Jim von Maur

President, Von Maur

HEADQUARTERS Davenport, Iowa

TYPE OF BUSINESS Department store retailer

NUMBER OF STORES 35 in 11 states (27 Von Maur stores, eight Dry Goods stores)

Seventeen years ago, in the January 1996 issue of Chain Store Age, Jack Arth, who at the time was president of Von Maur, explained how the circa 1928 department store retailer set out to differentiate itself from competitors such as the then hugely influential Federated and May chains.

Some are merchants, with long careers in brick-and-mortar stores. Others are tech trailblazers, using new media to match merchandise and buyers. Others are influencing retail in less direct, but no less significant, ways. All share an ability to create new opportunities and, in their own way, are looking to reinvent the shopping experience. And all wield a great deal of influence in today’s complex retail landscape.

Seattle -- Nordstrom announced plans to open Nordstrom Rack stores in the Milwaukee suburb of Wauwatosa, Wis.; Ann Arbor, Mich., and Columbus, Ohio.

It will be the retailer's first location in the state of Wisconsin.

The approximately 36,000-sq.-ft. store in Wauwatosa, Wis., is scheduled to open in spring 2014 at The Mayfair Collection, a 250,000-sq.-ft. planned adaptive reuse development of a former industrial complex and distribution center.

In an effort to promote retail entrepreneurism among today’s youth, Jones Lang LaSalle is inviting kids ranging from six to 15 years of age to participate in its “Kids, Inc.” program. The program will be hosted at select Jones Lang LaSalle-managed shopping centers throughout the United States.