Strategy

Philadelphia -- Five Below will grand open a distribution center in Oldmans Township, New Jersey, on June 3, with shipping out of the new 1 million sq.-ft. center beginning in July.

Located in Pedricktown, N.J., the center will replace the company's existing 421,000-sq.-ft. facility located 12 miles away in New Castle, Delaware. Five Below will occupy approximately 700,000 sq. ft. of the facility to start, with plans to grow to a million square feet over time.

Cincinnati -- Kroger Co. plans to bring nearly 650 jobs to new centers in a suburban city in southwest Ohio.

Kroger and Ohio officials announced Monday the $46 million investment by Kroger in buildings and renovations for a distribution center and a business administration center for customer service, human resources recruiting and digital innovation in Blue Ash.

Hingham, Mass. -- WS Development and Derby Street Shoppes continue to add new and exciting retailers to the vibrant mix of existing shops, boutiques and restaurants by announcing the opening of DavidsTea and Sephora. DavidsTea, expects to open its only location on the South Shore in mid-summer, while perfume and cosmetics retailer, Sephora, hopes to open later this year.

The rebound in the nation’s economy is boosting retail sales and spurring an uptick in the number of retailers seeking to expand their presence in existing markets or grow into new trade areas. However, the boom does have a downside for those tenants, as most are finding out.

New York -- The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday ruled against Abercrombie & Fitch in favor of a Muslim woman who filed a lawsuit after she was denied a job at a store operated by the retailer because she wore a head scarf for religious reasons. The ruling sends the case back to a lower court for further consideration.

Irvine, Calif.  -- Boot Barn Holdings announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Sheplers, a 116-year old western lifestyle company with 25 stores across the United States. The purchase price was put at $147 million in cash.

By rebranding the Sheplers stores to the Boot Barn banner, consistent with the strategies of its prior two acquisitions, Boot Barn will enhance its store footprint by adding eight new retail markets and build its position in Texas and Colorado.

GOODLETTSVILLE, Tenn. -- Dollar General on Saturday hit another milestone, opening its 12,000th store in the small town of Juliette, Georgia.
 

Chicago -- Retailers looking for opportunities in emerging markets should look East, particularly to China, which ranks as the top country in A.T. Kearney’s annual Global Retail Development Index (GRDI). China, which returns to number one in the GRDI rankings for the first time since 2010, is expected to surpass the United States as the world's largest retail market by 2018.

By Emily Westridge Black and Christopher Quinlan

With major data breaches making headline news on a near-weekly basis, the retail industry is increasingly focused on cybersecurity. When creating their cybersecurity plans retailers should: 

• Create a strong cybersecurity team that is cross-sectional, and include personnel from legal, information technology, human resources, and communications or public relations departments. The team should also include at least one member of senior management.

Amazon  is facing increased competition these days. In some of the more publicized developments, subscription-based e-commerce site Jet.com is taking off soon, EBay is piloting a service to compete with Amazon Prime in Germany, and Google is reportedly planning to introduce a “buy” button that will turn searches into transactions.

Beyond the natural competition any successful business generates, there are specific factors making it more appealing than ever for retailers of all sizes to try taking on Amazon. Here are three of the most significant ones.