International Business

Walgreens Boots Alliance is piloting a retail vision care center within the Walgreens flagship in the Wrigley Building in Chicago, the company recently revealed, taking what has been a successful page out of its U.K.-based Boots Pharmacy division and applying that strategy to the U.S. market.  

Nasty Gal is moving ahead with plans to be acquired by a British online fast-fashion retailer.     

Los Angeles-based Nasty Gal, which filed for bankruptcy protection in November, may soon have a British owner.   Boohoo.com is bidding $20 million (£16.3 million) for the brand and its customer databases as the “stalking horse” candidate. Based in Manchester, England, Boohoo specializes in fast-fashion and targets teens and young women, the same audience as Nasty Gal.      

Novus, the shoe retailer with 40 years’ experience and 60 stores in Puerto Rico, has opened its first stateside location at Florida’s Pembroke Lakes Mall.   “Novus is aware of the importance of the South Florida market and the large Puerto Rican population of more than 300,000 currently residing in the area that has a close identification with the brand,” said Grupo Novus Marketing Director Sandra Castellon of the brands first steps into the U.S. market.  

Lifescapes International, an architectural landscape company that’s responsible for outdoor displays such as the Rockefeller Center Promenade and the Bellagio water show, is testing the boundaries of indoor greenery in the Philippines.  

French children’s clothing company Orchestra-Premaman SA has won its battle to acquire to acquire Destination Maternity Corp.    The deal calls for Orchestra to acquire Destination Maternity for about $7.05 a share, valuing the U.S. retailer at about $100 million according to its share count.  

CBL announced it has closed on a sale of three Tier 3 malls to Hull Property Group for a price of $32.25 million. Changing hands are the Randolph Mall in Asheboro, North Carolina, and the Regency Mall in Racine, Wisconsin.    The identity of the third property was not disclosed.  

The pressure is on for retailers to not only meet customer expectations, but to exceed them as differentiation in the retail industry becomes paramount. Amazon has raised the bar for expectations with offers such as same-day delivery and free shipping, as well as spread its influence to become one of the world’s biggest retailers.