Strategy

West Elm has announced the newest location for its fledgling West Elm Hotels portfolio.   The company, a division of Williams-Sonoma, is teaming up with Signature Development Group and Jordan Real Estate Investments to develop a hotel in Oakland, Calif. Expected to open in 2020, the hotel will be located in Oakland’s Uptown neighborhood, and will celebrate the rich diversity and history of the location.   

J. Crew is entering into a deal that it expects will put it one step closer to improving its business.   The fashion retailer has won the support of more than 50% of its term loan holders to trim its $2 billion debt load and end intellectual property litigation. This was according to sources familiar with the situation, according to Reuters.  

Despite the many sales that showrooming has afforded Amazon over the years, the retailer surely doesn't want to become a victim going forward.  

The Kroger Co. lowered its earnings guidance amid a decline in Q1 same-store sales as price competition in the supermarket industry intensifies.    Sales rose 4.9% to a better-than-expected $36.3 billion for the quarter ended May 20, up from $34.6 billion last year. Same-store sales excluding fuel declined 0.2%, the second consecutive quarter of decline.  

German discount grocery retailer Lidl made its hotly-awaited debut in the United States on Thursday, opening the first nine of 20 locations it plan to open over the summer.  The chain expects to have 100 stores up and running within a year.   

Scads of national retail chains are seeing their concepts fade out, but regional malls are still firmly in the picture.   That’s the diagnosis put forth in a report titled “Why Mall Reuse is Just Beginning,” from the entrepreneur-driven real estate firm Transwestern. Some key data points include: *Regional malls have had positive net absorption since 2010, with the only blip in absorption occurring in 2009, at the height of the recession.

A new market study finds that Costco Wholesale Club's online prices are lower than Amazon's -- and not by an insignificant amount.

A J.C. Penney store is going to be displaced by a fancy fitness club.   Simon announced that the J.C. Penney store at Southdale Center, in Edina, Minn., will close and be replaced by a Life Time fitness center, or ‘athletic resort.’ Expected to open in early 2019, the three-level facility will be operated by Life Time, which currently runs 123 centers in the United States. The centers are designed as one-stop fitness shops offering tennis, swimming, basketball, and yoga along with weight loss and nutrition education.

The Honey Baked Ham Company has tapped a veteran marketer -- and former associate -- to head up its marketing efforts.    The retailer named Jo Ann Herold as chief marketing officer, effective June 12, 2017. Herold returns after previously working with the brand for 16 years. She will lead strategic marketing directing development and execution for retail, franchise and e-commerce to generate continued demand for products and participation with the brand.     

At Home, the fast-growing home decor and accessories retailer, continues to grow its store presence.   The retailer has opened its first Massachusetts location, in Seekonk. It's one of 25 stores the chain will open this year.