Strategy

A major omnichannel advancement is coming soon to Petco’s more than 1,400 stores as the retailer works with Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions on a wide ranging initiative to integrate physical and digital operations.

Petco selected Toshiba’s omnichannel solution branded as TCxGravity to create a seamless commerce offering and improve the overall shopper experience, according to the companies.

The Disney Springs collection of retail and entertainment offerings in Lake Buena Vista, FL is home to the newest UGG brand flagship store.

Tops Friendly Markets, a Williamsville, New York-based supermarket chain with more than 170 stores in New York, Pennsylvania and Vermont, is making sure the last step in the path to purchase goes smoothly.

Tops is leveraging the Toshiba SurePOS ACE POS application to provide store shoppers with a convenient and integrated customer experience. During a nine-month chainwide rollout, the retailer replaced 20-plus-year-old POS terminals with the new Toshiba solution.

The demise of regional grocer Haggen has been a boon to Smart & Final which grew its store count by more than 10% after acquiring former Haggen locations.

Last December, Smart & Final acquired 33 Haggen lease locations and the company recently announced that it had opened all those locations under its Smart & Final Extra! banner.

Retailers’ margins could be under pressure during the first quarter as a new index tracking promotional selling shows full price sales have declined and promotional activity has increased.

Retailers are relying heavily on discounts and promotions so for this year, continuing the trend from the 2015 holiday season of pulling the promotional lever far too often, according an analysis of $5 billion in consumer transactions from January through March conducted by DynamicAction.

Veteran Bon-Ton Stores executive Michael Ricart has joined value-priced department store chain Gordman’s Stores as senior vice president of stores.

The newest concept in beauty retail is called The Glossary and it is arriving on more college campuses courtesy of Barnes & Noble College.

The Glossary concept was piloted at the Barnes & Noble Emory University and Southern Methodist University bookstores and more recently expanded to the campuses of Tulane University and the College of William & Mary. The newest location set to open in August will be on the campus of the University of California at Riverside.

Three new Gander Mountain stores are slated to open this fall in Colorado, Pennsyvania and Texas as the St. Paul, MN-based company looks to live up to its billing as the nation’s fastest-growing outdoor retailer.

The new stores, which range from 52,000 to 57,000 square feet are located in Parker, CO, Warrington Township, PA, and Frisco, TX and are among a group of 55 stores the company has opened since 2012, bringing its total store count to 160 units. The company has also remodeled roughly 85 locations since 2012.

Lowe’s takeover of Canadian home improvement chain gets regulatory OK With regulatory hurdles out of the way, Lowe's Cos. is one step closer to completing its acquisition of Canadian home improvement retailer Rona Inc. Lowe's has officially been granted approval under the Investment Canada Act and clearance from the Competition Bureau. Rone operates nearly 500 stores in Canada.

The chief financial officer of Tiffany & Co. is stepping down. The high-end jeweler disclosed in a regulatary filing that CFO Ralph Nicolette is resigning, effective May 20, 2016. Nicolette, who was appointed to the position In April 2014, is leaving to become CFO of consumer products company Newell Brands Inc. (Newell was formerly known as Newell Rubbermaid.) Prior to Tiffany, Nicolette was CFO of Cigna Corp., and Alberto Culver.