Marketing

New York City’s transformation of an old warehouse district into a Jetson-esque neighborhood of the future begins in earnest this week with leasing beginning at the 33-story One Hudson Yards residential tower.   “One Hudson Yards was curated for those who seek an elevated sense of living,” said Benjamin Joseph, Executive VP of Related Companies, developer and leasing agent for the massive project.   

Ralph Lauren starts its new fiscal year in much the same way as it ended the last one: with sales lines splashed with red ink to indicate the severe declines across most divisions of the company. Some of this would be excusable if the iconic brand were at the start of a journey of reinvention, but this comes after multiple attempts to get the firm back on track - most of which have proved to be fruitless.  

Ralph Lauren Corp. posted better-than-expected results for its first quarter as it kept tight control on its inventory and promotions. But despite the company's efforts at reinvention, sales dropped 13.2%.   

Abercrombie & Fitch Co. has brought its updated store environment to Tysons Corner Center, Tysons, Va.   The location is one of seven new concept stores the retailer will open by yearend. Abercrombie debuted the new look in February, at Polaris Fashion Mall in Columbus, Ohio. It has also opened at Lenox Square, Atlanta, Georgia, and at Somerset North, Troy, Michigan (Somerset North).  

Simon is debuting a new type of concierge — one that never calls in sick.   The mall owner launched a chatbot designed to deliver customers at its 208 North American centers useful information as they shop.  Described as the industry’s first enterprise-wide bot, the artificial intelligence-based technology is available through Facebook Messenger, and provides store and restaurant information, hours of operation, special events, daily promotions and a list of available amenities.  

One of the nation's leading supermarket executives has tapped a retail and digital veteran to join its team.    Albertsons Companies appointed Kevin Turner, former COO at Microsoft, as vice chairman of the board of managers of AB Acquisition, its direct parent. Turned has also been named senior advisor to Albertsons chairman and CEO, Bob Miller.  

Aldi has extended its partnership with Nielsen to gain more shopper and advertising effectiveness insight.    Nielsen and Aldi announced an expanded multi-year relationship for integrated analytics data around shopper panel, custom retail analytics and advertising effectiveness. Under the agreement, Nielsen will be Aldi's preferred data and analytics provider, covering the chains' nearly 1,700 stores in 35 states across the U.S.  

Alibaba Group Holding is expanding its online travel footprint.  

Hunter, best known for its signature rain boots, is expanding its fledgling retail footprint.   The iconic British brand will make its North American freestanding retail debut in October, at Yorkdale Shopping Centre in Toronto.   

FedEx is giving its customers an early holiday gift — while taking a stab at its rival UPS.   The delivery service announced that it will forego additional surcharges on deliveries this holiday season — unless packages require additional handling, are oversized or unauthorized. FedEx made the decision based on the growing volume of large packages moving through the FedEx Ground network during the holidays.