Strategy

BevMo has made a move to further boost its store experience.   Matt Navarro was named senior VP of operations for the beverage retailer, responsible for all store operations, customer service and loss prevention. In this position, Navarro will be tasked with elevating BevMo’s in-store shopping experience, including driving customer loyalty, enhancing its service model and strengthening employee development programs.  

A 50,000-sq.-ft. former Rite Aid store in what was not long ago a rough-and-tumble area of the South Bronx has sold for $17.5 million.   The buyer, an affiliate of ABCAPSTONE plans to redevelop the building — now occupied by a Salvation Army Family Store — into as much as 100,000 sq. ft. of retail space.  

Coinciding with its recently announced growth plan, Dollar General opened a new distribution center.    The new $100 million facility resides in Janesville, Wisconsin. It is the company’s 14th warehouse. The approximately 1 million-sq.-ft. depot, which began shipping merchandise in January, serves approximately 800 stores in nine states in the upper Midwest, and employs more than 500 employees. Along with more than 130 store locations in the state, Dollar General now has more than 1,300 employees in the state of Wisconsin.

As H&M braces for the opening of its first Arket store, it is already putting a plan in motion for its second location.   The fast-fashion chain announced in March that is plans to launch its new brand, Arket, in early fall. Arket, H&M’s first new brand in three years, will feature merchandise men, women and children, and a smaller, curated assortment of home goods.  

Walmart is no stranger to innovation. However, when defining the secret to the company’s success, Walmart’s chief executive Doug McMillon said he just has to look within the company’s proverbial four walls.  

Even with a jump in sales, unanticipated operating expenses and e-commerce snafus took a toll on Boot Barn’s fourth quarter for fiscal 2017.   

High-end kitchenware retailer Sur La Table is on a mission to optimize its individual market and expansion strategies.   “Now, more than ever, being able to localize is the key to success,” said Ben Rosenfeld, senior VP of stores at Sur La Table.