Strategy

That sound of nervous pacing you hear every night at 3 a.m.? It’s America’s retail executives. They’re feeling the pressures of a rapidly evolving sales landscape and trying to figure out how to stay one step ahead — or just keep up.   From demanding consumers who expect a bargain at every turn to new technologies, from an aggressive e-commerce marketplace to a U.S. economy that refuses to kick into gear with any consistency, the challenges retailers are facing demand a shift in thinking and strategy.

Unsecured creditors of Sports Authority said in court papers that the bankrupt retailer should not waste its dwindling funds preparing a plan to end its Chapter 11.     The unsecured creditors argued the company, which filed Chapter 11 in March, is "administratively insolvent," meaning it cannot even pay the cost of running its bankruptcy case, Reuters reported.  

Central Florida developer Butler Enterprises named Joey Mandese its director of development. He will oversee all elements — from design through construction--of the redevelopment of Butler Town Center, a Main Street-style, mixed-use complex going up in Gainesville.   Formerly the owner of a construction business in Gainesville, Mandese studied architecture for two years before earning a degree in building construction and the University of Florida.   

Amazon.com is continuing its rapid pace of distribution infrastructure expansion with a planned new center in Houston.   The 855,000-sq.-ft. fulfillment center will employ more than 1,000 full-time workers. Employees will pick, pack and ship smaller customer items, such as books, electronics and toys.  

A brand known for its low, low prices and high volume has opened its fifth U.S. store.   Primark has opened at PREIT’s Willow Grove Park Mall in the Philadelphia suburb of Willow Grove, Pennsylvania. This is the second Primark location in the Philadelphia region. The store occupies 58,300 sq. ft. of space previously occupied by Sears on the second and third floors of the southwest side of the mall.  It features 59 fitting rooms and 47 registers, recharge areas, as well as a fashion "trend room.”  

Build-A-Bear Workshop is teaming up with one of the world’s leading cruse lines.   The retailer has entered into a partnership with Carnival Cruise Line to bring its retail-entertainment experience to the line's fleet.    The first Build-A-Bear Workshop At Sea will debut aboard Carnival Dream, and is expected to be in place aboard all 25 Carnival ships by summer 2017.    

Photo: Adam Ketcheson, VP marketing and business-to-consumer   A company named after the first reptile to develop the feather for flight is expanding its store portfolio.    Arc’teryx Equipment, a manufacturer and retailer of high-performance outdoor apparel and equipment, has opened a 2,300-sq.-ft. flagship in New York City’s SoHo neighborhood. It is the company’s seventh fully-owned retail store in North America, with two more locations to open by yearend. 

The first fully autonomous drone delivery to a customer home has occurred, and the retailer behind it is not who you would expect.   Leading convenience chain 7-Eleven partnered with independent drone delivery service Flirtey and the Nevada Institute for Autonomous Systems (NIAS) to complete two deliveries from a store in Reno, Nevada on Sunday, July 10. 7-Eleven merchandise, including hot and cold food items, were loaded into a Flirtey drone delivery container and flown autonomously using precision GPS to a local customer’s house.

Some three years after he returned to save J.C. Penney, industry veteran Myron E. (Mike) Ullman will retire from the company on Aug. 1.    Ullman is passing the reins of chairman of Penney’s board of directors to current CEO Marvin R. Ellison. The succession is in accordance with a transition plan the company outlined in 2014.  

Marla and Barry Beck, Founders of Bluemercury, open 100th store (Photo: Business Wire)   Bluemercury is testing a larger format space.    The specialty beauty products and spa retailer announced the opening of its 100th store, in Savannah, Georgia.