Strategy

Some of the biggest names in retailing and foodservice used experiences to encourage a high percentage buyers to visit at least once last year.   Specifically, Walmart, McDonald’s and Target had more than five out of six U.S. consumers shopping with them in 2016, according to “The Checkout Penetration Index,” from The NPD Group’s Checkout Tracking.   

Five Below is making its West Coast debut.   The retailer will open stores on Friday, April 21, in Aliso Viejo, Anaheim, Compton, Hawthorne, Montebello, Fontana, Rancho Cucamonga, South Gate and Redlands. The stores mark the company’s first West Coast locations, bringing its reach to approximately 550 stores in 32 states.  

PetSmart is growing its brick-and-mortar footprint along with its digital one.   The retailer opened 30 stores across the U.S. and Canada in the quarter ending January 29, 2017, for a total of 70 new stores opened in fiscal 2016 to 73.  

Toys “R” Us reported declines in same-store sales for its fourth quarter and full year amid a highly competitive environment.   

Toys “R” Us is combining its business in Japan with its ones in Greater China and Southeast Asia.   In a joint venture between the toy retailer and Fung Retailing Limited, Toys “R” Us, Japan, which operates 160 stores in the country, will become part of Toys “R” Us, Asia Ltd., which operates 223 stores in Greater China and the Southeast Asia markets and licenses an additional 34 stores in the Philippines and Macau.     

Amazon Jeff Bezos is certainly not sitting back and relaxing in his company’s success.      As his annual letter to shareholders reveals, Bezos is spending a lot of time thinking how his company can remain vibrant and successful. The letter repeats a theme that the executive brought up in his letter last year: how to keep alive the animal spirits that led Amazon to greatness, reported the Seattle Times.  

Walmart has fired another shot at Amazon.   In a move that leverages the retail giant’s vast store and delivery networks and expanding online capabilities, Walmart, starting April 19, will begin offering a discount on merchandise that customers buy online and have shipped to a Walmart store for pick-up. Walmart’s new Pickup Discount program will initially be available only on about 10,000 items, but will be expanded to more than one million of the chain’s most popular items by the end of June.   

An array of private equity firms are interested in The Body Shop.   The beauty retailer, which is owned by cosmetics giant L’Oreal, has drawn bids from around 15 private equity firms and companies, including Bain Capital, CVC Capital Partners, Carlyle Group LP and South Korea’s CJ Group, Bloomberg reported.