Strategy

Eloquii is making the leap to physical retailing — with more than one location.    The plus-size fashion brand is set to open a store at The Fashion Centre at Pentagon City, Arlington, Va., followed by a location in downtown Chicago, and one at Easton Town Center, in Columbus, Ohio, which will open in September, reported The Columbus Dispatch.   

The CEO of Hudson's Bay Company, the managing director of Harrods, and the president of Pinterest will be among the featured speakers at Shoptalk Europe.    The event will take place on October 9-11, 2017, at The Bella Center in Copenhagen. It will feature more than 125 speakers, according to organizers, with 75% of the speakers being C-level executives, including 65 CEOs. More than 2,000 attendees are expected.   

Westlake Ace Hardware has officially hit the 100-store milestone with the acquisition of two new stores.   The hardware store chain has finalized its acquisition of two Q.P. Ace Hardware stores in the Omaha area, bringing its total retail hardware location count in the U.S. to 100.  

A Target veteran has joined the leadership team of Caribou Coffee.      John Butcher, who most recently served as senior VP merchandising: beauty and DermStore, has been tapped as president of Caribou Coffee. Butcher joined Target in 1997, working his way up through the ranks serving in various operations and merchandising roles, including serving as VP and general merchandise manager, electronics.     

Mark Tritton, Target’s executive VP and chief merchandising officer, discussed the retailer's new exclusive brands in a posting on the company's corporate website. Here are some key excerpts:    What’s the inspiration behind these new brands?

Target Corp. is doubling down on its efforts to distinguish itself with exclusive brands and to be a leader in two key categories.     The discounter revealed in a posting on its web site that it will launch three new apparel brands and one new home goods brand in its stores and online this fall.    

Amazon has brought the saying, “Christmas in July” to life with its Prime Day global shopping extravaganza and this year's event promises to be bigger than ever.   

Amazon has completed its acquisition of e-commerce company souq.com, a leader in the Middle East's online shopping market. The deal, which was initially announced in March, closed for $580 million in cash, according to filings with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission.   

The RoomPlace growing its store portfolio.   The family-owned company has opened a new showroom and warehouse distribution center in Indianapolis. The location is part of a strategic initiative to expand the furniture retailer's footprint in the city.   The new outpost also marks The RoomPlace's 25th store, with locations across Illinois and Indiana. It is one of the company's largest, at over 70,000 sq. ft. features a 16,000-sq.-ft. clearance center.