllModern, Perigold, Birch Lane, Joss & Main and Wayfair Professional.